Bullying General Information

What Do “Disabilities” Have to Do with Food Allergies?

Food allergy anaphylaxis is a health impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as breathing and eating, under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA). Therefore, students with food allergies are considered “disabled” under these terms. Students with food allergies are offered equal access to programs and activities provided by facilities who receive Federal financial assistance, including public schools, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which is a non-discriminatory regulation for students with disabilities. Parents should refer their child for a Section 504 evaluation in order for the child to be found eligible to receive appropriate accommodations. Bullying students with disabilities has become such a problem that the U.S. Department of Education has published a Dear Colleague letter outlining districts responsibilities to students with disabilities and bullying. 

Furthermore, as explained in a blog post from the U.S. Department of Education about the letter, “Schools have an obligation to ensure that a student with disabilities who is bullied continues to receive FAPE as outlined in his or her individualized education program (IEP). IEPs, as well as 504 plans, can be useful in outlining specialized approaches for preventing and responding to bullying, as well as providing additional supports and services to students with disabilities. This guidance also offers effective evidence-based practices for preventing and addressing bullying.” To clarify, the Department of Education has encouraged outlining support in a student’s IEP or 504 plan detailing how to address bullying.

How Can Parents/Caregivers Help?

Parents/Caregivers play an important role in their children’s educational lives. Being part of their child’s school in some form, when possible, is essential to reducing the risk of school bullying. Parents/Caregivers should advocate for inclusive practices in the school district to improve school climate, which will help all students. Be proactive and talk to the school administrator about how he or she would respond to food allergy bullying. Reviewing how the administrator will respond will be helpful if a bullying incident occurs. Additionally, ask about any anti-bullying guidelines or policies that both the parent/caregiver and administrator can review together.

In a study of children with food allergies and their parents/caregivers, parents/caregivers knew about bullying related to food allergies only half the time. When parents/caregivers were aware of the bullying, the child’s quality of life was reported to be much better than that of children whose parents/caregivers were not involved. ^[3]

Whether or not you suspect your child is being bullied, engage him or her in daily conversations about school and social activities. This allows the child to feel trust, open up about any bullying activity if it occurs, and get parents involved. Ask open-ended questions that require a response and can lead to further discussion, such as:

• Who did you play with at recess/PE?
• Who did you eat with during lunch?
• How was your bus ride to/from school?

In addition, find out what the school is doing to address bullying, including on play grounds (where teachers may have a harder time tracking such incidents) and on school busses. If your child’s school does not have effective bullying strategies and policies in place, advocate for change with the principal.^[6] Take the same action with camps your child may attend.

If bullying has occurred in school, it’s important to take appropriate action, including:

• Speak with your child using the tools mentioned above.
• Request a meeting with the principal and/or assistant principal and teacher to talk about the incident to get a better understanding of what happened. Make the meeting request in writing (by e-mail) to document the date.
• Maintain a safe environment for your food-allergic child by not changing his or her schedule, which will provide comfort and familiarity. It is especially important for students to know which school staff are trained on food allergies and who to go to for help.
• Some bullying cases may meet the criteria for harassment or assault, which can result in legal consequences for the bully. In this case, immediate response is important. If threats of physical injury occurred (or injury itself), you may want to contact local police authorities.
• Age-appropriate disciplinary measures should be considered. Not all children who bully peers with food allergies realize it is dangerous. Age may be one factor. Education and awareness is important to create an inclusive environment to combat bullying.
• Speak with school counselors for help on educating teachers and students at the school about food allergies. This will provide a more inclusive climate for your child and other food-allergic students.
• Review the incident as part of a IHP/IHCP, 504 Plan and/or IEP meeting with school administrators. It may be appropriate to include accommodations to address your food-allergic child’s individual needs further.

Why Do Children/Teens Bully Kids with Food Allergies?

Children who bully food-allergic peers generally do so because there is a lack of awareness and education about food allergies and their consequences. In addition, children model adult behaviors. Refusing to invite a food-allergic child to a social event, for example, because a parent doesn’t want to “deal” with (accommodate) the food allergies excludes the food-allergic child and makes the child appear “different.” It then appears socially acceptable for children to exclude the food-allergic child in all social activities. The result is that the food-allergic child becomes the outcast. In many cases, children who appear different are bullied no matter the type of disability. It is important to advocate for a more inclusive environment to reduce the incidence of bullying. Additionally, work with other parents to show that it is possible to accommodate food-allergic children.

There have only been 10 studies conducted in the United States on bullying students with disabilities. However, all have found that students with developmental disabilities were two to three times more likely to be bullied than nondisabled peers. Of these disabled students being bullied, 42.9 percent reported having a special health conditions. Bullying affects a student’s ability to learn. Additionally, a study published in the British Journal of Learning Support (2008) concluded that 60 percent of children with disabilities reported being bullied regularly compared with 25 percent of all students. 

FAACT

Fatalities among adolescents with food allergies are more common due to risk-taking behaviors.

References