Girl dies from peanut: can your child’s school handle emergencies?

The sad story of a seven year-old girl who was unwittingly given a peanut by a classmate in Virginia and later died from an allergic reaction has brought attention to the issues surrounding food allergies and medical treatment at schools. The school legally couldn’t give any medication that wasn’t supplied by the parent.

What are the regulations at your child’s school around food allergies? Do they have an EpiPen on hand, and can they use it without written permission?

How does your child’s school handle birthdays? Bake sales?

My children know the strict “no sharing food” policy at school. I drill it into them. But is there any real way to know that every child is following that rule?  How do you deal with this??