DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE A FOOD ALLERGY OR A DIETARY ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENT?

GISD only provides dietary accommodation for students with disabilities, life-threatening food allergies,  physician-certified medical needs, religious accommodations.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

The Texas Department of Agriculture has set forth the following guidelines for accommodating children with special dietary needs. For Child Nutrition Services to make meal accommodation for a student with a medical disability, the household must provide a written medical statement. For a medical statement to be valid, it must be written by a medical authority licensed to write prescriptions this need to be updated annually.

Medical Statement for Students with Disabilities and Life-Threatening Food Allergies:

•  Be signed by a licensed physician
•  Identify the child’s medical condition/disability
•  Include an explanation of why disability restricts the child’s diet
•  Identify the major life activity affected by the disability
•  List the food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet and the food or choice of foods that must be substituted
• Medical action to be taken if a student ingests allergen food

Medical Statement for Students with Special Dietary Needs (non-disabled):

•  Signed by a licensed physician or medical practitioner authorized to write prescriptions.
• Identifies the medical condition that restricts the child’s diet
• Lists the food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet and the food or choice of foods to be substituted

GISD DIETARY ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY

All dietary accommodation requests should be completed on the   ENGLISHDIETMODFORM.pdf   or  SPANISHDIETMODFORM.pdf 

This documentation must be provided by the student’s parent/guardian to the school nurse who will then email it to the Child Nutrition Services office. Dietary accommodation will be arranged once Child Nutrition Services receives and processes the request. Any information missing from the form will result in delays to putting dietary accommodation in place.

NOTE: Dietary accommodations that require the purchase of specific items may not be available immediately. Please allow up to 2-3  weeks to receive the first delivery of special order.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: KaylaSonka@gisd.org

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITY

Parents/Guardians

• Provide a Physician's Request for Diet Modification form to the school nurse, making sure that it includes all required information as listed on page
•  NOTE: If the physician’s order contains any statements requiring further clarification, special dietary accommodation will not begin until the physician provides further written clarification
•  Provide updated physician's orders as necessary
• Give the school nurse a written statement signed by the physician when accommodation is no longer needed
•   Dietary accommodations cannot be changed prior to receiving updated documentation from the physician
•   Work with the school nurse and GISD Child Nutrition Services to review and return modified menus as soon as possible
•  NOTE: Modified menus will not be implemented until approval is received
• Please submit new Physician's Request for Diet Modification form each school year
•  Please provide an updated physician’s statement to the school nurse
•  Remember that there may be a delay of up to 2-3 weeks if special purchases are required  School Nurse

Scan and email the Physician's Request for Diet Modification form (special diet form) to GISD Nutrition Services at KaylaSonka@gisd.org

Serve as liaison between the Child Nutrition Services Department and the parent to gather needed information, physician documentation, and parent approval of special diet menus

Nutrition Services

What we can do:

• Provide meals which to the best of our knowledge meet the physician-ordered dietary restrictions
• Work with the parent and school nurse to adjust the diet as updated physician’s orders are received
•  Non-disability students will be handled on a case by case basis

What we CANNOT do:

• Interpret, revise, or change a diet order for students with disabilities
•  Provide dietary accommodations for students without a valid medical condition
•  Provide dietary accommodations without the proper physician’s documentation
•  Provide fruit juice as a milk substitute for non-disability student

                                                    

 

SPANISHDIETMODFORM.pdf                   ENGLISHDIETMODFORM.pdf