VOORHEESVILLE – The days of swapping sandwiches in the school cafeteria are over. At Voorheesville Elementary School, students are taught to "share things, not food," says the school nurse, Colleen Brackett.
The lesson developed because of some students’ severe food allergies, she said. "Some allergies can be mild. Some can be extremely severe and life-threatening," said Brackett.
"If a child has a severe allergy, they can go into anaphylactic shock if they come into contact with the food they’re allergic to," Superintendent Linda Langevin told The Enterprise.
Each year, during the first week of class, students participate in bus drills, and Principal Kenneth Lein talks to them in the school cafeteria, he said. "I talk to them about sharing food and why we don’t do it," Lein said. It is important that the students understand why they can’t share food, he said.

Because of severe peanut allergies among some students in kindergarten, the school has enacted a policy where it provides snacks to children in those classrooms, said Lein.
Kindergarten students don’t eat lunch at the school because their school day is only two-and-a-half hours long, said Lein. "We’ve decided to provide the snack," he said.
"At this point, we’re gathering more information to see what we might need to do," Lein said. "Next year is a whole new level," he said.

District parent Laura Minnick, at last week’s school-board meeting, asked about the district’s plan regarding children with severe food allergies. She expressed concern that this will become a schoolwide issue.
Parents of kindergarten students were told that no food from home is allowed in the classroom, said Minnick. "What is going to happen in the lunchroom next year"" she asked.
"We want to make sure the students are safe," Lein said to Minnick, indicating that, at this point, the district is considering a policy to address severe food allergies.
"A policy change requires action of the board," said President David Gibson, assuring Minnick that the public would not be left out of the process.

In December, when Lein sends out The Bugler, the elementary school’s monthly newsletter, he will give people an opportunity to weigh in on the issue, he said.

Lein told The Enterprise that he has met with the parents of children with severe allergies, to discuss their concerns. "Now we’re just gathering more information from other districts, and the State Education Department," Lein said.
The district asked parents to pay $3 a month to cover the costs associated with providing the snacks, Lein explained. "We can’t really control what comes in from home," he said.

The snacks are generally crackers, or sometimes cheese sticks, or carrots, Lein said. He said that any time a new snack is added into the mix, parents are consulted to ensure there are no issues with the food.
"We’re making sure the snacks are healthy," said Lein.
Currently, there are more than 10 students with severe food allergies at the elementary school, Brackett estimated off the top of her head. It is "not a huge percentage" of the roughly 500 students at the school, she told The Enterprise.
"Whether it be one child or 20, it doesn’t change what we need to do," Brackett said. "The key is the education piece," she said. "The more information you can give, the better off you are.
This year, for us, it seemed to be more than typical," Lein said of the number of students enrolled in kindergarten who have severe allergies.
"We’re still gathering information," Lein said. "It’s about education... and the children," said Lein.
"We start the education piece at the kindergarten level," Brackett said. "We can allow more responsibility from students as they get older," she said.

It’s good for the students to understand why certain children can’t have specific foods, said Brackett.
"I don’t see it as a problem," she said. "I feel very confident that what we’re doing is good."

Other business

In other business at its Nov. 5 school-board meeting, the board:
– Increased the hours for Carol Relyea, a teacher’s aid at the elementary school, from five hours per day to five-and-one-quarter hours per day, to supervise students from 8:15 to 8:30 a.m. Gibson said that the supervision of the students who show up at the school early is "an example of something thought out and done well";

– Approved the substitute teacher appointments for the 2007-08 school year that was presented by the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Education Services Substitute Registry;

– Waived the fee associated with the school district’s providing transportation for children from St. Matthews Church to the Adirondack Center near Amsterdam, for a retreat from Friday, Jan. 11, to Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008;

– Approved the disposal of a 1995 Yard Man snowblower, and a Kenmore air-conditioner, both of which no longer work. They will be disposed of in a manner consistent with current laws and regulations;

– Approved the attendance of four district teachers to the New York State Association for Computer & Technologies Education in Rochester, from Nov. 17 to 19, at a cost of $489 per person for registration, and $240 per night for lodging;

– Amended an agreement between the board and the superintendent of the district’s operations, maintenance, and transportation, Michael Goyer, outlining his benefits.

Until July 1, Goyer was a non-union managerial-confidential employee. In an agreement made effective on July 1, Goyer became part of the administrative union, but his benefits were not written into the agreement.
His vacation time now matches the benefits for administrators, said Assistant Superintendent for Business Sarita Winchell. "We’re trying to be extremely careful with our agreements," Winchell said.

The amendment was approved by the Voorheesville Administrators’ Association;

– Heard from Goyer that the district is in need of substitute bus drivers, and it hopes to hire at least two as soon as possible;

– Approved a grant disbursement agreement between the school district and the Dormitory Authority of New York State for EXCEL (Expanding our Children’s Education and Learning) Aid of $409,000;
– Heard from Gibson that he had reviewed the files regarding the recent appointment of Robert Baron to coach the girls’ varsity basketball team, and, he said, "There were no certified teachers and no individuals holding a certified coaching license" who applied following Dennis McCormick’s letter declining the position.
"We spent the time to double check, and we’re in compliance with the state regulations," said Gibson; and

– Extended congratulations to the girls’ varsity volleyball team, and the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams.