BackgroundFood allergy affects up to 8% of children in the U.S. There is minimal research to date on food allergy policies that are currently in place in schools and the opinions of parents of children with food allergy on the effectiveness of or need for these policies.MethodsAn electronic survey was disseminated to parents of children with food allergy. Frequencies were calculated to describe respondent characteristics and responses. Chi-square tests were performed to examine associations between school and child characteristics and outcomes.ResultsOf the 289 parent respondents, 27.4% were unsure or felt school was unsafe for their child with food allergy. While the majority felt that the polices in their child’s school were helpful, most also believed that implementation of additional polices was necessary, including availability of stock epinephrine (94.2%), lunch menus with allergen information (86%), ingredient labels on food items (81%), and direct food allergy education for students (86%). There were significant differences in school food allergy policy depending on the age of the student body, private versus public school, and geographic location.ConclusionsWhile most schools reportedly have one or more food allergy policies in place, many parents have concerns over the safety of their child at school and feel that additional policies are necessary to improve the safety of the school environment for children with food allergy. The availability of stock epinephrine, improved allergen labeling of food and menus and increased food allergy education may be key policy areas on which to focus.

With one-third of school nurses reporting an allergic reaction in the past year, schools use many strategies to minimize allergen exposures and increase anaphylaxis preparedness. Most school nurses favor these policies and acknowledge barriers to implementation.

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Nurses are continually innovating to fill gaps or inefficiencies within healthcare. This was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a burst in nurse-led innovation in all areas of healthcare and across the lifespan necessitated an innovation ecosystem to realize nurses' full potential. New ways of thinking and leading the future of nursing have been echoed by the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030, the American Nurses Association (ANA) innovation task force, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Nurse-led hackathons, incubators, and accelerators have emerged to meet the need for a more intentional and formal pathway for nurses to add value to health and healthcare within an innovation and design thinking framework. This article describes a brief historical background of hackathons, innovation incubators, and innovation accelerators and considers their evolution within the nursing profession, including implications for practice and education.