How do I spot a fake allergy?
The Story: “I was handing out snacks at our Winter Party when a student told me he didn’t want any of the cheese because he wasn’t allowed to eat it because he was allergic. How am I only hearing about this now? In DECEMBER? And isn’t cheese dairy, so does that mean all dairy?? I didn’t give him any cheese at the party but I have DEFINITELY given him things with dairy prior to that… like milk. And CHEESE. Could I get fired for that??? I mean, I really feel like he was just making it up because his parents have never said anything. But if that’s the case, what am I supposed to do when I don’t know if the allergy is real or made up??”
First of all, you did the right thing!
As the teacher, it’s almost always in your (and the student’s) best interest to take any potential allergies seriously (whether you think they are legit or not). If a student tells you they have an allergy, you believe them until you have a reason not to (parent confirmation, doctor’s note, etc).
The truth of the matter is there are a lot fewer consequences if the allergy is fake and you’re wrong than if it is real and you don’t believe them.
Early in my career, I worked at a school that had a student with an avocado* allergy so severe that (according to her) if she touched avocados, she would break out in hives. We had to wipe down the lunch table before she could eat, she frequently wore gloves and long sleeves, was very ‘ehem direct with other students if she felt they were too close with their lunches, and generally required a lot of extra effort from the adults to accommodate this allergy. The only problem was… we had no proof it was a real thing other than her word.
We had nothing from her parents or a doctor about it, had never heard of this type of avocado allergy, and we’d never seen her have even an inkling of a reaction. So, one day her class did a project with guacamole* - it’s still vague whether the teacher realized that guacamole had avocados in it or not - but the student broke out so severely that she had to miss a week of school. Yikes! Definitely an allergy.
*allergen type changed for privacy
I know how it feels… You are passing out snacks and a student says, “I’m allergic to those, can I have something else to eat?”
Mhmm. Suuuure you are. You just want the goldfish instead of celery sticks. Which, to be fair, same…but…no. “You get what you get and don’t throw a fit.”
That’s how we want to respond. Instead, let’s reframe this as a teaching moment (and weed out possible “sus” behavior at the same time).
What to do when dealing with a possible allergy:
“Thank you so much for telling me! Allergies are so important for me to know about. I will make note of that right now so that I can get more details from your parents after school and find out what snacks are safe for you to eat.”
At this moment, some students might be miraculously healed and eat the snack or just say something like “Actually, I just remembered I don’t think I am allergic to that… maybe I’m thinking of something else. You don’t need to talk to my parents.”
Other times, the student won’t flinch when you mention contacting their parents.
In this scenario, you have two choices:
If you have another snack option for that day, offer it. Yes, other students will probably catch on and attempt the same strategy if the backup snack is appealing enough. Just repeat the same script that involves parent contact.
If you don’t have any other snack options on hand, you can be honest with them and say, “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t aware of that allergy but now that I know, I will make sure I get a list of safe snacks from your parents so that I have those on hand in the future.”
So, how do you know if your student’s allergy is real or made up? Unless you have a doctor’s note, you probably won’t know for sure. But… it doesn’t really matter. Our goal is to keep our students safe - even if that means going a little above and beyond until we get all of the information. I guarantee a parent would rather you ask than just make your own assessment. I don’t know about you, but my teacher certification didn’t include advanced allergen studies.
Curious about our friend with the cheese allergy? I followed up with that teacher and here’s what she found out:
“Not an allergy at all! He had been very gassy that weekend so his mom (in jest) told him, ‘No more cheese for you! Your toots are running us out of the house!’ She was so embarrassed but I was just glad I hadn’t been poisoning him all year! Thanks!”
Want more tips for the classroom? Check out these posts!
