Food allergies are a growing concern among our student population, and we recognize the importance of keeping all of our students safe and healthy. We also acknowledge that the cafeteria setting is busy and an area where exposure to an allergen could inadvertently occur. In an effort to keep students with food allergy concerns safe, DASD is implementing the Teal Lanyard Initiative throughout the school district, beginning with the 2024-25 school year.

The Teal Pumpkin Initiative has inspired the Teal Lanyard Initiative; more information on the Teal Pumpkin Initiative can be found here. Students with life-threatening and non-life- threatening food allergies are eligible to participate in this initiative. The goal is that during lunch service, Chartwells employees will see the teal lanyard and ask the student what they are allergic to; this employee will confirm that the food(s) they are serving do not contain the allergen(s). During checkout, again the teal lanyard serves as a reminder for the individual running the register to ensure that there are no allergens on the student’s tray. Finally, staff monitoring the cafeteria will have heightened awareness regarding students who have an allergy and can be better prepared to recognize and respond to a possible allergic reaction.

Students participating in the Teal Lanyard Initiative will have two slight differences from other students who wear student IDs:

Students will have a teal lanyard color
In addition to their student ID, students will have a second card attached to the lanyard that denotes their allergen(s).

Students may be enrolled in our Teal Lanyard Initiative due to allergies noted in their Skyward health record. If you would like your student to participate in this important safety measure, please complete the Teal Lanyard Form.

If you have any questions or concerns about DADS’s Teal Lanyard Initiative, please do not hesitate to contact your student’s school nurse. School nurse building information may be found here.

Dallastown Area School District

Health Services