Eating and drinking are functional tasks students participate in daily in the public school setting. It is the school’s responsibility to ensure students are safe when eating and drinking and receiving adequate nutrition and hydration to be available to learn and access the curriculum. Teachers and paraprofessionals often have limited to no medical knowledge on feeding students with complex health needs are often the primary staff members supporting students during meals. It is important for school districts to educate all school personnel on the risk factors, signs and symptoms of dysphagia, and have specific protocols staff should follow when there are feeding concerns for students. When school districts do not have standard processes and procedures in place to support students with dysphagia, it can affect the ability for students to receive a free and appropriate educations (FAPE). This capstone project consists of an evidence-based feeding and swallowing program for a large public school district and a manual for the program, which will include policies and procedures the district can follow. The goal of this project is to provide vital information about the legal and ethical obligations public schools have to address feeding and swallowing, improve identification of students at risk for dysphagia, provide standards of care based on evidence, and provide strategies to improve staff adherence to student feeding plans.
