Do You Have a Child in School? Or Know Someone Who Does? Share This Information with Them.  

In May 2025, six-year-old Kofi Berkley, a Grade 1 student with no known history of allergies, was brought to the principal’s office at George P. Nicholson School in Edmonton after sudden itchiness and visible bumps appeared on his skin while he played with friends during recess.

School Principal Joanne Harle and an administrative assistant quickly sprang into action, applying ice to Kofi’s skin to soothe the irritation.

“It felt like an hour, but it was probably only a minute before we noticed his eyes swelling. His top lip began to grow, and he was gasping for breath,” said Harle.

At that moment, the school administrative assistant exclaimed, “I think we have an allergic reaction. We need the EpiPen.”

Thanks to an Alberta law enacted in 2020, the school had two EpiPens available in their clinic. This law requires schools to “stock” epinephrine devices in addition to those parents provide for students with known food, bee, or wasp allergies.

Food Allergy Canada points out that while other provincial education ministries have policies in place to prepare for and respond to serious allergic reactions, Alberta is the only province that mandates all schools to keep epinephrine devices that are not assigned to a specific student.

The advocacy group is urging all provinces to implement similar legislation, rather than leaving it to individual schools and school boards to take the initiative.

“Think of stock epinephrine like a defibrillator—it’s there for emergencies when you don’t expect them to happen,” said Jennifer Gerdts, executive director of Food Allergy Canada.

Data from the U.S. indicates that 25 percent of anaphylaxis cases occurring at schools involve students who did not have a known history of severe allergies, and there’s no reason to believe the situation would be different in Canada.

Alberta’s legislation also requires teachers and other school staff to complete Food Allergy Canada’s “Allergy Aware” online training module, which takes about 30 minutes.

Kofi’s father, Cristen Berkley, shared that an allergy clinic has not yet determined what his son is allergic to, but they are continuing to investigate. “It wasn’t easy to let him return to school, especially not knowing what triggered the allergy,” Berkley said. “However, knowing that the teachers were prepared in case of an emergency definitely eased my mind.”

Dr. Scott Cameron, a pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist in Victoria, BC, emphasized that first-time anaphylactic reactions are just one reason why schools should stock epinephrine devices.

At around $100 per autoinjector, many families of children with diagnosed food or insect-sting allergies struggle to afford multiple devices. Schools require one to be kept on hand at all times.

“We have families who may only have one injector, which stays at school. Unfortunately, this means they don’t have one available for meals at home or when they go out to a friend’s house or a restaurant where accidents could potentially occur,” Cameron said.

He noted that while deaths from anaphylaxis are rare, administering epinephrine quickly significantly reduces the likelihood of hospitalization, including intensive care.

“Delaying epinephrine by even 20 minutes is a known risk factor for severe complications,” he explained.

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