Tube Feeding at School

Medically Reviewed by Janel Ganz, BSN, RN, Enteral Feeding Specialist

While you and your child are adjusting to the feeding tube, it may sound like another scary step to think about sending your child to school. A feeding tube is no reason for your child to miss out on the friendship and socialization that come with learning in school. Keeping a child at home might be your first thought. Giving them the freedom to meet up with their peers and join in their favorite activities in and outside of school can help make tube feeding feel “normal” both to your child and to other students.

If this will be the first time your tube-fed child is going to school, or if they are changing schools, read the tips below. It is important that your child is safe, healthy, and has a routine while in the care of the school staff.

Make sure the school has the appropriate resources

• Before you send a tube-fed child to school, find out if staff can support a child with a feeding tube. This means knowing that there is someone who understands how to help your child with their tube feedings. Make sure the staff know what to do if there is a concern. 
• Set up a feeding schedule. This may not fall into the same time frame as lunch period.

Include tube feeding in your child’s IEP or 504 Plan

• Most schools will require a doctor’s note or notes, prescription(s), and instructions for medical support like tube feeding. The Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan is often the right place to describe the feeding regimen. 
• School staff and all of your child’s teachers should be given a copy of the care team’s recommendations for feeding schedules. They should agree to either allowing the student to feed in class if necessary or setting aside a place outside of class. 
• Policies on excusing students from class should not interfere with the feeding schedule.

Find a feeding tube point person

• Your child will need someone to rely on for their feeding needs
• They will also need someone who can handle emergencies like a dislodged tube, a clog, or a pump being turned off. 
• This person should have contact information for you and for your child’s doctor on hand. Some options could be the school’s health office staff, a nurse, or a counselor.

Weigh different tube feeding options

• It might be easier for your child to be pump fed or syringe fed, depending on the situation.
• Discuss options with school staff and the school health officer. 
• Your choice might depend on class schedules and availability of staff to help.

Think safety and sanitation first

• Getting your child fed at school is very important, but safe feeding is just as important. 
• Staff, health officers, and teachers should be educated on safe handling procedures for equipment, including hand and tube hygiene and correct tube placement.

Do not be surprised by lack of supplies

• There might be the option to keep supplies at school. Others might have to carry the supplies with them each day.
• Be sure they have access to extra supplies:
  • Formula or homemade blended food
  • Bottled water
  • Extension Sets
  • Gauze or dressings
  • Spare clothes in case of leaks or spills

Talk about talking about tube feeding

• Chances are good that your child’s classmates will be curious about their feeding tube. They may ask about it, want to touch or see it, or even have negative reactions. 
• Talk with your child before the first day of tube feeding at school about how to answer peer questions.
  • What will your child say if someone asks to touch the tube? 
  • If someone asks whether it hurts? 
  • If someone says the tube or formula is “gross?” 
  • What will your child say if someone offers them solid food? 
  • If they are asked to be part of a game that might result in a dislodged tube if they fall or run into a classmate? 
• Talking over these possible situations before will make it easier for your child to tell their friends in simple terms that having the tube means some changes, but it does not change who they are.