TAMPA, Fla. — A group of students from Sickles High School won the "Ought to be a Law Student Bill Drafting Competition" – going up against other schools in Hillsborough County.
This year's competition had bill proposals from Lennard High School, Sumner High School and Sickles High School, a news release from the school district explained. The teams of students have been working on bill ideas during the first nine weeks of the school year.
The students presented their bill ideas this week to a panel that was filled with five different school board members along with Florida House representatives.
In the end, students at Sickles High School won the competition with their idea of requiring restaurants to showcase informative posters crafted by the Department of State Health Services.
"I feel very grateful to be making a difference in our state as a whole," said Ayla Melamut, an 11th grader at Sickles High School. "This is something that benefits everybody tremendously, and I'm very happy to be a part of this and also very proud to be making this happen."
The poster would detail food allergies and the right actions to take if an allergic reaction were to happen.
"Their bill would also require that the Food Production Managers at every restaurant must complete a course designated by the Department of State Health to ensure they are well versed in food allergen awareness," the release explains.
The goal of the posters would be to make sure the food allergen information is integrated into "educational and training programs."
The students also want to make it a part of a test for the food manager certification exam.
"Research shows that an estimated 2.2 million Floridians have food allergies," school district leaders explain in the release. "A survey conducted by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network found that 34% of food allergy sufferers experienced an allergic reaction while dining at a restaurant."
