How Asthma-Friendly Is Your School?

Children with asthma need proper support at school to keep their asthma under control and be fully active. Use the questions below to find out how well your school assists children with asthma:

1. Is your school free of tobacco smoke all of the time, including during school-sponsored events?
2. Does the school maintain good indoor air quality? Does it reduce or eliminate allergen sand irritants that can make asthma worse? Allergens and irritants include pets with fur or feathers, mold, dust mites (for example, in carpets and upholstery), cockroaches, and strong odors or fumes from such products as pesticides, paint, perfumes, and cleaning chemicals.
3. Is there a school nurse in your school all day, every day? If not, is a nurse regularly available to the school to help write plans and give guidance for students with asthma about medicines, physical education, and field trips?
4. Can children take medicines at school as recommended by their doctor and parents? May children carry their own asthma medicines?
5. Does your school have an emergency plan for taking care of a child with a severe asthma episode (attack)? Is it made clear what to do? Who to call? When to call?
6. Does someone teach school staff about asthma, asthma management plans, and asthma edicines? Does someone teach all students about asthma and how to help a classmate ho has it?
7. Do students have good options for fully and safely participating in physical education lass and recess? (For example, do students have access to their medicine before exercise? Can they choose modified or alternative activities when medically necessary?) If the answer to any question is no, students may be facing obstacles to asthma control. Asthma out of control can hinder a student's attendance, participation, and progress in school. School staff, health professionals, and parents can work together to remove obstacles and to promote students' health and education.

Contact these organizations for information about asthma and helpful ideas for making school policies and practices more asthma-friendly. Federal and State laws are there to help children with asthma.

Resource Organizations for Parents and School Staff

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center,
P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
(301) 251-1222
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhlbi/nhlbi.htm
NAEPP materials include:

• Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools
• Asthma Awareness Curriculum for the Elementary Classroom
• Asthma and Physical Activity in the School
• Making a Difference: Asthma Management in the School (video)
• Your Students With Asthma Can Be Winners, Too! (poster)

Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, Inc.
Suite 200, 3554 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA
22030-4403 (800) 878-4403 or (703) 385-4403
http://www.aanma.org/

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
611 East Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202
(800) 822-ASTHMA or (414) 272-6071
http://www.aaaai.org/

American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
(800) 433-9016
http://www.aap.org/

American Association for Respiratory Care
11030 Ables Lane, Dallas, TX 75229-4593
(972) 243-2272
http://www.aarc.org

American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
85 West Algonquin Road, Suite 550
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(800) 842-7777 or (847) 427-1200
http://allergy.mcg.edu

American Lung Association
For the affiliate nearest you, call (800)LUNG USA
http://www.lungusa.org/

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Suite 502, 1125 15th Street, N.W.,Washington, DC 20005
(800) 7-ASTHMA or (202) 466-7643
http://www.aafa.org/

Healthy Kids: The Key to Basics
Educational Planning for Students With Asthma and Other Chronic Health Conditions
79 Elmore Street, Newton, MA 02159-1137
(617) 965-9637

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Customer Service
Team, Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 CStreet, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-1328
(800) 421-3481 or (202) 205-5413
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Indoor
Environments Division, 401 M Street, S.W. (6604J), Washington, DC 20460
(202) 233-9370

Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse
800) 438-4318
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/

Special thanks to members of and consultants to the NAEPP School Asthma Education Subcommittee, representing the following organizations, for their contributions in developing this document: Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, Inc.; American Academy of Allergy, Asthma,and Immunology; American Academy of Pediatrics; American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance; American Association for Respiratory Care; American Lung Association; American Medical Association; American Public Health Association; American School Health Association; Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Healthy Kids: The Key to Basics; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of School Nurses; National Education Association Health Information Network; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National School Boards Association; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.