National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute National Asthma Education and Prevention Program School
Asthma Education Subcommittee
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:
- Is your school free of tobacco
smoke all of the time, including during school-sponsored events?
- Does the school maintain good indoor air
quality? Does it reduce or eliminate allergens and
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.
- 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?
- Can children take medicines at
school as recommended by their doctor and parents? May children carry their own
asthma medicines?
- 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?
- Does someone teach school staff
about asthma, asthma management plans, and asthma medicines? Does someone
teach all students about asthma and how to help a classmate
who has it?
- Do students have good options for fully and
safely participating in physical education class 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 the organizations listed below 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.
Asthma can be controlled; expect nothing
less.
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) 592-8573
Internet: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/naepp
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)
Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of
Asthmatics, Inc. 2751 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 150 Fairfax, VA
22031 (800) 878-4403 or (703) 641-9595 Internet:
http://www.aanma.org
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and
Immunology 611 East Wells Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 (800)
822-ASMA or (414) 272-6071 Internet: http://www.aaaai.org
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Boulevard Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 (800)
433-9016 or (847) 228-5005 Internet: http://www.aap.org
American Association for Respiratory
Care 11030 Ables Lane Dallas, TX 75229-4593 (972)
243-2272 Internet: 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 Internet:
http://allergy.mcg.edu
American Lung Association For
the affiliate nearest you, call (800) LUNG USA Internet:
http://www.lungusa.org
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
America 1125 15th Street, N.W., Suite 502 Washington, DC
20005 (800) 7-ASTHMA or (202) 466-7643 Internet:
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
National Association of School Nurses 111
Cantril street Castle Rock, CO 80104 Telephone: (303) 663-0403
Internet: http://www.nasn.org
National Education Association Health Information Network 1201
16th street, NW, Suite 521 Washington, DC 20036 Telephone: (202)
822-7570 Internet: http://www.asthmaandschools.org
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights,
Customer Service Team Mary E. Switzer Building 330 C Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202-1328 (800) 421-3481 or (202) 205-5413 Internet:
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 Internet:
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. |
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