National Asthma Education and Prevention Program
Resolution on Asthma Management at School

Asthma affects nearly 5 million children in the United States--about 1 child in every 14. This chronic lung disease causes unnecessary restriction of childhood activities and is a leading cause of school absenteeism. Asthma is controllable, however. With proper treatment and support, children with asthma can lead fully active lives.

The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) believes that schools should adopt policies for the management of asthma that encourage the active participation of students in the self-management of their condition and allow for the most consistent, active participation in all school activities. These policies should allow:

• A smoke-free environment for all school activities.

• Access to health services supervised by a school nurse. These services should include identification of students with asthma; a written asthma management plan for each student with asthma; appropriate medical equipment; and the support of an adult, as appropriate, to evaluate, monitor, and report on the administration of medication to the parent/guardian and/or health provider.

• A written medication policy that allows safe, reliable, and prompt access to medications in the least restrictive way during all school-related activities and self-managed administration of medication (including consideration of allowing students to carry and self-administer medications) consistent with the needs of the individual child and the safety of others.

• A school-wide emergency plan for handling severe exacerbations of asthma.

• Staff development for all school personnel on school medication policies, emergency procedures, and procedures for communicating health concerns about students.

• Development of a supportive and healthy environment that respects the abilities and needs of each student with asthma.

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research - Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology - American Academy of Family Physicians - American Academy of Pediatrics - American Academy of Physician Assistants - American Association for Respiratory Care - American Association of Occupational Health Nurses - American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology - American College of Chest Physicians - American College of Emergency Physicians - American Lung Association - American Medical Association - American Nurses Association - American Pharmaceutical Association - American Public Health Association - American School Health Association - American Society of Health-System Pharmacists - American Thoracic Society - Association of State and Territorial Directors of Public Health Education - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - National Association of School Nurses - National Black Nurses Association - National Center for Environmental Health - National Center for Health Statistics - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - NHLBI Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Populations - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - National Medical Association - Society for Public Health Education - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - U.S. Public Health Service

For additional information, contact the NAEPP at 301­592­8573 (phone) or 301­592­8563 (fax)