BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA
How to Prepare for a Safe and Healthy School Year

If your child has allergies or asthma, proper planning can help ensure a safe and healthy school year.  The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) encourages parents to use this checklist of tips to protect their children and prevent dangerous allergic and asthmatic reactions while at school.

Elements of a good allergy or asthma management plan:

• Do you know what triggers your child’s allergies or asthma?  The first step in any comprehensive allergy or asthma treatment plan is determining what triggers your child’s reactions. See an allergy and asthma specialist, known as an allergist, for testing and diagnosis.

– Your child’s asthma might be allergic, triggered by exposure to pollens, mold, dust mites, pet dander (which can be carried in on classmate’s clothing), or even latex, which is commonly used in school supplies such as erasers, rubber bands, balls and glue. Or, your child might have exercise-induced asthma. Many children (as many as 2 million) have severe allergies to foods such as peanuts, milk, shellfish, eggs, soy and wheat. Exposure to these, in even the tiniest amounts, can trigger life-threatening reactions.

– Once you and your allergist have determined your child’s triggers, you can take steps to minimize your child’s contact with those triggers.

– Expect your doctor to take a detailed medical history, perform a physical examination, administer lung function tests or other tests such as X-rays, blood tests or allergy tests.

• Do you understand your child’s treatment options?  For children who have asthma, medication options include:

– Long-term anti-inflammatory medications (inhaled corticosteroids) that prevent symptoms and long-term lung damage.

– Quick-relief or “rescue” medications that are inhaled to relieve symptoms and open airways quickly.

– Allergy therapies such as allergy shots – also known as immunotherapy - to decrease sensitivity to specific triggers, or a new treatment called anti-IgE that stops allergic reactions before they start by blocking the immune system response.

– If your child has food or insect sting allergies, your doctor should teach you how to administer an emergency epinephrine shot and provide you with a kit. 
 

• Do you have a written treatment plan?  Because there are so many aspects to managing allergies and asthma, and because it is an ongoing process, you should work with your child’s doctor to develop a written treatment and medication plan that you can periodically review and update. A written plan will help you communicate with teachers, coaches, nurses and other adults who supervise your child during the school day.

Medication and emergency plans:

• Will your child be allowed to keep medications in his or her possession?  You need to know in advance if your child will be able to keep a bronchodilator or epinephrine kit with him or her. Children with asthma should be permitted to keep inhaled medications with them, as long as they are prescribed by your child’s doctor.  According to the Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), the following states have passed legislation allowing students to carry and use inhalers.  An asterisk indicates if the state also allows students to carry and use epinephrine.

Alabama (*)   Delaware(*)  Florida Georgia (*)   Illinois (*)   Indiana (*)  
Iowa (*)   Kentucky (*)   Louisiana (*) Massachusetts (*)  Minnesota   Mississippi (*)
Missouri New Hampshire (*)  New Jersey (*) New York   Ohio   Oklahoma
Oregon Rhode Island Texas Virginia Wisconsin (*)

More information on children’s rights at school can be found on AANMA’s Web site at www.aanma.org in City Hall.

• Do your child and school nursing staff know how to use emergency medications?  Take time to show your child and the nursing staff how to use a peak flow meter and bronchodilator, or how to administer an epinephrine shot.

Communicating with teachers, nurses, coaches and other school staff:

• Have you written down any allergy and asthma triggers? Triggers might include exercise, specific foods, insect stings or strong sensitivities to allergens such as latex, mold spores, tobacco smoke or pet dander. Provide the list to teachers, coaches, nurses and other adults who will supervise your child during the school day.

• Have you provided a written list of your child’s medications? Make sure you include dosages and instructions for when the medications should be taken.

• Have you warned adult supervisors to avoid giving your child aspirin? Aspirin can trigger life-threatening reactions in those who have asthma.

• Have you provided nursing staff with emergency medications? These might include rescue inhaler, peak flow meter and corticosteroids for children with asthma, and emergency epinephrine kit for children with severe allergies, as well as specific written instructions for response to any allergic or asthmatic reaction.

• Have you provided a written list of phone numbers? Make sure you include your child’s allergist, family physician or pediatrician, in case of emergencies.

• Have you enlisted the support of school staff? Adults who are with your child during the school day can help monitor your child’s health. Signs of irritability, inability to concentrate or temper tantrums may be subtle indications that your child’s allergies are bothering him or her. An informed teacher or school nurse can help you understand when and where your child’s symptoms worsened so that you and your doctor can adjust your child’s treatment plan accordingly. You will also need the school’s support to help ensure that your food-allergic child doesn’t trade meals with other children.

• Have you declined to sign a liability waiver? Experts warn that you should not absolve the school of responsibility for administering emergency epinephrine.

Before your child’s first day at school:

• Have you visited the school? Tour areas such as classrooms, art room, gymnasium and cafeteria to identify potential asthma and allergy triggers. Talk to the school staff about policies regarding food that is brought into the classrooms.

• Have you talked to your child about his or her limitations? Your child should know his or her specific allergy and asthma triggers, and know how to avoid them as much as possible. If your child has food allergies, make sure that he or she knows not to swap lunches with a friend at school.

For more information that can help you manage your child’s allergies or asthma, visit the ACAAI Web site at www.acaai.org.
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