Working with Your Child's School: Tips for Parents

It is important for every parent of a child with asthma to work together with school staff to control their child's asthma.

Before school starts, make sure that you do the following:

• Get a written Asthma Action Plan from your health care provider and give a copy to your child's school.
• Make sure the school has emergency numbers to reach you.
• Schedule a conference with your child's teacher and school nurse to talk about your child's asthma.
• Fill out all school, activity, medication, and health forms.
• Make sure to get extra medications to leave at school. Label all medications and asthma tools with child's name and classroom.
• Understand and follow Minnesota's Asthma Inhaler Law that allows children to carry their own inhaler under certain circumstances.

When you talk to your child's teacher, school nurse, and other school staff, make sure to discuss the following:

• Basics of asthma
• Warning signs for asthma episodes
• Your child's asthma triggers
• Your child's Asthma Action Plan
• Your child's medications and asthma tools (peak flow meters, spacers, nebulizers, etc.)
• Procedures for missing school and making up school work.

During the school year, make sure that you check in with your child's teacher and school staff often. Make sure that they are following your child's Asthma Action Plan. If there are changes to the action plan or other changes in your child's asthma (including emergency room visits, medication changes, etc.), let your child's teacher and school nurse know.

In addition to a school-wide management plan, each student should have their own individualized asthma action plan on file with the school nurse.

• Asthma Action Plan in English
  
  
• Asthma Action Plan in Spanish
  
  
• Child Friendly Asthma Action Plan
  
  

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