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Asthma in Schools
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America supports policies and programs that protect students with asthma in schools. It is our goal to see each state have current and appropriate asthma management programs in place for its students. We also support more training for teachers and school staff to know how to recognize and treat asthma emergencies.
We believe with the right training and policies in place, not only will our schools be safer for children with asthma, but lives can be saved.
The resources listed below provide useful information about asthma for parents, school administrators and childcare providers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Asthma Basics: Information including “What is asthma?,” “How is asthma diagnosed?” and and information about asthma episodes.
- Information for School and Childcare Providers: Resources include a sign language video for schools and CDC’s Health Youth! Asthma website.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
- COVID-19 and Asthma Toolkit for Schools: a toolkit and resource guide to help schools create environments that help protect students and staff with asthma while preventing the spread of new coronavirus (SARS-C0V-2) that causes COVID-19.
- Asthma Management Education Online: An online program that recognizes the critical role allied health professionals play in educating and caring for the patient with asthma and allergies.
- Wee Breathers: A flexible and interactive program designed to reach families of preschool-age children with asthma in their homes or child care settings. The program consists of 7 one-hour checklists for identifying asthma triggers in the home and child care centers, and an instructor guide.
Healthy Schools Campaign
- Addressing the Health-Related Causes of Chronic Absenteeism: This toolkit focuses on preparing educators – particularly school district decision-makers – with knowledge and practical guidance for creating meaningful change to address health-related chronic absenteeism.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Asthma Action Plan
- Is The Asthma Plan Working? A Tool for School Nurse Assessment: All children with asthma need an asthma action plan. This brief assessment tool offers guidance in determining how well an asthma action plan is working for a student.
- Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (EPR-3): The EPR-3 Guidelines for Asthma were developed by an expert panel commissioned by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) Coordinating Committee (CC), coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.
- Asthma and Physical Activity in the School: Making a Difference: This site provides a resource for teachers and coaches to help students with asthma participate in sports and physical activities.
- Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools: This site provides school personnel with a booklet describing practical ways to help students with asthma.
- Suggested Emergency Protocol for Students with Asthma Symptoms: Although each student with asthma needs a personal asthma action plan, schools also should have a written emergency care plan for students who do not have a personal plan at school. This template can help develop a district or school protocol.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- AirNow: Provides daily air quality information such as forecasts and action day notifications via email for your area of interest. Air quality information allows you to adjust your lifestyle when necessary on unhealthy air quality days.
