Transcript Creating and Maintaining Safe School Facilities

Asthma Engagement Tool
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WHY TALK ABOUT ASTHMA?
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Asthma can be deadly.
Most asthma episodes can be prevented.
There are legal requirements that affect how
schools deal with students who have asthma.
Children with asthma account for almost 15
million missed school days a year, and miss
more days on average than their friends who
don’t have asthma.1
CDC. Asthma prevalence, health care use and mortality, 2002. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services; 2004.
Could this happen in your district?
Jury Awards $9 Million in Asthma Death at School
A California jury that unanimously awarded a mother $9
million in damages for her 11-year old son’s fatal asthma
attack at school found the school district guilty of negligence
for failing to inform parents of an unwritten school policy that
would have allowed the child to carry an inhaler.
Gonzalez vs. Hanford Elementary School District, Nos. F033659, F034555, (Super. Ct. Nos. 0031 & 1109). June
2002.
What about those inhalers?
Does your state allow students to
possess and self-administer
prescribed medications at school?
See a map with each state’s legislation
here: http://www.aanma.org/cityhall/ch_childrights.htm
Do school facilities compromise student health
and achievement?
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Environmental triggers exacerbate asthma and other
respiratory ailments.1
50% of schools serving over 20 million children
have unsatisfactory environmental conditions such
as poor ventilation, heating and lighting.2
Studies support the link between poor indoor air
quality and low student achievement.1,3
1Indoor
Air Quality and Student Performance. Environmental Protection Agency, March 2001,
Revised 2003.
2U.S. General Accounting Office. School Facilities: The Condition of America’s Schools. 2000.
3Schneider, M. Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? National Clearinghouse for
Educational Facilities, November 2002.
School facilities and achievement
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Students whose school facilities are in poor
condition have test scores about 5.5 percentage
points below students whose school facilities are in
fair condition, and about 11 percentage points below
students in excellent facilities.1
90% of U.S. schools were built before 1980, and
50% before 1960.2
1Indoor
Air Quality and Student Performance. Environmental Protection Agency, March 2001, Revised 2003.
2U.S. General Accounting Office. School Facilities: The Condition of America’s Schools. 2000.
Asthma triggers in a classroom may
include
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Stuffed animals.
Carpeting.
General dusty clutter.
Plants.
Pets.
Mold.
Perfume, candles, air fresheners.
To think about…
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Do you know your district’s policy about the
self-possession and use of inhalers (and other
quick-relief medication) for students with
asthma?
How well does your district monitor indoor
air quality related to carpeting in classrooms?
What is your district’s policy on keeping pets
or plants in the classroom?
What can schools do?
Be proactive
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Create local policies that support asthma-friendly schools.
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Provide school health services for students with asthma.
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Offer asthma-management education to students, staff, and
families.
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Provide a safe and healthy environment by reducing asthma
triggers in the school environment.
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Coordinate school, family, and community resources to
better manage asthma symptoms and reduce school
absences.
Resources for school leaders from
AASA
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AASA’s Indoor Air Quality & Asthma initiatives.
School Governance and Leadership (Spring 2003).
Schoolhouse in the Red (2004 Edition).
“Frequently Asked Asthma Questions” document.
Powerful Practices: A Checklist for School Districts
Addressing the Needs of Students with Asthma.
Schoolhouse in the Red
School Governance & Leadership
Additional Resources
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Strategies for Addressing Asthma Within a Coordinated School Health Program; Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/asthma/strategies.htm
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Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools; National Asthma Education and Prevention
Program (NAEPP) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/asth_sch.htm
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Fit, Healthy, and Read to Learn: National Association of State Boards of Education http://www.nasbe.org/HealthySchools/fithealthy.html
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Quest for the Code Asthma CD Rom Game; Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation http://www.starlight.org/site/c.fuLQK6MMIpG/b.1352333/k.2867/Asthma_CD_ROM_Ques
t_for_the_Code.htm
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Schooled in Asthma; American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.aap.org/schooledinasthma/
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Tools for Schools; Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/toolkit.html
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Open Airways for Schools (for Elementary School children) - http://www.lungusa.org/
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Power Breathing™ (for Teens) - http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=4&sub=79&cont=436
References
CDC. Asthma prevalence, health care use and mortality, 2002. Hyattsville, Maryland: US
Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics,
2004.
Gonzalez vs. Hanford Elementary School District, Nos. F033659, F034555,
(Super.Ct. Nos. 0031 & 1109). June 2002
Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance. EPA, March 2001, Revised 2003.
School Facilities: The Condition of America’s Schools. US General Accounting Office 2000.
Schneider, M. Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? National Clearinghouse for
Educational Facilities, November 2002.
Any Questions?
For More Information
For more information on AASA’s efforts to address
asthma in schools please visit www.aasa.org/focus.
AASA staff contacts:
Kelly Beckwith [email protected]
Rebecca Nelson - [email protected]
This document was developed by AASA under a cooperative agreement with the Division of Adolescent and School Health of the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; grant number U58/CCU820135-01. Its contents are solely the
responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.