1. Asthma Engagement Tool
Date, etc.
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Your Name Here
Title
Organization

2. WHY TALK ABOUT ASTHMA? 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, Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2004.

3. 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 & 1109). June 2002.

4. 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:

5. Do school facilities compromise student health and achievement?
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
3Schneider, M. Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, November 2002.

6. School facilities and achievement
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
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

7. Asthma triggers in a classroom may include
Stuffed animals.
Carpeting.
General dusty clutter.
Plants.
Pets.
Mold.
Perfume, candles, air fresheners.

8. To think about…
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?

9. What can schools do?

10. Be proactive
Create local policies that support asthma-friendly schools.
Provide school health services for students with asthma.
Offer asthma-management education to students, staff, and families.
Provide a safe and healthy environment by reducing asthma triggers in the school environment.
Coordinate school, family, and community resources to better manage asthma symptoms and reduce school absences.

11. Resources for school leaders from AASA
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.

12. Schoolhouse in the Red

13. School Governance & Leadership

14. Additional Resources
Strategies for Addressing Asthma Within a Coordinated School Health Program; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -
Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools; National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP)
Fit, Healthy, and Read to Learn: National Association of State Boards of Education -
Quest for the Code Asthma CD Rom Game; Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation -
Schooled in Asthma; American Academy of Pediatrics -
Tools for Schools; Environmental Protection Agency -
Open Airways for Schools (for Elementary School children) -
Power Breathing™ (for Teens) -

15. References
CDC. Asthma prevalence, health care use and mortality, 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 & 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.

16. Any Questions?

17. For More Information
For more information on AASA’s efforts to address asthma in schools please visit
AASA staff contacts:
Kelly Beckwith
Rebecca Nelson -
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/CCU 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.