Principal, Vice Principal & Support Staff Responsibility Checklist

Principals, Vice-Principals and support staff play a central role in creating asthma friendly school environments. This checklist recommends activities appropriate for principals, vice principals and support staff to support asthma friendly schools.

• Distribute annually a school registration form or letter to parents/guardians asking, Does your child have asthma or use puffers/inhalers?
  
  
• Provide teachers annually with a list of students who have asthma and/or use inhaler medications.
  
  
• Establish a process that identifies which students can carry their own inhalers and those students who may require assistance.
  
  
• Encourage students to carry their own inhalers with parental/guardian/ health care provider permission.
  • Children who are unable to carry their own inhaler should have it located in their classroom. Worsening asthma can happen quickly and easy access to medication is important.
    
    
• Have teachers distribute the School Asthma Information Package to students with asthma.
  • The School Asthma Information Package includes:
    • Authorization for Medication Use at School Form (Board Specific)
    • Student Asthma Management Plan
    • Parent/Guardian Responsibility Checklist
    • Student with Asthma Responsibility Checklist
    • Your Child has Asthma…What Can you Do?
      
• Display the poster, “Managing Asthma Episodes” in school offices and in every classroom.
  
  
• Monitor for asthma triggers on an ongoing basis and take action to reduce exposure to asthma triggers whenever possible.
  • Refer to the Asthma Trigger Checklist
  • Refer to Health Canada’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools Kit
    
    
• Facilitate the use of asthma friendly school supplies and products.
  • Examples: scent-free markers and cleaning products, dust-free chalk.
  • Schedule extensive building repairs or cleaning at times that reduce the possibility of exposing students to fumes, dust, and other irritants.
  • Consider becoming a fragrance free school.
• Create and support the expectation that students with asthma should be participating in physical activities such as recess and physical education (gym class).
  
  
• Provide asthma resources for the school office and school library.
  
  
• Arrange general asthma awareness and education sessions for the entire school annually.
  For example, arrange for workshops/seminars, puppet shows/plays/skits, access to asthma websites, and school newsletter articles.
  
  
• Arrange for the asthma education program RAP – Roaring Adventures of Puff for students with asthma.
  
  
• Provide opportunities for regular staff education with regards to identifying and managing worsening asthma, proper use of inhalers, and identifying and managing asthma triggers.
  
  
• Identify an individual in the school to act as an Asthma Resource or Asthma Champion for the school community. This person could identify and review new asthma resources and help organize asthma-related activities.