Goals for Principal, Vice-Principal & Support Staff

Goal 1: Establish a process to identify students with asthma

• Distribute annually a school registration form (or some other form or letter) that asks the parents/guardians to indicate if their child has asthma or uses asthma medications.
  • "Does your child have asthma or use an asthma medication?"
• For each child identified as having asthma, send home a School Asthma Information Package which includes:
  • Authorization for Medication Use Form (Board Specific)
  • Student Asthma Management Plan. To be completed by parent and returned to school if possible include the following items below:
    • Parent/Guardian Responsibility Checklist
    • Student With Asthma Responsibility Checklist
    • Your Child has Asthma. What Can you Do?
• Notify and update teachers annually with the list of students who have asthma and/or use inhaler medications.
• Provide copies of completed Student Asthma Management Plan to all classroom teachers of student
• Encourage students with asthma to wear a MedicAlert bracelet, available free if schools enroll in No Child Without program.

Goal 2: Allow students with asthma easy access to their inhalers.

• Encourage students to carry their own inhalers given parental and/or health care provider permission.
• Annually distribute the Authorization for School Medication Use Form (Board Specific) to students for parents/guardians to complete and return to teachers.
• Have all parents/guardians of students with asthma complete a Student Asthma Management Plan which identifies which triggers to be aware of and which medication is required and when. 
• Review the Student Asthma Management Plan with the parent to clarify if the student is able to self-administer their asthma medication. 
  
• Establish a process that identifies which students may carry and administer their own inhalers and those students who may require assistance.
  
  • Most students' age seven years or older are capable of developing the skills needed to use an inhaler.
    
• Have medication labeled according to School Board policy.
  
• For children who are unable to carry their own inhaler, it is best to have the medication available in the classroom and within easy reach. Medication stored in the main office or a centrally locked storage unit is not easily accessible to the student. Worsening asthma may happen quickly and easy access to medication is important.
  
• School personnel should feel comfortable in their ability to help students with asthma use their inhaler medications.

Goal 3: Establish a school wide process for handling worsening asthma.

• Provide teachers with copies of the School Asthma Information Package to distribute to children with asthma and their parents/guardians.
  • The School Asthma Information Package includes:
    
    • Authorization for Medication Use Form (Board specific)
    • Student Asthma Management Plan
    • Your Child has Asthma …What Can you Do?
    • Parent/Guardian Responsibility Checklist
    • Student with Asthma Responsibility Checklist
• Display Managing Asthma Episodes poster in school offices and in every classroom.
• Provide opportunity for school personnel to learn about worsening asthma, including the identification and management of asthma triggers. Refer them to the Lung Association and/or the Asthma Society
• Publish/distribute school newsletter article; Your Child is Having an Asthma Episode
• Encourage school personnel to review the Inhaler Technique Sheets to learn how to assist a child using an inhaler.
• Distribute Asthma Education and Community Resources List to teachers, parents and students.
• If required by Board Policy/Protocol/Procedure, use a school medication record to document student medication use.

Goal 4: Identify and reduce common asthma triggers within the school environment.

• Monitor for asthma triggers on an ongoing basis and take action to reduce exposure to asthma triggers whenever possible.
  • Distribute the Student Asthma Management Plan to teachers for distribution to parents/guardians of students with asthma. This form is to be completed by the parent/guardian to inform school personnel of asthma triggers and management.
  • Refer to the Asthma Trigger Checklist
  • Refer to Health Canada's Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools Action Kit
    
• Facilitate the use of asthma-friendly school supplies and products.
  • Examples: scent-free markers, odourless cleaning products, dust-free chalk.
• Encourage all personnel, including parent volunteers, to reduce their use of strong smelling products (e.g. fragrances).
• Consider becoming a fragrance-free school. 
  
• Try to schedule building repairs and cleaning which may create dust, fumes, and other irritants at times when students are less likely to be exposed.

Goal 5: Students with asthma should participate in activities to the best of their ability.

• Support and encourage teachers to have students with asthma participate in all school activities.
• Create and support the expectation that students with asthma need to be participating in physical activities such as recess and physical education class.

Goal 6: Provide school personnel, parents and student body opportunities to gain a general understanding of asthma.

• Provide current asthma resources for the school office and school library see Asthma Education and Community Resources. 
• Identify your own learning needs related to asthma and review appropriate materials.
• Ophea Resources
  • Asthma in the Classroom: What Teachers Need to Know
  • Asthma: Managing Real Life Situations – Practical Strategies for Teacher
  • Asthma and Physical Education: What Physical Educators and Coaches Need to Know
  • DPA is for Everyone
    
• If you have a question about asthma, call The Lung Association's Asthma Action Helpline at 1-800-668-7682 or 1-888-344-LUNG (5864) to speak with a Certified Asthma Educator.
• Schedule general asthma awareness and education sessions. Examples include:
  • School based asthma education programs for students with asthma RAP – Roaring Adventures of Puff
  • Guest speakers
  • Puppet shows
  • Plays/skits
  • Access to asthma websites
  • School Newsletter Articles
  • Asthma Education and Community Resources.
• Schedule or arrange an annual asthma update to staff including handling worsening asthma and managing asthma triggers

Goal 7: Collaborate with families, health care professionals, and school personnel to create asthma friendly schools.

• Identify an individual in the school to act as an Asthma Resource or Asthma Champion for the school community.  This person could identify new asthma resources and help organize asthma related activities for the school including. Laps for Lungs
• Consider inviting a local asthma educator into the school to speak, share resources and/or consult on asthma issues. Asthma educators may be available through local asthma centres. For the asthma centre nearest you, click here.