Asthma Awareness Month

Event Planning Kit

How to Plan an

Asthma Education Event

in Your School

May is Asthma Awareness Month!

There is no better time to promote asthma education, including management of environmental triggers. Join EPA to
plan an educational event for staff, parents, and students at a local school. To do this, you will need the support of the
school or district administration, school nurse, and other key staff. Things to do include:

T Plan asthma educational activities at the school:

~	Offer asthma education on environmental
asthma triggers and management; contact a
local hospital's respiratory care department to
provide respiratory therapists and equipment;

~	Read children's books on asthma to students,
such as Taking Asthma to School, Zoo Allergy,
and The ABC's of Asthma, by Kim Gosselin;

~	Show the Arthur® video, "Buster's Breathless;"

~	Arrange a school-wide assembly with guest
speakers, such as kids with asthma, local
celebrities, TV personalities, or local doctors or
politicians;

~	Organize an asthma poster contest for
children;

~	Coordinate with your local American Lung
Association (ALA) to launch an Open Airways
for Schools Program for students age 8-11 with
asthma;

~	Coordinate with the Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of America (AAFA) to launch a
Power Breathing Program for middle and high
school students with asthma;

~	Start a school-based asthma club or provide
information on Web-based asthma clubs such
as ALA Nebraska's Asthma Buster's Club at
www.asthmabusters.org; contact AAFA for
information on starting an educational support
group for school age children;

~	Offer asthma education during in-service days
for teachers, custodians, and other school staff;

~	Offer asthma education for parents at local
PTA/PTO meetings or other similar events;

~	Ask the National Association of School Nurses
(NASN) to offer their course to nurses in your
district, Managing Asthma Triggers-,

~	Sponsor a staff breakfast or lunch and introduce
the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools
Program;

~	Design asthma awareness bulletin boards or
other displays for students and staff;

~	Encourage teachers to incorporate asthma and
the environment into appropriate curricula, e.g.,
science and health;

~	Post information in teacher and other school staff
lounges;

~	Include asthma awareness information in school
newsletters and other packets sent home to
parents/guardians; and

~	Conduct a walkthrough of your school to
determine if asthma triggers exist. If triggers are
found, a remediation plan should be developed
and implemented as soon as possible. See the
Z4Q Tools for Schools Kit for assistance.

Recruit local sponsors to provide giveaways or
support. Potential sponsors include area
businesses and organizations—such as the local
chapter of the ALA or AAFA—that may assist in
asthma events or trainings.

Publicize your event(s) and Asthma Awareness
Month on the school bulletin board or Web site,
in the school newsletter, in state and local
education association newsletters and Web sites,
flyers, PTA announcements, local newspapers, and
local media.

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Event Planning Kit

Asthma Awareness Month

How to Plan an Asthma Education Event in Your School (continued)

And remember...

T Asthma educational materials are available for
students, teachers, nurses, school officials, parents,
and the community. The following are some of the
materials that are available to you at no cost:

~	EPA's "Clear Your Home of Asthma Triggers"
brochure;

~	EPA's "Take the Smoke-Free Home Pledge"
brochure and poster;

EPA's "Dusty and His Asthma Triggers"
children's funbook — available in English and
Spanish;

EPA's "Breathing Freely: Controlling Asthma
Triggers" video — available in English and
Spanish; and

EPA's "Help Your Child Gain Control Over
Asthma" — available in English and Spanish.

m Ten Ways to Manage Asthma in the School Environment

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Use the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit

~	Improve the school environment with IAQ
practices recommended in this Kit. To order the
free Kit, go to www.epa.gov/iaq/schools.

Control Animal Allergens

~	Remove warm-blooded animals from the
classroom and school.

Control Cockroach Allergens

~	Use integrated pest management practices to
prevent cockroach and other pest problems (e.g.,
store food in tightly sealed containers and place
dumpsters away from the building).

Clean Up Mold and Control Moisture

~	Fix moisture problems and thoroughly dry wet
areas within 24-48 hours to prevent mold
growth.

~	Clean up hard, moldy surfaces with water and
detergent, and then dry thoroughly.

Eliminate Secondhand Smoke Exposure

~	Enforce no-smoking policies in the school.

Reduce bust Mite Exposure

~	Make sure the school is dusted and vacuumed
thoroughly and regularly.

Develop an Asthma Management Plan

~	Include school policies on inhaler and other
medication usage and emergency procedures for
school staff to follow for asthma attacks.

~	Make sure students with asthma obtain and turn
in copies of their Asthma Action Cards to
teachers, the school nurse, etc.

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~	Encourage students to identify and manage their
asthma triggers.

~	Obtain the National Asthma Education and
Prevention Program's Managing Asthma: A Guide
for Schools at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Provide School-Based Asthma Education
Programs

~	Contact your local American Lung Association
about Open Airways for Schools, a school-based
asthma management program for students age
8-11.

~	Contact the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
America about Asthma Care Training for Kids and
Parents, an education program for kids age 7-12.

Reduce School Bus Diesel Exhaust

~	Replace the oldest buses in the fleet with new ones.

~	Install effective emission control systems on newer
buses.

~	Encourage policies and practices to eliminate
unnecessary school bus idling.

~	Visit www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus to learn more
about EPA's Clean School Bus USA Program.

Gather Additional Asthma Resources

~	Establish a complete file on existing asthma and
allergy-related information sources to reference
throughout the school year.

~	Ask the National Association of School Nurses to
offer their course, Managing Asthma Triggers, to
nurses in your district, www.nasn.org

~	Visit EPA's asthma Web site at
www.epa. gov/asthma.

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