How to Plan an Asthma Education Event in Your School


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 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;

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

~	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;

~	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 IAQ Tools for
Schools Kit for assistance.

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

T 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.

(	

Event Spotlight: Asthma Presentation at

Rincon Elementary School	( I JfflV

Where and when did the event take place?

The cafeteria at Rincon Elementary School in Rincon,

Georgia, on April 30, 2007

What happened at the event?

Rincon's school nurse gave a presentation on asthma

to 100 third graders. She explained what asthma is,

asthma triggers, and how it can be treated. She also

showed the students a nebulizer, inhalers, and other

asthma-related items from the school health clinic.

The children viewed an asthma bulletin board and

received All About Asthma coloring sheets.

What resources were used for the event?

EPA's Asthma Awareness Month Event Planning Kit and

Web site; the All About Asthma module of the Arthur

Health Curriculum; nebulizer and inhalers from the

school health clinic.

How did this event help raise asthma awareness?

Learning about asthma triggers and seeing the
nebulizer and inhalers helped the children understand
that they don't need to be scared of asthma because
there are ways to control it.

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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 EPA's materials that are available to you at no cost:

"Clear Your Home of Asthma Triggers" brochure;

"Take the Smoke-Free Home Pledge" brochure and poster;

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

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

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

Ten Ways to Manage Asthma in the School Environment

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.

~ 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. Visit www.nasn.org to learn more.

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

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