Asthma is a chronic childhood illness afflicting more than nine percent of the nation's children, or nearly five million youngsters. It is the leading cause of student absenteeism in the United States.
"Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled -- and schools and educators must play an essential role in helping students manage their illness. When children are in the classroom and not the emergency room, or more focused on the teacher's lesson and not where their next breath is coming from can only improve a student's academic performance. But most importantly, comprehensive school asthma policies will help children lead active, healthier lives," said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director.
At the heart of this new asthma guide are sample policies developed with the input of 37 medical and educational experts, which can be found at http://www.nasbe.org/HealthySchools. States, school districts, and schools can adapt or revise these policies to fit their local circumstances. Also included are evaluation criteria to determine how responsive schools are to the needs of asthmatic students, including exposure to factors in the school environment that can precipitate an asthma episode. The guide contains summaries and analyses of the policies collected in NASBE's online state school health policy database at http://www.nasbe.org/HealthySchools/States/State_Policy.asp. Although focused on asthma, the sample policies included in the guide can also be applied to other chronic health conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy.
The report, Policies on Asthma, School Health Services, and Healthy Environments, is the latest installment of NASBE's comprehensive and nationally-acclaimed Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy Guide. The full guide or just the asthma chapter can be purchased by calling (800) 220-5183 or via the Internet at http://www.nasbe.org