Breathe at School: It’s the Law in 50 States – Almost!

First day of school – it’s a rite of passage for kids and their parents. The tearful goodbyes and clawing at the school bus door -- well, it’s not always the children. One mom wrote this morning that she keeps feeling misplaced or like she forgot to pack or do something. “But it’s not Jimmie’s inhaler and auto-injectable epinephrine!”

Jimmie has asthma and food allergies. This summer, Jimmie's mom taught him how to cross the street safely, what to do if his clothes catch on fire and how to call 911 if he sees an emergency. She also made sure he could use his inhaler and auto-injectable epinephrine correctly if she wasn’t around.

“He knows the names of his medications and when to take them,” she said, “but do I feel he’s 100 percent ready to make every decision on his own? Not yet but he’s learning. The school nurse and his teachers know that he’s learning, too. They don’t expect him to get it right every time. I’m so fortunate that my kids go to a school where the staff is supportive.”

BREATHE: There Ought to Be a Law
Students with asthma can carry inhalers in all 50 states, and 46 have laws protecting students' rights to carry and self-administer auto-injectable epinephrine. Students with anaphylaxis need state laws in: New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin -- contact Sandra Fusco-Walker, AANMA's Director of Advocacy, at sfwalker@aanma.org to get involved today.

Learn more about asthma and anaphylaxis medications at school.

Nancy Sander
President and Founder
Allergy & Asthma Network
Mothers of Asthmatics
http://www.aanma.org/
www.facebook.com/AANMA
http://twitter.com/AANMA
http://www.greatamericanasthmachallenge.org/