Background: Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction with significant risk for children with allergies. Access to potentially life-saving medication is critical for these children. This review aims to describe state laws and policies guiding stock epinephrine in schools for allergic or anaphylactic events and detail recommendations for…

Access to emergency medications is a growing concern, particularly regarding the availability, safety, and use of these medications in schools. The purpose of this article is to report results not previously published from a national survey, specifically regarding the emergency use of epinephrine, albuterol inhalers, and glucagon. A…

The increasing rate of food allergies in children, combined with the role of food as an integral part of the school day has led to the emergence of anaphylaxis as a daily threat to students, regardless of prior allergy diagnosis. Stock epinephrine--non-patient specific epinephrine auto-injectors that may be used during emergencies--is a means for…

The West Virginia Department of Education places the highest priority on the health and wellness of our state's youth. These Guidelines represent researched findings and recommendations to provide guidance to be used in developing local policies, procedures and plans that focus on research-based best practices while respecting confidentiality and…

Students with health conditions are at risk for poor education outcomes such as absenteeism and low academic performance. Racial/ethnic minority students and economically disadvantaged students might have more limited access to medical care and information than other students, making school support even more important for them. District of…

Children and adolescents in the United States spend many hours in school. Students with chronic health conditions (CHCs) may face lower academic achievement, increased disability, fewer job opportunities, and limited community interactions as they enter adulthood. School health services provide safe and effective management of CHCs, often for…

To inform a plan for supporting students with health conditions, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic on a study to understand how the prevalence of health conditions differs by student characteristics, whether students are supported through a 504 plan or an individualized…

These are the appendixes for the report, "Supporting Students with Health Conditions in District of Columbia Public Schools." The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic on a study to understand how the prevalence of health conditions differs by student characteristics,…

The purpose of this research is to use the reports of school nurses to facilitate the understanding of how schools experience and manage asthmatic, anaphylactic, and diabetic emergencies by quantitative and qualitative analysis of online surveys. E-mails with a link to SurveyMonkey[R] were sent to all U.S. members of the National Association of…

News reports illustrate controversies between parents and schools in response to student health problems. Today's school nurse is in a pivotal position for the avoidance and resolution of disputes not only by increasing awareness of student health conditions but also by having a working knowledge of legal developments under Section 504 and its…

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that the safe and effective management of allergies and anaphylaxis in schools requires a collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach. The registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as the school nurse), is the leader in a comprehensive management approach…

Food-allergy awareness and management have only lately come to the forefront in early childhood settings, although advocacy organizations have been working on the issue for more than a decade. A national poll (C.S. Mott Children's Hospital 2009) asked parents with children in early education settings if they were aware of what their program does…

Article is written by a school nurse who describes the problem of hay fever in school children and ways in which it can be treated. (MM)

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting nearly 5 million children under the age of 18. Children with asthma account for 3 million hospital visits and 200,000 hospitalizations yearly. This adds up to an estimated $2 billion annually in health care costs (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1999). A child with asthma has three…

Food allergies affect 11 million Americans, including 6-8% of children. The rate of peanut allergies in children doubled from 1997 to 2002. There is no cure; therefore, strict avoidance of the allergen is the only way to avoid a reaction. Fatalities are associated with delays in or lack of epinephrine administration. Severe reactions, called…