School doesnt think asthma is illness

Mr. Asthma » Asthma Children » School doesnt think asthma is illness

Categories: Asthma Children

Question:

Be careful how you use the word "lawsuit". Apparently school officials get such threats often, and often they are unreasonable. Instead of sudden capitulation, they may say something like "Since you feel that way, the matter is now out of my hands, and in the hands of our laywer. You may contact her at 555-1212. Have a nice day." If you must make the threat, be prepared for this. It might be more effective to ask your physician to help educate the school and district. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Having been around this track several times myself: Lawsuit. Find yourself >a >lawyer and sue the school board. Make sure your local newspaper learns about >the suit. > I agree. As soon as the school gets a letter from the lawyer, you will be > amazed how quickly they will move to resolve the issue. Don’t be afraid to go > over peoples head too. If the principal isn’t helpful, go to the district > office and raise hell. > I went through the same thing my Sophmore year of High School. I was out with > asthma and sinus problems, and the teachers didn’t want to let me make up > assignments, or tests. The principal wasn’t much better. But once we called the > District Supervisor, and used the word "lawsuit" I was taken care of. > Unfortuneately, lawsuits are or the threat of lawsuits are the only thing that > will make people do the right thing. > Good Luck!

Response:

> My 10 year old has been tested and has allergies and asthma. It is worse in > the cold weather. My problem is that the school will not allow her to make > up her work when she is out for comlications of asthma & allergies > (bronchitis, sinusitis) and the school says there is nothing wrong with her. > Suggestions?? > Thanks!

Hi, I’m an asthma doc, and I’d gently suggest the following: 1) work to ensure that your child’s asthma control is the best possible. Talk with your doctor about the appropriate medications required to do this. Controller medications such as cromolyn, nedocromil, inhaled corticosteroids (lowest dose possible for children), salmeterol, etc., may allieviate a fair bit of the problem, since there will be fewer missed school days and thus, fewer problems. Ditto for any allergy and sinus problems. 2) educate the teacher, principal, etc. Others in this thread have referenced good web sites as a place to start. The ALA, AMA, AAAI, etc., have good written materials that you can receive on request. You might even convince the teacher to make it a class project. Your doctor can help with this education project. You’ll need to be persistent. 3) insist that your child has the right to carry his/her rescue inhaler with him/her throughout the school day. Most schools have some idiotic version of a "no drugs" policy that prevents this, and you need to work with them to get the appropriate exemption. It’s very important that your child have the confidence of knowing that relief is at hand whenever needed. This translates into far fewer problems down the road. Your doctor can help with this also. I’ve found that other strategies, such as requiring the child to see the school nurse or principal, having the rescue inhaler locked up, etc., have a long-term debilitating effect on a child’s confidence. They’re given a choice: speak up for their meds and be labeled "different" by their peers, or suffer in silence. Neither is a good choice. Good luck, Steve White, M.D. U of Chicago Reply to: stevewhite at ce dot mediaone dot net

Response:

My 10 year old has been tested and has allergies and asthma. It is worse in the cold weather. My problem is that the school will not allow her to make up her work when she is out for comlications of asthma & allergies (bronchitis, sinusitis) and the school says there is nothing wrong with her. Suggestions?? Thanks!

Response:

First, have your doctor call the school, and explain that this is a serious illness. You might also contact the American Lung Association. If your daughter misses lots of school, talk to the school about getting a tutor or having her classified as "home-bound" You don’t specify how much schoolo she misses, but they can make rules about how many days can be missed before the child has to repeat the grade. Hopefully you don’t mean that every time she gets a cold you keep her at home, but rather that she is often too sick to go to school. The school has to accomadate children – maybe (although most parents would be upset with the classification) discuss having her evaluated by the special educaiton department – when I worked as a typist for our school district, we had 2 kids with cancer who were classified as special ed because they were often too sick to come to school. Worst case scenario, contact a lawyer……. janet – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >My 10 year old has been tested and has allergies and asthma. It is worse in >the cold weather. My problem is that the school will not allow her to make >up her work when she is out for comlications of asthma & allergies >(bronchitis, sinusitis) and the school says there is nothing wrong with her. >Suggestions?? >Thanks!

Response:

Is this a school problem or a teacher problem. If it is a teacher problem, call the principal right away if he/she does not fix it go over their head. Janet is right about going the spec. route. However, getting a child coded is depends on test scores etc……Most systems will code "other heath impared" which is the way I would go with your daughter from what I see in the letter. You might also be able to put your child on what is called a 504 plan. We do it for children who have ADD. This would grant your child acess to services with our being "coded". I dont know alot about 504 plans (the system I work for is about ten years behind the real world, and we just started using them. ) Being out because of asthma might fall into what is covered by a 504, but my guess is that you may have to go the sped route. If you more help let me know.

Response:

> Be careful how you use the word "lawsuit". Apparently school officials get > such threats often, and often they are unreasonable. Instead of sudden > capitulation, they may say something like "Since you feel that way, the > matter is now out of my hands, and in the hands of our laywer. You may > contact her at 555-1212. Have a nice day."

When I said lawsuit, I meant lawsuit, as in file that sucker. I have had to do this three times now, and you would be ASTONISHED at how fast the school board sees reason. > If you must make the threat, be prepared for this. It might be more > effective to ask your physician to help educate the school and district.

You are assuming that 1] The physician will be willing to spend the time. 2] The district will listen to him/her. 3] The child’s education doesn’t go down the tubes for the year while everyone is judiciously mulling over their options. Chris Owens

Response:

I also feel that I have to put my 2 cents in here. I don’t feel that pulling a child out of school is the solution. Like Janel I have asthma that is induced by many things. I think that the only way you could get me to completely control my asthma is to put me into a bubble. I also went through a very diffucult time in school with my teachers not understanding. It’s tough for a kid to fell so sick and have it looked upon as you are overreacting or the "It can wait" attitude. Between my asthma and migraines as a kid it was very tough. My point is, the only way I was able to get some help was to educate the employees of the schools that I attended. My doctors called and spoke to whoever was willing to listen and the doctors did not mind doing this because they looked at it as a way to help future patients. I brought in literature for them to read. At first no one wanted to listen but by the time we were causing a commotion in the school board the teachers, guidance counslers, and priciples were more open to listening. You need to fight this and make them understand. If it comes down to a point that you are risking your childs health then other action may be needed. But if you teach them now no other child will have to go through what we all went through. Good luck with you struggle. Elizabeth – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Pardon me, sir/madam, for this somewhat disagreeing message.

Response:

astham is recognized by the federal government in the americans with disabilities act. mention this to your school

Response:

I expected disagreement. When ever you challege someone’s way of looking at a problem, you will meet resistance. But I maintain, that your first priority is to teach "your child" how to manage her health problems. Teaching the school personnel should be second. You are both correct when you say that there are things you can not control. But there are things you can control. If extreme cold triggers asthma attacks, then teach your children to wear a scarf. AND TEACH HER WHY. The scarf will hold the warm moisture of the air she exhales, and allow her to breath that moisture back in. This will help maintain the flexibility of the lungs and lessen the likely hood of an asthma attack. If a child has an attack and the teacher says "you can wait", the child must have enough knowledge and self confidence NOT to wait, but to go ahead and do what she needs to do in order to treat the attack. This is why I recommend taking her out of school for a year. You need to build that knowledge base, and the self confidence BEFORE she starts getting those conflicting signals from teachers and other athority figures. daniel a.

Response:

asthma. It is worse in > the cold weather. My problem is that the school will not allow her to make > up her work when she is out for comlications of asthma & allergies > (bronchitis, sinusitis) and the school says there is nothing wrong with her. > Suggestions?? > Thanks! You are all taking the wrong approach. I’m speaking with the 20/20 hindsight of a man who grew up with allergies and asthma, and the apathy of the schools around me. What you are doing will have a negative long-term emotional impact on your child. She will see you fighting with the school and the administration, and she will see that it does NOT alleviate her suffering. She will learn to shut it out, and ignore all the conflicts around her. Allergies and Asthma are controllable. So my advice is, take her out of school for a year. (but ONLY ONE year) Spend the year teaching her to control her asthma. Enroll her in Tia Chi classes, swimming classes and meditation classes (so she can control her breathing). Learn with her and teach her how to plan meals and cook, so that she can avoid her allergies. Drill it into her until it becomes second nature. Then send her back to public school. Once her allergies and asthma are under control, she will enjoy school more. You have to do this now! because if she goes off to college without first learning to control her health problems, the stress and strain of college will only make it worse. Take it from someone who required ten years to earn a bachelor’s degree. When the dorm life became unbearable, I moved out on my own, and since I didn’t know how to control my health problems, my life style made things worse. I was 32 before I learned how to take care of myself.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >asthma. It is worse in > the cold weather. My problem is that the school >will not allow her to make > up her work when she is out for comlications of >asthma & allergies > (bronchitis, sinusitis) and the school says there is >nothing wrong with her. > Suggestions?? > Thanks! >You are all taking the wrong approach. I’m speaking with the 20/20 hindsight >of a man who grew up with allergies and asthma, and the apathy of the schools >around me. What you are doing will have a negative long-term emotional impact >on your child. She will see you fighting with the school and the >administration, and she will see that it does NOT alleviate her suffering. >She will learn to shut it out, and ignore all the conflicts around her. >Allergies and Asthma are controllable. So my advice is, take her out of >school for a year. (but ONLY ONE year) Spend the year teaching her to control >her asthma. Enroll her in Tia Chi classes, swimming classes and meditation >classes (so she can control her breathing). Learn with her and teach her how >to plan meals and cook, so that she can avoid her allergies. Drill it into >her until it becomes second nature.

<<<<<SNIP>>>>>> Pardon me, sir/madam, for this somewhat disagreeing message. I respect your ideas, but sometimes, there are certain factors you cannot control. The cold, for instance. You cannot keep your child sheltered up inside from the cold all the time. Secondly, meditation and Chichi classes work for some people, not others. Also, some things are unavoidable. I have asthma myself, and it is under control, yet even the littlest cold which is nothing can turn into bronchitis or pneumonia within a few days, and there is not a lot stopping the common cold!! Like I said, I do not wish to offend you, but this is just my 2 cents worth!! Janel * probably the youngest person on this group!*

Response:

I’m sure that the state that you live in would just love to hear this! As an EMT I know the dangers that Asthma poses. I guess that it would take the child passing out due to Hypoxia (low O2 levels) before any measures were taken. I don’t want to stand up for the day care but (usually when you say but you do the opposite) most day cares don’t have nurses due to the fact that it’s too expensive to keep one on the payroll. Also most care givers have little or no medical training. It’s sad to say but I’d like to see all day cares have at least one care giver that has at least EMT training, but that is just a pipe dream. If they did and a child had difficulty breathing at least they could administer O2 to help them breathe a little better. I’m starting to get off base here first I’d talk with the center’s director and if it is a franchised day care i.e. Kinder Care, I would take it to the corporate office if I didn’t get the satisfaction that I feel that I deserved and then if nothing I’d go to state level. I hope this different day cares before the birth of our child and I’ve seen a lot. Merry Part and Brightest of Blessings Dragahn aka. Tommy > My 10 year old has been tested and has allergies and asthma. It is worse in > the cold weather. My problem is that the school will not allow her to make > up her work when she is out for comlications of asthma & allergies > (bronchitis, sinusitis) and the school says there is nothing wrong with her. > Suggestions?? > Thanks! > Please excuse me while I rant for a moment. Today when I picked my > 9-year-old up from child care at school, he told me about his day. When > he was playing outside after school, his chest hurt from asthma.

Response:

Please excuse me while I rant for a moment. Today when I picked my 9-year-old up from child care at school, he told me about his day. When he was playing outside after school, his chest hurt from asthma. He told one of the caregivers that his chest hurt, it was hard to breathe, and he wanted to call his Mom to bring an inhaler. She told him to be quiet, and he could get medicine when his mom came to pick him up at the end of the day. This was at 4pm, and I pick him up at 6pm. The school doesn’t have a nurse. Medicines are kept locked in the main office. The main office is locked at 4pm, so the child care program doesn’t have access to medications. Don’t you just love this?! Needless to say, I’m pissed off. I’m meeting with the child care director next week. I feel like I’m dealing with a group of total idiots. They already think I’m a trouble-maker because I suggested they should have a quiet area available for those kids who want to do their homework. Their response was to put a single desk in the hallway in case my son wanted to do homework! Mary

Response:

The first step is to find out who is making this decision; the teacher? the principle? the nurse? Then call this person or make an appointment to find out the solution. A doctor’s note? A note from you? Usually a note from the parent is all that’s needed. However there are schools where some educating is required. Here are some links that may be relevant. http://www.lungusa.org/asthma/astopen.html THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION OPEN AIRWAYS FOR SCHOOLS PROGRAM Excerpt: "Currently Open Airways For Schools is being conducted by volunteers in approximately 10,000 schools nationwide,reaching 100,000 children. Our commitment for fiscal year 1997 is to increase the number of schools to 15,000, reaching 150,000 children. By the year 2000, Open Airways For Schools will have reached 960,000 of the 1,063,000 children aged 8-11 with asthma. Our long range commitment is to implement Open Airways For Schools in all 67,000 elementary schools in the country, and to maintain the program on a yearly basis. " http://www.aaaai.org/professional/physicianreference/positionstatemen… Physician Reference Materials: Position Statement 18 The Use of Inhaled Medications in School by students with Asthma http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/index.html Indoor Air Quality in Schools (EPA) http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/tools4s2.html IAQ Tools for Schools (EPA) http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/scfaqs.html FAQs-IAQ in Schools (EPA) http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/scholkit.html IAQ Basics for Schools (EPA) Ellis

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Is this a school problem or a teacher problem. If it is a teacher > problem, call the principal right away if he/she does not fix it go over > their head. > Janet is right about going the spec. route. However, getting a child > coded is depends on test scores etc……Most systems will code "other > heath impared" which is the way I would go with your daughter from what > I see in the letter. > You might also be able to put your child on what is called a 504 plan. > We do it for children who have ADD. This would grant your child acess to > services with our being "coded". I dont know alot about 504 plans (the > system I work for is about ten years behind the real world, and we just > started using them. ) Being out because of asthma might fall into what > is covered by a 504, but my guess is that you may have to go the sped > route. If you more help let me know.

We have applied to have my son covered under 504. The school suggested it. Supposedly it will give him the right to make up any missed work or tests. He will still be responsible for all work and assignments which is, of course, what we want. Cathy

Response:

I have never had a student in special ed because of asthma. 504 is the way to go.

Response:

Having been around this track several times myself: Lawsuit. Find yourself a lawyer and sue the school board. Make sure your local newspaper learns about the suit. IME, just filing the sucker is all it takes to get the school to pay attention to the script. You can also ask that your daughter be tutored as a homebound student. Good luck. Chris Owens

Response:

>Having been around this track several times myself: Lawsuit. Find yourself >a >lawyer and sue the school board. Make sure your local newspaper learns about >the suit.

I agree. As soon as the school gets a letter from the lawyer, you will be amazed how quickly they will move to resolve the issue. Don’t be afraid to go over peoples head too. If the principal isn’t helpful, go to the district office and raise hell. I went through the same thing my Sophmore year of High School. I was out with asthma and sinus problems, and the teachers didn’t want to let me make up assignments, or tests. The principal wasn’t much better. But once we called the District Supervisor, and used the word "lawsuit" I was taken care of. Unfortuneately, lawsuits are or the threat of lawsuits are the only thing that will make people do the right thing. Good Luck!

Response:

Hi I think what you want most is expedience – no more wasted time. The child misses enough school as it is. There are now a few more eductional options which you might consider – computer school, homeschool etc. I homeschooled for two years because of this problem. At least that way the child is able to cover all the material – also healthier staying out of the paint/carpet glue/ cleaner/perfume/ roof pitch etc A law suit might be a good idea if it will get what you need in the shortest possible time with the least amount of hassle. I thought you had to go through the appeal process before you could even start to think of a law suit ?? Anyway it would be a good idea to check out where you stand legally. Anyway good luck Angela.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My 10 year old has been tested and has allergies and asthma. It is worse in > the cold weather. My problem is that the school will not allow her to make > up her work when she is out for comlications of asthma & allergies > (bronchitis, sinusitis) and the school says there is nothing wrong with her. > Suggestions?? > Thanks! >Please excuse me while I rant for a moment. Today when I picked my >9-year-old up from child care at school, he told me about his day. When >he was playing outside after school, his chest hurt from asthma. He >told one of the caregivers that his chest hurt, it was hard to breathe, >and he wanted to call his Mom to bring an inhaler. She told him to be >quiet, and he could get medicine when his mom came to pick him up at the >end of the day. This was at 4pm, and I pick him up at 6pm. >The school doesn’t have a nurse. Medicines are kept locked in the main >office. The main office is locked at 4pm, so the child care program >doesn’t have access to medications. Don’t you just love this?! Needless >to say, I’m pissed off. I’m meeting with the child care director next >week. I feel like I’m dealing with a group of total idiots. They already >think I’m a trouble-maker because I suggested they should have a quiet >area available for those kids who want to do their homework. Their >response was to put a single desk in the hallway in case my son wanted >to do homework! >Mary

Hi Mary, This makes me so angry. I picked up my child from school a number of times when he was having trouble and I should have been called. I think it is important to to let them know that they are all liable if anything happens to your child and get the nurse from the health unit in there to give them all a thorough introduction to asthma and the consequences of not looking after an asthmatic responsibly. It is amazing to me that we aren’t reading in the papers regularly about the result of this type of stupidity on the part of a care giver ( using this definition loosely). I think you are being nice when you refer to them as idiots. Best wishes. Angela.

Mr. Asthma