Allergies and allergic asthma are common among children in the United States. For instance, 8.5 percent of youngsters under age 18 have hay fever, aka allergic rhinitis, and 10 percent have respiratory allergies. As a school-based health professional, part of your job is to take the lead in mitigating students’ allergy symptoms and maintaining a healthy, comfortable learning environment for them.

There are food allergies, environmental allergies, medication allergies, and latex allergies, to same some of the most prevalent. School nurses, educators, staff, students, and family members all need to be involved in minimizing allergy exposure risks, preventing reactions, and being prepared in the event of allergy-related emergencies.

Let your school allergy management policy guide your approach.

Your school should have a clear, written allergy management policy that includes:
• Care planning and coordination
• Staff, student and family education, training, and curricula
• Exposure prevention
• Emergency preparedness and medication administration

Also, be sure your school policy complies with federal and state laws, as well as nursing practice standards.

Prevention is the best medicine.

By educating everyone involved and keeping communication lines open, school nurses and other educators can help prevent allergic reactions before they disrupt learning or cause teasing, bullying or other stress factors and trauma among students under their care.
• Education, training and communication should focus on evidence-based information regarding allergic reaction signs and symptoms, strategies to avoid exposure, administration of school healthcare plans, and laws protecting students.
• As part of your education efforts, you can download a printable pdf of allergy signs and symptoms. Any personnel working with students should be kept up to date in allergy prevention steps including knowing and removing allergens, avoiding cross contact or contamination, and effective response if and when allergic reactions occur.
• Reassure parents and guardians that they have your support. Continuously look for ways to collaborate and be a unified front to benefit your students.

Be prepared in the event of an emergency.

Despite the best laid plans, allergy-related emergencies may inevitably occur at your school. Under the coordination of your school nurse, a facility-wide emergency response plan should be in effect. This includes assigning specific roles to various staff members and conducting tabletop drills to keep everyone’s comfort levels high and stress levels down.
School staff should be aware of:
• Signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis. The latter is a severe, life-threatening reaction that affects the whole body.
• The location of a student’s or the school’s stock of epinephrine and how to administer it.

Debriefings should be held after every allergy incident or emergency to evaluate and improve future outcomes.

Know where to access additional resources.

Effectively managing student allergies requires ongoing diligence. Fortunately, there are numerous resources available to help you stay up to date as a school-based healthcare professional; for instance, the Allergy & Asthma Network.

You can also turn to Covelo Group – both for information and resources and to access the latest career opportunities in school-based healthcare. Put our team of specialized experts to work for you, starting today.