Keeping students with life-threatening allergies safe at school is a cooperative effort between parents, students, physicians, and school staff.  Parents of students who have a life-threatening allergy will need to provide the school nurse with the child’s prescription medication, a Medication Authorization Form, and an Allergy Action Plan that includes a parent and a Health Care Provider's signature. Parents requesting that their students be allowed to substitute food in the cafeteria will need to complete the Disability/Severe Food Allergy form and return it to Student Nutrition.  For more information please call or visit your campus school nurse.

More information on Food Allergies can be found at the Texas Department of State Health Services.

According to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), almost 10 percent of all children have asthma; it is the leading cause of missed school days. Your child’s school nurse will work with you to help manage asthma at school and to decrease the number of days missed due to asthma-related illnesses.

Your child can be assessed by the nurse and receive metered dose inhaler (MDI) treatments if you complete a Medication Authorization Form and provide prescription medication and a physician’s order.  Please talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits of using a spacer.

Administering nebulizer treatments at school is not recommended by the CDC or the Allergy and Asthma Network during COVID-19 restrictions. Nebulized medications are considered an aerosolizing procedure that generates higher concentrations of infectious respiratory aerosols than coughing, talking, or breathing and should be avoided at school. Aerosolizing procedures put healthcare personnel and others nearby at an increased risk for exposure to COVID-19. For this reason, it is preferred that routine nebulizer treatments be given at home while COVID-19 restrictions are in place. 

Nebulizers are often not required for children over the age of 6. Please speak with your healthcare provider to determine if an MDI inhaler and spacer are acceptable for asthma care at school.

 In the event that an MDI and spacer are not appropriate for the student, nebulized medication will be administered with the following precautions.

• Nurses may wear goggles, N95 masks, gowns, and gloves during nebulization therapy.

• Nebulization therapy may be administered in a designated location that can be sanitized and closed for 2 hours after treatment.

House Bill 1688 was passed into law during the 2001 Texas Legislative Session allowing students to carry and self-administer asthma medications (along with other emergency medications) while at school or school-related functions with written documentation from parents and physicians. If you would like to request that your student be allowed to 'self-carry' an inhaler or an epinephrine auto-injector, complete and return a Medication Authorization Form and an Allergy Plan or Asthma Plan with signatures from the parent and the student's Health Care Provider along with a statement indicating the student has been trained to administer and is allowed to administer their own medication to your campus nurse. For more information or for questions please call or visit your school nurse.

AISD Food and Severe Allergy Management Plan