Back to school is an exciting time for students, parents and schools, it can also mean new lung health challenges. Follow this guidance for parents, young adults and school officials to ensure that everyone heads back to school with healthy lungs.
Getting Ready for the School Year
The American Lung Association is here to help parents get prepared for this school year. A few important tips to keep in mind are to:
- If your child has asthma, get informed about the school’s asthma medication policies and practices and share your child’s asthma action plan with school health staff.
- Talk to your child about the dangers of smoking and vaping or smokeless tobacco use.
- Learn about the indoor air quality at your school.
- Make sure your child is up to date on vaccines.
Asthma in Schools
Parents may feel concerned about sending their child with asthma to school. What will my child do if they have symptoms? How will the school respond if my child is having asthma symptoms? Parents can help children stay in good control of their asthma by learning Asthma Basics and visiting with their child’s healthcare provider prior to the start of the school year.
During the visit:
- If your child has fall allergies, ask their doctor when they should adjust allergy medicines. Getting started early can prevent asthma symptoms.
- Review your child's asthma treatment plan. Make sure you and your child can recognize symptoms, when to take medicines, and how much medicine to take in each zone.
- Review your child’s asthma medication inhalation skills with their healthcare provider. Ask your child’s doctor if they are ready to self-carry and use their asthma medicines on their own.
- Request two quick-relief inhalers and two valved-holding chambers–one set to keep with them and one set to keep as back-up medicine at school.
Starting a new school?
- If your child is starting a new school or making a transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten, meet with the school staff to prepare for their new learning environment.
- If your child is older and will be managing their asthma alone for the first time, prepare them with Breathe Well, Live Well Plus® which teaches young adults how to manage their asthma and advocate for their lung health. If your child is attending an HBCU this Fall, check if their campus offers the Breathe Well, Live Well program in person.
Talk about the Dangers of Vaping
A new school year can also lead to new stressors and peer pressure situations such as vaping and other tobacco or nicotine product use, which is a significant public health concern. According to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, more than 2.1 million middle and high school students reported that they have used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days.
- Learn about the Lung Association’s comprehensive approach to addressing tobacco use among youth which include education, intervention and alternatives to suspension as well as programs to help youth who use tobacco quit.
- Talk to your child about vaping and tobacco or nicotine product use and prepare them for the school year to come.
How's the Air at School?
Making sure your environment is free from allergens and irritants that can negatively impact the lungs is important to keep students healthy.
- Learn more about the pollutants that make indoor air unhealthy, tips to keep air pollution outside spaces we work and learn, and why ventilation is so important.
- View our IAQ in school guide dedicated to guiding decision makers and parents on how to create a learning environment with clean indoor air quality.
- Learn more about how diesel-burning school buses pollute the air and harm kids’ health, how electric school buses offer a healthier alternative, and how you can help support the transition.
Infectious Diseases and Vaccinations
Page last updated: August 15, 2024
