Can my child carry an inhaler at school?

The short answer is YES! Your child can carry an inhaler at school. 

Some parents say, "What about the drug-free zone at schools? I thought they can't have ANY medicine at school." Nope. 

American Lung Association says:

"All 50 states have laws in place that allow students with asthma to carry and self administer asthma quick relief inhalers and other lifesaving medicine. The laws vary by state and each school district may have its own policy and paperwork requirements. Contact your school nurse or school officials and ask about the self-carry/self-administration policy in your school district."

We  have a state law that allows ANY student to carry and use their inhaler IF they have a form filled out at the beginning of the school year. Our form is a combination form. The front side is an Asthma Action Plan and the back side is the permission form that allows the kiddos to carry their inhaler.

For those of you that have asthma, you know the panic that can set in if you don't have your inhaler handy. I don't want my daughter's inhaler locked up in the front office while she is out on the soccer field. When she has an asthma attack, she needs her inhaler RIGHT THEN.

She can't wait while someone runs to the office, locates the secretary to unlock the nurse's office, finds the inhaler, then takes it back out to the field. Crazy!

Our state has an AWFUL student/nurse ratio. Our nurses have between 5-9 schools that they supervise. Yep, not kidding. School Nurse is at the high school Mondays from 8:30 -11:30. I sarcastically tell daughter Kitty that if she is going to have an asthma attack, make sure she has it during that 3 hour block of time. She rolls her eyes and says, "Yeah, right mom. I'll make sure that happens."

My kids have always been on their own if they have an asthma attack at school. They carry their own inhalers and they are not afraid to use them!

Check with your school and see what the school asthma inhaler (and EpiPen) policy is.

Seconds count when you have an asthma attack and kids need to have their inhaler in their backpack....just in case.