Uncontrolled asthma accounts for school absenteeism, diminished participation in physical activities and, can lead to decreased academic performance.

Effective school asthma management begins with an asthma action plan (AAP), completed by the health provider and the student, which outlines to school nurse and staff how to recognize and respond appropriately to worsening asthma symptoms. Over the past decade, the asthma prevalence rates among Connecticut public school students has consistently increased from 13.2% in 2006 to 14.2% in 2011; it has remained steady during 2012-2014 at a rate of 14.3%. Students having an AAP has increased from 5.1%, for 2009-2010 school year, to 16.4% for 2020-2021 school year.

In order to increase the number of AAPs in schools for students with asthma, the Asthma Program will promote the use of the Asthma Action Plan as the only form for the authorization of asthma medications in schools that must be completed by health providers.

All people with asthma should have an asthma action plan (also called a management or a treatment plan), a written plan developed with health providers to help control asthma. The asthma action plan shows the daily treatment, that is, what kind of medicines to take and when to take them. It also describes how to control asthma long term AND how to handle worsening asthma symptoms. Finally, the plan explains when to call the doctor or go to the emergency room. It is critical that all people who care for a student with asthma should know about the child's asthma action plan.

These data are current as of June 2022. New data will be made available in the Fall of 2024.

Connecticut State Department of Education, Connecticut School Nurses Association, Connecticut Hospital Association, local public health departments, health professional associations, health care providers, community health centers, school-based health centers.

The NAEPP EPR-3 Guidelines recommend that clinicians must provide to all patients who have asthma a written asthma action plan that includes instructions for:

• daily management
• recognition and handling of worsening asthma, including adjustment of dose of medications
• when to seek health care

The NAEPP and the National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) offer guidelines to help school staff in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of an asthma management program (US Dept Health and Human Services, NIH; NHLBI 2014)

• Communicate and educate on the burden of asthma to multiple audiences and through different modalities
• Develop community outreach and education messages about ways to control asthma
• Work with community partners, to implement home-based interventions to identify and remove environmental triggers and provide self-management education
• Improve asthma control among Connecticut Residents through community education and outreach
• Offer asthma education resources translated in Spanish
• Promote the use of asthma action plans as a tool to facilitate evidence-based treatment and empower students to take control of their disease.
• Make Asthma Action Plans available in English and Spanish combined with the Medication Authorization Form for use in schools
• Educate school nurses about effective asthma management in schools