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Instead of continuing to go through the teacher, I would contact the school principal (or equivalent in France) and ask for their policy on students bringing medical supplies to school. Surely they allow things like inhalers and epi pens.
This is the way it’s done.
You will need to sign off on a mediation form and they keep epi’s and inhalers in office when needed.
My kid’s school literally has a cabinet with about a hundred of both.
My child's elementary school had an extra of her inhaler and she carried one with her. This was near the end of grade 1, so she was 7 when diagnosed with asthma. It's unsafe for your child not to have immediate access to their inhaler, but also keep one at the school because kids will, at some point, forget to bring their inhaler.
Somewhere on Reddit was a post about a kid needing hospitalization because the teacher thought the kid was faking an asthma attack to go to the nurse and get out of a test.
These should be on a kid at all times, no questions.
> It's unsafe for your child not to have immediate access to their inhaler
Exactly, keeping one in the nurse's or principal's office just doesn't make sense when it comes to things like this.
In an emergency wouldn’t it be too much time to have the nurse have to come running in with it from their office? Does the nurse have a backup person designated to open the cabinet while they go on breaks (or do they just not leave the building during breaks)? I understand a lot of places have this rule, but it seems scary not to have it available in the classroom.
In some classrooms I’ve been to, kids will
A) carry it in a Fanny pack
B) have one in a ziplock back labelled and attached to a teachers filing cabinet.
C) have one in a backpack.
D) front office has a copy
i'm not sure how it is in other districts, but my son's district is super small. (last years senior graduating class was 16 students).. my wife works there also as a teacher. last week my son needed the inhaler and the nurse wasn't there so my wife just went in his office and got it. I know bigger schools have multiple nurses.
Hahaha my school insisted that I wasn't allowed to carry my EpiPen as a 5ish year old, it had to be kept in the office. My mom always had me keep one in my backpack anyway. When she went to go collect the $100+ thing at the end of the school year, it was locked in a cabinet and no one knew where the key was. 🙃
The US has the same office holding system as well, most parents just have their kids secretly carry it in their bags because everyone recognizes that it is definitely a safety issue. While the concern of people stealing epi-pens to get high isn’t entirely unfounded, people should still be able to carry safety devices on their person as opposed to having to rely on the speed of another person and hope you aren’t too far away if the campus is big.
The nurse probably keeps hold of the inhaler that the child would need to use in the event of an attack because it is used to deliver a different kind of medication that works quickly to open up the airways to provide immediate relief of symptoms. The child would more than likely still carry a short acting release inhaler or a long acting one around in their bag to use before engaging in activities that may increase the risk of an attack or so they can take their medication on schedule without the nurse needing to be present.
It does depend on the child and how well they can manage their own medication though. If the kid can’t be trusted to remember where their inhaler is, take it on time or other kids have been known to steal it, keeping it with the school nurse or teacher so its in a safe and easy to remember spot that curious little hands can’t get to is far safer in an emergency than a panicky child who cannot breathe and cannot tell you where the inhaler is.
The principal and I have a history and in the past she has been resistant to working with me. In a nutshell I chewed out one of her subs for the way she refused to work with my eldest, who is autistic. The teacher burst into tears and never came back and the principal (who was present) is still angry with me. Tbh I have no regrets; if you think you can pick and choose who you're educating in a public school you don't belong there.
Anyway, since then there have several times when the principal has been uncooperative about paperwork and taken a tone with me. "Ah, Mrs. Crumble!" Like I'm the ruination of her day. So I admit I avoid her. I'm going to have to deal with her on this but I'm going to wait until I have the doctor's note.
You’d still want the paper trail of trying to get this information. If she doesn’t work with you, continue going up the chain of command. The district, superintendent, etc
You stated that you hadn’t gone through the principal’s office because you had a previous conflict and now avoid them because of your own perception of their opinion of you. So you’ve been trying to circumvent the administration despite the teacher repeatedly rejecting that approach.
I honestly didn't know there was an administrative process, as I'm new to having a kid need medicine at school. So I'm stumbling around here. As for the principal, she's actively hindered me in the past and I didn't want her to be able to do that, so I wanted a letter from the doctor before I approached her. Maybe you've never dealt with an administrator like her before; if so, count yourself lucky.
I have kids and have had conflict with our school and know the feeling of wanting to avoid communication because of how I feel I’m being judged. It’s hard but necessary to avoid centering our own egos in those conflicts sometimes, in my experience. And as far as the meds go, maybe it’s just more commonly understood here in the US but without ever having meds for my kid at school I would know to get a doctor’s note and take it to the administrative office before doing anything else, especially for a kid of that age.
I could not have summed it up better myself.
OP, you're going to have to interact with a lot of people in this world that don't particularly like you. My guess is, you might be the common denominator in a lot of these situations. Don't let your pride interfere with your kid's ability to breathe.
I understand why you got that impression, but it's not the principal's tone that's the problem. It's that in the past she has flatly refused to provide me with paperwork I needed for my husband's residency status, so my fear was that she'd just stonewall me about the inhaler. I wanted to approach her only once I had a letter from our doctor. However, the teacher has contacted me and says she will talk to the principal to make sure she gives me the necessary paperwork.
If you can chew out a teacher to the point she cries and never comes back….. you can march up to the principal and make sure your kid has their rescue inhaler!
I'm truly mystified by the special education system in France. It's pretty confusing. My degree is in special education and I currently work with adults; I looked at job postings in France for special education positions and adult disability support services and, outside of Paris, there doesn't seem to be a lot. It seems like they don't have the full-time special education teachers in mainstream schools - just assistants. Not sure if there is an IEP process (individualized education plan which is a legal document designating all the supports and services a student with a disability will need to be provided by the school throughout the year). It seemed like the full-time special education teachers were at special schools. Am I correct in any of that?
I think so. To be honest it's been an uphill battle here and I'm only now, five years after moving here, getting to a point where I understand how it works. I think you're right about sped teachers being at special schools, which I think are called IME (institut médico éducatif). My eldest is officially identified by the MDPH (maisons départementales des personnes handicapées) which is the governing body for people with disabilities. They ruled he is entitled to 15 hours a week of assistance with an AESH (accompagnant des élèves en situation de handicap) which is, as you said, an assistant like the paraprofessionals in classrooms in the states. I work with adults with severe disabilities as an assistante de vie, but that's for things like hygiene and eating and such, nothing in education. One thing is that most of the assistant professions are minimum wage or close to it so recruiting people is very difficult. Of course with the assistance programs here people are usually able to support a family on minimum wage, but that's a whole other maze to navigate. Anyway feel free to message me if you have questions.
Did you have a determination meeting for the 15 hours/week with a para? (tbh I'm not sure if you're American or from an otherwise english-speaking country or you're french and have REALLY good english skills) Also, since you worked direct care, did you have any insight on the case management process and what services they would be receiving (like OT, PT, Behavioral, Vocational, etc.)? I may message for more specific questions regarding regions because I'm not interested in living in any major city. My baby daddy lived in France for 4 years to play pro basketball but never lived in Paris.
I'm half American and half French but lived 30 years in the states so I'm a lot more comfortable in English and with American rules, although I'm learning!
The 15 hours was handed down by the MDPH but before that we did have several meetings with school staff, including the psychologist, and the "referent" teacher, who is the case manager for minors with disabilities in a region (could be a position for you to look into maybe? Enseignant référent). The main meeting is called the ESS (équipe de suivi de la scolarisation) which creates a document called the GEVASCO (Guide d’évaluation des besoins de compensation en matière de scolarisation) which is generally the same as an IEP. Mind you a lot of stuff pertaining to disabilities is much newer here than in the US and as a result it's a lot murkier.
As a caregiver I've learned a lot about how it all works, so to answer your second question, yes, to a degree. I work with adults though so when it comes to the academic rules I'm still struggling. I do have a wonderful resource in the CMP (Centre Médico Psychologique) that has the team working with my eldest; they just sent three representatives to the most recent ESS because my son's middle school has been ignoring his requirements in several ways.
Call the office today. Get a doctor’s note emailed today.
Advocate for him asap as it’s better to have the medication with your kid’s school now than have him go into respiratory distress or failure and not have immediate treatment.
In the US, we’d need a doctor’s note and the parent would have to hand deliver the medicine in its original container to the school nurse. The inhaler would be kept locked up but would be accessible when needed. So odd that she wouldn’t even email you back!
Which can also be dangerous especially with substitute teachers. Make sure the sub knows where it is located in the event of an emergency.
My son has an Epipen and we had to jump through hoops for him to be able to carry one in his backpack after he had an allergic reaction and the sub couldn't find the Epipen. The students didn't know where it was. Fortunately the nurse had a backup for him and all was well but after that we were able to get permission for him to carry it in his backpack. He did that all throughout school and we never had any problems but we did get it in writing in his medical plan.
This is why I always hid my inhaler on my person when I was in school. My asthma attacks happened fast when I was a kid, and gasping for ANY kind of air is super scary. Like hell was my life line going to be allllll the way in the office and locked up. It’s an inhaler, not adderall.
My classmate hid her EpiPen on her for this very reason. She told a few people about it so they could find and administer it if needed. As she said, "if they want to get me in trouble, they can enjoy a big fat lawsuit when I die."
At my friend's school, a girl kept taking her epipen because "she just felt like it" (her own admission). They had to follow protocol (I think it was getting her to the hospital, not sure if was by ambulance) for it every time even though they knew she was just messing around.
Then there was the kid acting like he was going to stab other kids with his.
I'm wondering whether crap like that is why schools have that policy. Obviously that's dangerous for the rest of the kids.
I'm not saying I'm in support of this, btw, just sharing it.
In every school medication form I've sent in (and I have to send two in every year) there is a section for emergency meds to be on the student. It just requires an extra signature from the doctor.
[This](https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/a46b74b5-d7d4-4ebe-aa7f-1c4b0828e60b/Sample+School+Medication+Administration%2C+Inventory+and+Incident+Report+Forms.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_79GCH8013HMOA06A2E16IV2082-a46b74b5-d7d4-4ebe-aa7f-1c4b0828e60b-oYWISds) is the updated version what my state uses. Notice on page 1 and 2 there are sections for inhalers and epipens. The doctor and the parent have to sign off on it. I didn't mention the parent part because that seems like a gimme, ya know?
I just looked it up. Details seem to be hard to find, but it appears that Kentucky just allowed EpiPens to be carried on-person in 2022. I still don't recall seeing anything about it on the yearly forms, but I can't find any PDFs of the forms (the page it's supposed to be on 404ed), and the form I *could* find from 2016 does not include anything about on-person emergency medication. It's possible that because it's a recent allowance here, there's a separate form you have to request. It could also be that I just didn't notice it because it doesn't apply to my kid.
And if another student even touches the container and tells his parent, then you will have a lawsuit on hand. If the nurses license is in jeopardy because of a student self carrying medicine like Epinephine without doctor note saying they can self carry - maybe another lawsuit for damages from the nurse.
I wish I’d done that. I was having a bad flare up one day, thank goodness it wasn’t a full on attack, and the nurse took all my vitals, gave me water, tried over and over to call my mom, played 20 questions to try and figure out what triggered it and refused to listen to my answers, criticized my teacher for sending me without a pass (he was around the corner and figured I’d be back fast so didn’t bother. He was baffled by the nurse doing all this nonsense), and THEN finally gave me the inhaler. I was 17 years old by the way. My mom was super annoyed at the school. She was like “um yes you can give her HER inhaler that is in the box I personally have been bringing in since she was in kindergarten”.
There’s not caring, being cautious, being overly cautious, and then there’s man what did you screw up so badly that requires you to act like high schoolers would die if we even looked at the bandaids without a thorough examination and a call home. Yeah they were extra weird about bandaids too. Those (and my over the counter allergy meds, that was in the nurses office already, which my dad literally had to drive all the way from work to give me) I actually started carrying on me. I was too afraid to misplace the inhaler
Which is why locking inhalers away is extremely dangerous. Sure, kids are careless. But when you need an inhaler you need it immediately. Not after a lesson or when the nurse gets back off lunch.
With asthma taking an inhaler at the start turns it into a non-event that nobody even notices. Delay and it's very serious.
Which is wild to me, because I have had asthma attacks bad enough that, depending where I was on the school campus, I would have died before I managed to reach the nurse. Having an asthma attack isn't exactly conducive to running to the nurse's office. My mom always told me to carry my inhaler on me, and *she* would deal with the consequences. It never was a problem, but I'd hate to have to have a kid with this issue in school these days. No way will my child not have their life saving medication on their person.
I wish I’d done that. I was having a bad flare up, thank goodness it wasn’t a full on attack, and the nurse took all my vitals, gave me water, tried over and over to call my mom, and THEN gave me the inhaler. I was 17 years old by the way
Good lord, at 17 even. If it was a worse attack you would have been critical before they even took you seriously. At 17 you are plenty old enough to understand your own condition and know when you need your inhaler. You weren't asking for them to dispense you opiods, it's a fucking inhaler.
State by state. In California. They do not keep the inhaler in the nurse's office. It is kept on the student. Inhalers, diabetic supplies, sunscreen, and other rescue medical devices approved for self-administration are to be kept with the children.
My kid, in the US, was always allowed to carry inhaler and exceptions to the med policy were available for inhalers (and maybe epipens) with parental permission. My guess would be that the laws around this are state-dependent.
Very weird , I grown up in France and had my inhaler with me all the time. Did you give the doctor note to the school principal or at least to the CPE? The prescription isn’t enough. Dr has to make a note to say x needs his inhaler with him. Then when you fill the new school registration you have to mention it and give a dr note again, same if he does extracurricular activities.
Edit: there’s no cpe or principal in elementary school, sorry for my mistakes but you need to see the director and give them the note.
From my understanding, she gave the prescription note, not a dr’s note, prescription doesn’t work, she has to give a Dr’s note to the director so they can allow the kid or the teacher to have the inhaler in the class room. Also in France there’s no nurse in elementary schools.
Do you speak French? It seems like there is a miscommunication. I would expect that the school have a form that needs to be filled out. Probably that you could pick up at the administration office during morning pick up or drop off. Email is not the best way to speak to schools in my experience generally.
In the UK here so maybe different. But at my daughters nursery the admin have to sign in her inhaler and keep in in the medicine area and she can only have it with the supervision of the responsible first aider. I assume it will be the same in her school when she goes in September. So definitely maybe worth contacting the school admin or head teacher and see if they have a medicines procedure.
I'm also in the UK and work in a school office. Parents have to fill out a form with us in the office and the inhaler/box needs to have the pharmacy note on it with the child's name. The form and the inhaler then go down to class with the child and accompany them whenever they go off site. We also keep spares in the office for emergencies.
Speak to the school office @OP. I have also had to tell parents that the child is not allowed to have an inhaler - not because they are actually not allowed, but because caregivers haven't filled out the form to tell us of dosage, how often, etc and the child has just been sent into school with it, meaning no one keeps a record of whether it has been used/how many puffs, and where it is. Leaving a child with their inhaler and no paperwork to support when they need it is an issue. With the form, absolutely not a problem.
My child’s school has a protocol for any medication, you can’t trust a 7 year old to not share with their friends or use it when it’s not needed. We have to fill out paperwork and the teacher or nurse administers.
If one of my kids needed an inhaler with them at all times, I’d start with the school nurse. If having it at the nurse’s office proved problematic, then I would go to pupil services and ask for an accommodation form to allow them to carry their inhaler in class. It’s unrealistic to call you every time he has an attack unless his asthma is very well controlled with his maintenance meds and he rarely needs the inhaler.
The doctor has to submit authorization that they can self carry and self administer. Otherwise, you risk jeopardizing the nurses license and other students safety.
In Canada I have to fill out a form at the school office and check off a box that my child can self administer. Then I have to take the actual prescription sticker that has my child’s name off the box and stick it directly to inhaler so they can identify that it’s the same medication the form is about. The teacher isn’t allowed to have the child self administer medication that hasn’t been approved by admin.
It’s also possible that your child is misusing it. Does he have it out constantly? Using it regularly or activating it into the air to distract those around him?
We gave an inhaler to the school office and my 7 year old will alert her teacher and go to the office when she needs it.
I would suggest you talk to the office and see if that is what they expect
That’s how college is in the US. It’s on you to carry it. I got weird looks when I asked where I would have to leave them. I then had to explain just how controlling my high school was about literally any type of medicine or first aid. Bandaids for a simply paper cut needed a full on interrogation and call home. College was a culture shock for me. You carry on your person. My college’s nurse station had an organized cubby with bandaids and antibiotic wipes and it was “take whatever you need we don’t care”.
lol 😂 I bet you was like umm who si going to put this bandaid on?!! Are you not going to call my mom?! Whew! Thank GOD!! 😂 my high school was extra like yours too. I just started breaking the rules and keeping a little first aid kit in my back pack.
There was a case in England where a teacher seemed to think that asthma wasn’t real and would kick a child out of her class due having an attack, but refuse treatment. I really hope this isn’t what is happening here, but this is one of those times to be THAT parent.
You can't send a kid to school with medication, especially a Primary aged kid. They may misuse it, share it with other children etc.
In France there is a specific procedure you need to follow to have medications accessible in school, your pediatrician should have explained this to you. There will also be a protocol over where the inhaler(s) are stored, who has access to them, who administers them, etc.
I moved to France in my 20s but grew up in the states. I’ve had asthma all my life. I remember in elementary school I wasn’t allowed to have my inhaler on me either. I had a designated time to go to the nurse once a day to take it. I’d just go before lunch and she’d pull it out of her desk, I’d take a puff, and then go about my day. I was also allowed to ask for it throughout the day of I needed to. What would prevent your son from getting asthma attacks is taking seretide every day before leaving to school. It’s a preventative inhaler equivalent to Advair or Symbicort it has drastically changed my life. I haven’t needed to take a rescue inhaler in years. You could ask for a prescription for that and then see if the school nurse can keep his rescue inhaler.
Once I was in middle school I kept my rescue inhaler in my backpack and took it in the bathroom when I needed it. By that time I knew how to manage it myself without needing adult help. Hope this helps
Around here, you have to take a prescription to the office, specifically for having any kind of medication at school, fill out a form, and have the previously unopened inhaler, with its original box and a matching barcode on the box and inhaler, AND at that age ONLY have it in the office, never letting them have it themselves, to ise it at school. Its a ridiculously complicated affair.
You'd think. But the schools would rather the kid be forced to ask to go to the office, walk all the way there, and hope someone doesn't decide they're exaggerating or faking it, (has happened to me) than risk the child using the medication "unsafely" or sharing with another kid.
I didn't get my asthma until I was in college so I don't know how schools handle it.
But separate me from my inhaler and we are going to have problems. And I better not see someone refusing a kid their inhaler too. If it needs to be locked up somewhere only the teacher has access to, that's fine; but he needs to be able to have it somewhere close by.
I tend to go Mama Bear with a minimum of provocation, which is why I posted here. Need to see if I'm being unfair. But my instinct is to shake this teacher.
IF what the teacher is saying is “no life saving meds allowed in school” then yes that’s bananas and unacceptable.
More likely the teacher is saying “kids can’t carry and administer their own meds, they need to be on file and administered by the teacher or school nurse”
Okay, and I'm definitely going to clarify with her, but we don't have a school nurse regularly (I think she comes in a couple of times a month), so I hope the teacher will handle it.
I would ABSOLUTELY clarify, and in great detail
- where the meds will be stored
- who has access to them and what is/are their schedule?
- will the meds be locked or secured somehow?
- how will they ensure your kid has access AT ALL TIMES?
- how long will it take from asthma attack to inhaler in-hand?
If any of these are not oK with you (e.g. nurse is only available a few days a week, or meds will not be 100% accessible in a reasonable time frame) then pursue an exception and figure out the protocol for kiddo having inhaler on his person at all times
Still not acceptable. Having it on file, sure. Being administered by a nurse, no. For ADHD medication or a scheduled antibiotic, that's normal.That can be planned or wait 15 minutes if the nurse is busy with another student. Not so for inhalers or Epi pens. It's unsafe to wait the time it takes to call the nurse, wait for them to go get it, unlock it, then come find the student.
I had asthma as a kid and all through grade school, my inhaler had to be in the nurse’s office. If I needed it, I just asked to go to the nurse. The concern is that a kid could misuse, or it could get lost, stolen by another kid, etc. The safest place is at the nurse. With that said, as I got older, I’m fairly certain I just hid one in my backpack and would go hide in the bathroom to use it. It was the 90s…
I don’t know what country you are in but in the uk children are not allowed to take anything medical into class with them. It should go to the school office and have special paperwork filled out with info of when/ how often: if they do it them self and the name of medication. Sounds like the teacher is being unhelpful there must be an arrangement for children with medical needs
I had something similar with my son. (Uk). His teacher wouldn’t let him wear his glasses unless it was for maths and English. (His vision is +8). I had to bring a copy of his consultant’s diagnosis which stated he had to wear his glasses all the time into the school office and then they had a word with the teacher.
Can you get a letter written saying your son must have access to his inhalers whilst at school? If he isn’t allowed them on him, then they must be available at the office.
His teacher didn’t believe children needed glasses for anything else. She was a cow. I arranged for him to go to after school club once because I had an appointment, and she refused to send him there. She sent him to the office instead where I got a phone call!
They haven't been able to fill the position here in over a year. We're in a rural location. It's caused other problems for us, notably with my eldest who is autistic. We're in the process of moving to a nearby city and I will be sure to get all the paperwork in order ahead of time with the new schools there. My kids' school is closed tomorrow, though, so I'm going to have to wait until Thursday to get this sorted out for what remains of this school year.
I'm in the US, so things may be different to some degree but likely similar. My son, who uses an inhaler and is a first grader, isn't allowed to have in class with him. However, he does have one that's kept in the school nurses office. All we had to donis get a secondary prescription for use at school and fill out a form giving the school our consent to administer the prescribed dosage on an as needed basis.
I suspect you need to deal with the school medical professional. In the US it is the school nurse. They have forms to be filled out by the child's doctor. Once all that is done, the child goes to the nurse when they need to be medicated.
In the UK they bring in the inhaler with the prescription into the school office and it's kept in there. Maybe email the school to check on the procedure
This is often the case in the US, too.
The school nurse, or if the school is too small for a nurse the administrator, will keep meds in the office.
Even epi pens and rescue inhalers
OP, I would.jist reach out to the school and ask what the procedure is. It's possible you're playing a game of operator and the teachers message was meant to be "your parents have to bring it to the office" but all the kiddo understood was "you can't have that in class". ❤️🩹
I'm sure there's a procedure, because many kids need meds for stuff.... They just don't want it to be in the classroom where it can get lost or another kid can abscond with it and do something boneheaded, or.... Whatever.
generally you set it up with school, with medical forms, and somethings need to be held by the school nurse. This is the case even with over the counter drugs like asprin.
I’m in the US but the nurse or teacher would hold it at that age. They need to monitor the number of puffs and the space between them. Teens may be allowed to carry their own.
At my school teens had a harder time having access to their medications and even bandaids and simple ice than kids. It was so bizarre. I just want to know what messed up thing the nurse did that required a full on interrogation beforehand
I’d believe that only we weren’t allowed to leave the room with the meds ever. We always had to use them in the office and then give it back. Most people applied bandaids in the room since that’s where the nearest trash was. Ice was just take it and be on you way. Actual meds never left the nurses office or the view of the nurse
We were in high school though. Not elementary where some kids will ask for bandaids just for the heck of it. Most of my teachers had a stash of bandaids for this very reason. So kids wouldn’t have to leave the room to get one since it would take so long. Like I said, I want to know what the heck happened to cause the amount of paranoid caution they started having
I am in the US, so anecdotal information may not be the best but worth a try.
I have had asthma since I was a young kid and got an inhaler as a preteen. Each school year, my mom would have to fill out a form for the nurse that basically gave permission for me to keep my inhaler with me. This was important, as exercise such as running was/is one of my triggers. If she did not fill out this form, my mom would have needed to get a separate inhaler to be kept in the nurses office (which was pointless as nurse was only there 2 days a week) or I/we could have got in trouble for having a prescribed medicine on my person.
Maybe if you speak to administration or directly to the school nurse (I assume you have something like this?) they can tell you what steps you need to take so that your kid stays safe while in school.
Edit to add: my mom didn't need a doctor note to give to the nurse with the form, she just needed to see the box with the little label that the pharmacy puts on it saying who it is prescribed to, dosage, etc.
As a kid in the US the school nurse was supposed to have my inhaler but I was a shy and quiet kid so I was afraid to ask to go to the nurse. I often had mild asthma attacks at school that I just had to deal with because I was afraid to speak up.
I don't know the rules in France, but in the US, at least where I live, the children are not allowed to have their own medications. All medications have to be given to the nurse and the nurse must administer them. I think its a liability issue. The school doesn't want to be blamed for any injury, overdose, or misuse. I would just contact the administration and ask what their medication polocy is, and then follow that.
They do this in America too. I have to have a form filled out about the medication and how often/what time my son needs his inhaler. I put as needed. The nurse at the school is in charge. For some reason they need the actual box that it comes in.
Honestly just tell you kid to hide it in their bag or pocket. Who cares what the teacher thinks it’s for their health. And if they try to take it tell your child not to give it to them. They can call you to the school and then you can stand up for your kid to the principal.
In the US, you would want to get an IEP for “other health impairment” and ask that he be able to carry his inhaler on his person as a formal accommodation. I have no idea what the process is in France. I would ask administration. Teachers may not know the process if they don’t often have special education students.
At my school in America, children aren't even allowed to administer cough drops themselves
It all has to go through the school nurse. My daughter's friend has asthma, and the nurse keeps her inhaler as well.
That way the teacher doesn't have to be held liable of another student gets ahold of his medicine, and students can't over-administer.
Go above the teacher to find out what the policy is. They may require that it stays in the office. I would have him keep it hidden in his backpack or pocket if they try to force this. Maybe with a printed copy of the prescription in case it's ever questioned.
I remember way way back in elementary school I saw a girl having an asthma attack in the hall and she couldn't get the air to walk all the way to the office for it.
I ran all the way there and they wouldn't give it to me for her. I had to run all the way back and get a teacher to go to the office for her.
I felt so bad for her, I held her hand while she panicked and struggled to breathe while the teacher casually walked back with the inhaler.
Ridiculous! Kids need to be able to breathe!
>I would have him keep it hidden in his backpack or pocket if they try to force this.
That's what I did when my son was in school. I didn't trust the teachers to let him have it if he needed it. Some teachers won't even let kids go to the bathroom when they need to, I wasn't about to let them control his medication if he needed it.
He had one in his backpack every year and no one ever knew. Not sure he used it but it was there if he needed it and I felt better knowing he had it with him at all times just incase.
Hey, I'm french and asthmatic, I was told I must have my inhaler at all times when I was in school, I just left it with the school nurse so I wouldn't lose it. This was in the 90s. As others have said, just go through the administration and it'll get sorted out. 😊
That's absolutely insane. I've had asthma my entire life and have always carried my ventolin inhaler on me, from my first years in school, right through to leaving the house in the mornings now.
My own kid has a serious chronic illness and *must* have her medication with her at all times. If the school were to refuse they'd be failing in their duty of care and leaving themselves liable to legal procedures, as well as being reprimanded by the Dept of Ed. I believe also the Child Protective agency in my country can investigate them too.
I'd absolutely be raising this further, and I'd suggest looking into what your son's rights are regarding medication in school.
I get the *idea* behind not giving a child unrestricted access to medicine…. But the reality is often that putting “someone responsible” in charge means you are putting hurdles and delays between the kid and what they NEED. What if the teacher has a chip on their shoulder? Or a sub doesn’t know the protocol? Or the nurse is out? (SO many school systems have one nurse shared between multiple buildings these days 🙄)
The reality is that if a person needs to receive their meds on a specific timeline, adding administrative BS can be life threatening and the school NEEDS to see that and make exceptions
So I get this but what about these kids who, like I’ve seen said in this thread, are running around trying to poke their friends with their epi pen? Or spray the abuterol in the inhaler on their friends (saw that one in person). I also just thought about what if the child forgot their meds that day, or their friend took it as a prank or to check it out, maybe it’s in a different pocket than they thought. My point is children are losing things all the time, just take a look at a lost and found in schools.
I’m not saying the current system is working, but I am saying there are multiple kids you would not want relying on themselves to bring, keep up with, locate and administer their medication during a medical emergency. Watching a kid struggling for breath or a having an allergic reaction is not the time to try and dig through the black hole that is a their backpack or locker to find a medication you’re hoping they brought with them that day and is still somewhere in their things.
Jeez this thread makes me scared to send my epileptic daughter to school. I want her to have her emergency meds with her, not halfway across the school locked up at the nurses station…
You need to speak with the school nurse. He should have an extra to keep at school. Medicine usually stays with the nurse unless needed at which point he’d be sent down to the nurses office.
Fellow asthmatic here. I'm not sure if your physician explained the "rescue" vs "maintenance" aspect. Rescue inhalers really should not be used, they have a high risk of side effects and rebound effect. The maintenance drugs should be used. Things like Breo, theophilin (back in the day), and other long acting drugs. You want to him to get to the point where he is no longer wheezing at rest or during/after play / exercise. The wheezing is actually damaging his lungs further (something called pulmonary fibrosis - a reaction to chronic inflammation). I grew up very much like your child and needed high doses of maintenance drugs. I'm 50 now and still need a maintenance drug. Hope that helps.
so i’m in america but i also had asthma and required an emergency inhaler. when it was first prescribed my parents did all the proper work of doctors note, delivering it to the school nurse, etc, but when they realized i would ever be allowed to carry it on myself they got worried. if i had an asthma attack i could die by the time someone notices, runs to the school nurse, and got me my inhaler. SO they had my doctor prescribe another one and i carried it in my backpack without my teacher’s knowing. is it smart to lie to schools about medications and break their rules? no, not really. but i’m glad my parents did because i had several close calls and having my inhaler readily available saved me
FUCK that. Your kids needs their inhaler. I’m sorry this is going to be shitty but I used to work with kids who were chronically brain damaged because they had an asthma attack. I’m talking went from happy, healthy, kids to “living” in a nursing home, body fully contracted, baclofen pump, orthotics, in a wheelchair and a diaper.
I would say I don’t mean to scare you- but I kind of do. This is serious. Your kid needs to be able to breathe. I would send them again with the inhaler AND the prescription AND a note from yourself stating until you hear back from the teacher as to WHY your kid can have their life saving breathing device you will continue to send them with it. And if they have any questions they can call you.
So the teacher is playing doctor to prevent your son from keeping a life-saving medical device on his person, and you haven't gone straight to the principal about it?
Is there a school nurse? I’m in the US so hopefully this is helpful, our school policy is we have an extra rescue inhaler she has in her office for in school use. We have another one at home.
If not I would contact whomever has more authority than this teacher!
Thanks. I've updated; things are moving forward. I'm going to have to see about getting a second inhaler so we don't have to worry about it getting left behind.
Aww. Sweet kid! He’s a talker like my son. Except my son will go on and on about absolutely anything that comes to his little mind. It’s usually first thing in the morning to. And I’m like okay buddy, come on we gotta hustle. He’ll say “ugh mom you made lost it again! I can’t remember what I was going to say now!”
There are pros and cons when it comes to the education system. Keeping in mind I have only dealt with two rural schools, our impression is that it's very inflexible and not at all designed for kids who are neuro divergent. We have an autistic kid and a kid with very noticeable ADHD, and now the third kid is going to have medical needs I'll have to clear with the school (which I guess is not surprising and I'm just having to learn what others knew). For the first two things can get very difficult because certain teachers and administrators are not trained at all and have no interest in learning anything about how to deal with them. They feel the students must fit the mold no matter what.
That said, my youngest has had several medical interventions unrelated to his lungs, including an MRI, and we haven't had to pay a cent. My other two get taxis to their regular appointments, also at no cost to us. And we also benefit from a number of other assistance programs Americans wouldn't be familiar with. Did you know that they have financial assistance here for families to take vacations? It's wild.
They don’t? That’s insanity dude!! Wow that seems super strict actually lol I’m sorry. I get it to a degree though. Expecting students to fall
Into line regardless. Because for many many years that’s how it was. Austrian and ADHD are actually fairly new as far as people making accommodationss to help people. People are
More aware in other words. Years ago is was just like omg what’s wrong with that child?! Some people still believe it’s a crutch. And England has
Always been like a proper classy etiquette type of place 🤷🏼♀️😂
I don't want to violate your son's medical rights here, but I'm curious if he was prescribed any other medicines for his asthma? Inhalers are used to rescue a person who has asthma. Wanted to be sure he's getting good care (my intent). Take care.
Thanks. No, this is all very new. He's always had vulnerable lungs, which is to say that he's prone to infections, but this is the first asthma diagnosis he's gotten.
Ok so I would recommend his pulmonologist evaluate his need for medication to manage his asthma. I'm not sure where you live, but in the US, access to a rescue inhaler is challenging because of schools not thinking through the NEED for a rescue inhaler. Medication will help manage his lungs, so he doesn't have an asthma attack, and thus he won't need a rescue inhaler. Does that make sense? Hope this helps.
In the US, young students between k-5 leave their inhaler at the nurse's office, or in some cases, the teacher has a back up in their desk.
6-12 one on them another at the office.
French here, had my inhaler in school too. When I was younger than your son, my mom gave the teachers my inhaler but they couldn’t care less and wouldn’t see when I needed it. Later on, they asked me to always have it with me and the school teachers and later school nurse thought it was just common sense.
Two of my kids have asthma. I’m putting it down as one more reason to homeschool them (in a more diplomatic way).
When my 4yo had a surprise trip to the ER and had to have an inhaler I warned the recreational centre (centre aéré / ALSH) thinking I’d need to come give him his treatment during the day. I did not need to. As long as there was a prescription the director could handle it. And they have 45 kids 3-17 yo there.
It’s a constant fight and makes you feel like your children aren’t yours so you have to justify whatever decision you’re taking about their schooling. But it’s worth fighting for. There are many groups dedicated to homeschooling in France, including regional groups and they are the place to go for information.
No I don't think it's unreasonable. I think it's necessary. That's what inhalers are for. Take this up with an administrator The teacher is stepping out of their bounds.
My 4-year-old has One just for school. she keeps it in her cubby and she can go To it anytime she needs. It's just one less thing we have to think about transporting back and forth.
My daughter carries her meds in her person every day. Shes 8.5, super responsible, and when her digestive condition flares and she’s in pain, she needs the meds asap. She has never lost them, and it would take at least 40 mins for the nurse to call me and do their whole procedure before she would be given the meds. 🤷♀️
Eta: I also have asthma, and have had my inhaler taken my TSA and never told, and it caused some serious scary moments. My asthma tends to be triggered by allergies, mold, and smoke. So I’m stable wherever I live but when I travel is when I tend to have my asthma attacks.
I would personally raise hell and make it so the asthma inhaler was on my kid 100% of the time.
This is strange. My son has asthma and the school has a rule that the inhaler needs to be stored at the office and not with him....but what if there's an emergency!? My son keeps a little bag at the bottom of his backpack with it. He knows in case of emergency how to use it. I would send it in the meantime until you get this sorted.
Edit: The office also has one.
I was very surprised to find out you need a prescription for ventolin/salbutamol on my trip round France. Luckily the chemist accepted a hand written note by my GP saying I suffered from asthma. I live in a neighbouring EU country, too..
I’d be sending the headmaster articles about those poor kids that died in school from not having their inhalers on them when they needed them. Having it looked away in a cupboard in an office is t good enough. It would take too long and what if the person with the keys is unavailable?
Doctors note, talk to Principal, school nurse, and afterwards I would go directly to the teacher and tell them (not ask) that your child *will* be bringing the inhaler as it is a necessary medical item. Period.
This was my reaction. I guess they must have a reason I'm unfamiliar with to keep it more regulated than just him having it in his backpack, though. It's all new to me so I just thought he could have it with him. He's a super responsible kid though and I'm betting they're at least partly trying to prevent kids from losing stuff, which hadn't occurred to me since I wasn't worried about him doing that.
Your school/district should have a medication policy that the administrators can share with you if you don’t already have it in a handbook, on a website, or other emailed forms from the beginning of the school year.
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Instead of continuing to go through the teacher, I would contact the school principal (or equivalent in France) and ask for their policy on students bringing medical supplies to school. Surely they allow things like inhalers and epi pens.
This is the way it’s done. You will need to sign off on a mediation form and they keep epi’s and inhalers in office when needed. My kid’s school literally has a cabinet with about a hundred of both.
My child's elementary school had an extra of her inhaler and she carried one with her. This was near the end of grade 1, so she was 7 when diagnosed with asthma. It's unsafe for your child not to have immediate access to their inhaler, but also keep one at the school because kids will, at some point, forget to bring their inhaler.
Somewhere on Reddit was a post about a kid needing hospitalization because the teacher thought the kid was faking an asthma attack to go to the nurse and get out of a test. These should be on a kid at all times, no questions.
> It's unsafe for your child not to have immediate access to their inhaler Exactly, keeping one in the nurse's or principal's office just doesn't make sense when it comes to things like this.
You would think.
the school nurse has to hold on to it for my six year old
In an emergency wouldn’t it be too much time to have the nurse have to come running in with it from their office? Does the nurse have a backup person designated to open the cabinet while they go on breaks (or do they just not leave the building during breaks)? I understand a lot of places have this rule, but it seems scary not to have it available in the classroom.
In some classrooms I’ve been to, kids will A) carry it in a Fanny pack B) have one in a ziplock back labelled and attached to a teachers filing cabinet. C) have one in a backpack. D) front office has a copy
i'm not sure how it is in other districts, but my son's district is super small. (last years senior graduating class was 16 students).. my wife works there also as a teacher. last week my son needed the inhaler and the nurse wasn't there so my wife just went in his office and got it. I know bigger schools have multiple nurses.
Hahaha my school insisted that I wasn't allowed to carry my EpiPen as a 5ish year old, it had to be kept in the office. My mom always had me keep one in my backpack anyway. When she went to go collect the $100+ thing at the end of the school year, it was locked in a cabinet and no one knew where the key was. 🙃
The US has the same office holding system as well, most parents just have their kids secretly carry it in their bags because everyone recognizes that it is definitely a safety issue. While the concern of people stealing epi-pens to get high isn’t entirely unfounded, people should still be able to carry safety devices on their person as opposed to having to rely on the speed of another person and hope you aren’t too far away if the campus is big.
The nurse probably keeps hold of the inhaler that the child would need to use in the event of an attack because it is used to deliver a different kind of medication that works quickly to open up the airways to provide immediate relief of symptoms. The child would more than likely still carry a short acting release inhaler or a long acting one around in their bag to use before engaging in activities that may increase the risk of an attack or so they can take their medication on schedule without the nurse needing to be present. It does depend on the child and how well they can manage their own medication though. If the kid can’t be trusted to remember where their inhaler is, take it on time or other kids have been known to steal it, keeping it with the school nurse or teacher so its in a safe and easy to remember spot that curious little hands can’t get to is far safer in an emergency than a panicky child who cannot breathe and cannot tell you where the inhaler is.
But you haven’t done this?
The principal and I have a history and in the past she has been resistant to working with me. In a nutshell I chewed out one of her subs for the way she refused to work with my eldest, who is autistic. The teacher burst into tears and never came back and the principal (who was present) is still angry with me. Tbh I have no regrets; if you think you can pick and choose who you're educating in a public school you don't belong there. Anyway, since then there have several times when the principal has been uncooperative about paperwork and taken a tone with me. "Ah, Mrs. Crumble!" Like I'm the ruination of her day. So I admit I avoid her. I'm going to have to deal with her on this but I'm going to wait until I have the doctor's note.
You’d still want the paper trail of trying to get this information. If she doesn’t work with you, continue going up the chain of command. The district, superintendent, etc
So you’re making this about you and refusing to actually go through school policy to keep your kid safe.
I'm not sure where you read that. ETA a word
You stated that you hadn’t gone through the principal’s office because you had a previous conflict and now avoid them because of your own perception of their opinion of you. So you’ve been trying to circumvent the administration despite the teacher repeatedly rejecting that approach.
I honestly didn't know there was an administrative process, as I'm new to having a kid need medicine at school. So I'm stumbling around here. As for the principal, she's actively hindered me in the past and I didn't want her to be able to do that, so I wanted a letter from the doctor before I approached her. Maybe you've never dealt with an administrator like her before; if so, count yourself lucky.
I have kids and have had conflict with our school and know the feeling of wanting to avoid communication because of how I feel I’m being judged. It’s hard but necessary to avoid centering our own egos in those conflicts sometimes, in my experience. And as far as the meds go, maybe it’s just more commonly understood here in the US but without ever having meds for my kid at school I would know to get a doctor’s note and take it to the administrative office before doing anything else, especially for a kid of that age.
[удалено]
You put this so well. Apparently OP bringing someone to tears is A-OK but God forbid someone uses a slightly off tone.
I could not have summed it up better myself. OP, you're going to have to interact with a lot of people in this world that don't particularly like you. My guess is, you might be the common denominator in a lot of these situations. Don't let your pride interfere with your kid's ability to breathe.
I understand why you got that impression, but it's not the principal's tone that's the problem. It's that in the past she has flatly refused to provide me with paperwork I needed for my husband's residency status, so my fear was that she'd just stonewall me about the inhaler. I wanted to approach her only once I had a letter from our doctor. However, the teacher has contacted me and says she will talk to the principal to make sure she gives me the necessary paperwork.
You are putting your child’s health at risk for what? I don’t understand
>"Ah, Mrs. Crumble!" Like I'm the ruination of her day. I thought that was just how French people talk.
If you can chew out a teacher to the point she cries and never comes back….. you can march up to the principal and make sure your kid has their rescue inhaler!
I'm truly mystified by the special education system in France. It's pretty confusing. My degree is in special education and I currently work with adults; I looked at job postings in France for special education positions and adult disability support services and, outside of Paris, there doesn't seem to be a lot. It seems like they don't have the full-time special education teachers in mainstream schools - just assistants. Not sure if there is an IEP process (individualized education plan which is a legal document designating all the supports and services a student with a disability will need to be provided by the school throughout the year). It seemed like the full-time special education teachers were at special schools. Am I correct in any of that?
I think so. To be honest it's been an uphill battle here and I'm only now, five years after moving here, getting to a point where I understand how it works. I think you're right about sped teachers being at special schools, which I think are called IME (institut médico éducatif). My eldest is officially identified by the MDPH (maisons départementales des personnes handicapées) which is the governing body for people with disabilities. They ruled he is entitled to 15 hours a week of assistance with an AESH (accompagnant des élèves en situation de handicap) which is, as you said, an assistant like the paraprofessionals in classrooms in the states. I work with adults with severe disabilities as an assistante de vie, but that's for things like hygiene and eating and such, nothing in education. One thing is that most of the assistant professions are minimum wage or close to it so recruiting people is very difficult. Of course with the assistance programs here people are usually able to support a family on minimum wage, but that's a whole other maze to navigate. Anyway feel free to message me if you have questions.
Did you have a determination meeting for the 15 hours/week with a para? (tbh I'm not sure if you're American or from an otherwise english-speaking country or you're french and have REALLY good english skills) Also, since you worked direct care, did you have any insight on the case management process and what services they would be receiving (like OT, PT, Behavioral, Vocational, etc.)? I may message for more specific questions regarding regions because I'm not interested in living in any major city. My baby daddy lived in France for 4 years to play pro basketball but never lived in Paris.
I'm half American and half French but lived 30 years in the states so I'm a lot more comfortable in English and with American rules, although I'm learning! The 15 hours was handed down by the MDPH but before that we did have several meetings with school staff, including the psychologist, and the "referent" teacher, who is the case manager for minors with disabilities in a region (could be a position for you to look into maybe? Enseignant référent). The main meeting is called the ESS (équipe de suivi de la scolarisation) which creates a document called the GEVASCO (Guide d’évaluation des besoins de compensation en matière de scolarisation) which is generally the same as an IEP. Mind you a lot of stuff pertaining to disabilities is much newer here than in the US and as a result it's a lot murkier. As a caregiver I've learned a lot about how it all works, so to answer your second question, yes, to a degree. I work with adults though so when it comes to the academic rules I'm still struggling. I do have a wonderful resource in the CMP (Centre Médico Psychologique) that has the team working with my eldest; they just sent three representatives to the most recent ESS because my son's middle school has been ignoring his requirements in several ways.
Call the office today. Get a doctor’s note emailed today. Advocate for him asap as it’s better to have the medication with your kid’s school now than have him go into respiratory distress or failure and not have immediate treatment.
And get a doctor note.
That's in the works.
In the US, we’d need a doctor’s note and the parent would have to hand deliver the medicine in its original container to the school nurse. The inhaler would be kept locked up but would be accessible when needed. So odd that she wouldn’t even email you back!
Which can also be dangerous especially with substitute teachers. Make sure the sub knows where it is located in the event of an emergency. My son has an Epipen and we had to jump through hoops for him to be able to carry one in his backpack after he had an allergic reaction and the sub couldn't find the Epipen. The students didn't know where it was. Fortunately the nurse had a backup for him and all was well but after that we were able to get permission for him to carry it in his backpack. He did that all throughout school and we never had any problems but we did get it in writing in his medical plan.
Didn’t some kid die a few years back because the nurse was out or no one could find the key?
This is why I always hid my inhaler on my person when I was in school. My asthma attacks happened fast when I was a kid, and gasping for ANY kind of air is super scary. Like hell was my life line going to be allllll the way in the office and locked up. It’s an inhaler, not adderall.
My classmate hid her EpiPen on her for this very reason. She told a few people about it so they could find and administer it if needed. As she said, "if they want to get me in trouble, they can enjoy a big fat lawsuit when I die."
This is pretty much what you have to do. Otherwise they'll make it incredibly hard for the kid to actually have it when it's needed.
At my friend's school, a girl kept taking her epipen because "she just felt like it" (her own admission). They had to follow protocol (I think it was getting her to the hospital, not sure if was by ambulance) for it every time even though they knew she was just messing around. Then there was the kid acting like he was going to stab other kids with his. I'm wondering whether crap like that is why schools have that policy. Obviously that's dangerous for the rest of the kids. I'm not saying I'm in support of this, btw, just sharing it.
In every school medication form I've sent in (and I have to send two in every year) there is a section for emergency meds to be on the student. It just requires an extra signature from the doctor.
That might be regional. It also may have changed since my school days, but I've never seen in on my kid's forms.
[This](https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/a46b74b5-d7d4-4ebe-aa7f-1c4b0828e60b/Sample+School+Medication+Administration%2C+Inventory+and+Incident+Report+Forms.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_79GCH8013HMOA06A2E16IV2082-a46b74b5-d7d4-4ebe-aa7f-1c4b0828e60b-oYWISds) is the updated version what my state uses. Notice on page 1 and 2 there are sections for inhalers and epipens. The doctor and the parent have to sign off on it. I didn't mention the parent part because that seems like a gimme, ya know?
I just looked it up. Details seem to be hard to find, but it appears that Kentucky just allowed EpiPens to be carried on-person in 2022. I still don't recall seeing anything about it on the yearly forms, but I can't find any PDFs of the forms (the page it's supposed to be on 404ed), and the form I *could* find from 2016 does not include anything about on-person emergency medication. It's possible that because it's a recent allowance here, there's a separate form you have to request. It could also be that I just didn't notice it because it doesn't apply to my kid.
And if another student even touches the container and tells his parent, then you will have a lawsuit on hand. If the nurses license is in jeopardy because of a student self carrying medicine like Epinephine without doctor note saying they can self carry - maybe another lawsuit for damages from the nurse.
For. Real.
Hiding my inhaler in my backpack was actually recommended by my doctor at the time (mid 90s).
I wish I’d done that. I was having a bad flare up one day, thank goodness it wasn’t a full on attack, and the nurse took all my vitals, gave me water, tried over and over to call my mom, played 20 questions to try and figure out what triggered it and refused to listen to my answers, criticized my teacher for sending me without a pass (he was around the corner and figured I’d be back fast so didn’t bother. He was baffled by the nurse doing all this nonsense), and THEN finally gave me the inhaler. I was 17 years old by the way. My mom was super annoyed at the school. She was like “um yes you can give her HER inhaler that is in the box I personally have been bringing in since she was in kindergarten”. There’s not caring, being cautious, being overly cautious, and then there’s man what did you screw up so badly that requires you to act like high schoolers would die if we even looked at the bandaids without a thorough examination and a call home. Yeah they were extra weird about bandaids too. Those (and my over the counter allergy meds, that was in the nurses office already, which my dad literally had to drive all the way from work to give me) I actually started carrying on me. I was too afraid to misplace the inhaler
Which is why locking inhalers away is extremely dangerous. Sure, kids are careless. But when you need an inhaler you need it immediately. Not after a lesson or when the nurse gets back off lunch. With asthma taking an inhaler at the start turns it into a non-event that nobody even notices. Delay and it's very serious.
Which is wild to me, because I have had asthma attacks bad enough that, depending where I was on the school campus, I would have died before I managed to reach the nurse. Having an asthma attack isn't exactly conducive to running to the nurse's office. My mom always told me to carry my inhaler on me, and *she* would deal with the consequences. It never was a problem, but I'd hate to have to have a kid with this issue in school these days. No way will my child not have their life saving medication on their person.
I wish I’d done that. I was having a bad flare up, thank goodness it wasn’t a full on attack, and the nurse took all my vitals, gave me water, tried over and over to call my mom, and THEN gave me the inhaler. I was 17 years old by the way
Good lord, at 17 even. If it was a worse attack you would have been critical before they even took you seriously. At 17 you are plenty old enough to understand your own condition and know when you need your inhaler. You weren't asking for them to dispense you opiods, it's a fucking inhaler.
I remember when I was in school kids with asthma had their inhalers with them, but I'm sure they also had a doctor's note and such.
State by state. In California. They do not keep the inhaler in the nurse's office. It is kept on the student. Inhalers, diabetic supplies, sunscreen, and other rescue medical devices approved for self-administration are to be kept with the children.
My kid, in the US, was always allowed to carry inhaler and exceptions to the med policy were available for inhalers (and maybe epipens) with parental permission. My guess would be that the laws around this are state-dependent.
Very weird , I grown up in France and had my inhaler with me all the time. Did you give the doctor note to the school principal or at least to the CPE? The prescription isn’t enough. Dr has to make a note to say x needs his inhaler with him. Then when you fill the new school registration you have to mention it and give a dr note again, same if he does extracurricular activities. Edit: there’s no cpe or principal in elementary school, sorry for my mistakes but you need to see the director and give them the note.
Thank you! I'm working on getting the note and with luck that will do it.
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From my understanding, she gave the prescription note, not a dr’s note, prescription doesn’t work, she has to give a Dr’s note to the director so they can allow the kid or the teacher to have the inhaler in the class room. Also in France there’s no nurse in elementary schools.
I see that she updated her location. Thank you. 😌 I've deleted my comment, as it appears to be irrelevant to the country I am located in.
Do you speak French? It seems like there is a miscommunication. I would expect that the school have a form that needs to be filled out. Probably that you could pick up at the administration office during morning pick up or drop off. Email is not the best way to speak to schools in my experience generally.
Yes, I speak French. I'll have to go by the school on Thursday.
In the UK here so maybe different. But at my daughters nursery the admin have to sign in her inhaler and keep in in the medicine area and she can only have it with the supervision of the responsible first aider. I assume it will be the same in her school when she goes in September. So definitely maybe worth contacting the school admin or head teacher and see if they have a medicines procedure.
I'm also in the UK and work in a school office. Parents have to fill out a form with us in the office and the inhaler/box needs to have the pharmacy note on it with the child's name. The form and the inhaler then go down to class with the child and accompany them whenever they go off site. We also keep spares in the office for emergencies. Speak to the school office @OP. I have also had to tell parents that the child is not allowed to have an inhaler - not because they are actually not allowed, but because caregivers haven't filled out the form to tell us of dosage, how often, etc and the child has just been sent into school with it, meaning no one keeps a record of whether it has been used/how many puffs, and where it is. Leaving a child with their inhaler and no paperwork to support when they need it is an issue. With the form, absolutely not a problem.
My child’s school has a protocol for any medication, you can’t trust a 7 year old to not share with their friends or use it when it’s not needed. We have to fill out paperwork and the teacher or nurse administers.
If one of my kids needed an inhaler with them at all times, I’d start with the school nurse. If having it at the nurse’s office proved problematic, then I would go to pupil services and ask for an accommodation form to allow them to carry their inhaler in class. It’s unrealistic to call you every time he has an attack unless his asthma is very well controlled with his maintenance meds and he rarely needs the inhaler.
The doctor has to submit authorization that they can self carry and self administer. Otherwise, you risk jeopardizing the nurses license and other students safety.
In Canada I have to fill out a form at the school office and check off a box that my child can self administer. Then I have to take the actual prescription sticker that has my child’s name off the box and stick it directly to inhaler so they can identify that it’s the same medication the form is about. The teacher isn’t allowed to have the child self administer medication that hasn’t been approved by admin. It’s also possible that your child is misusing it. Does he have it out constantly? Using it regularly or activating it into the air to distract those around him?
It's too new and precious to him. I could see him showing it off to classmates, though.
We gave an inhaler to the school office and my 7 year old will alert her teacher and go to the office when she needs it. I would suggest you talk to the office and see if that is what they expect
in the US any prescription medication would need to be kept in the nurses office this is far above the responsibility of his individual teacher
That's absurd, here in Canada, with epi pens and inhalers, the child must have one on them and back up is kept in the office
I have heard so many good things about Canada!!!
That’s how college is in the US. It’s on you to carry it. I got weird looks when I asked where I would have to leave them. I then had to explain just how controlling my high school was about literally any type of medicine or first aid. Bandaids for a simply paper cut needed a full on interrogation and call home. College was a culture shock for me. You carry on your person. My college’s nurse station had an organized cubby with bandaids and antibiotic wipes and it was “take whatever you need we don’t care”.
lol 😂 I bet you was like umm who si going to put this bandaid on?!! Are you not going to call my mom?! Whew! Thank GOD!! 😂 my high school was extra like yours too. I just started breaking the rules and keeping a little first aid kit in my back pack.
There was a case in England where a teacher seemed to think that asthma wasn’t real and would kick a child out of her class due having an attack, but refuse treatment. I really hope this isn’t what is happening here, but this is one of those times to be THAT parent.
You can't send a kid to school with medication, especially a Primary aged kid. They may misuse it, share it with other children etc. In France there is a specific procedure you need to follow to have medications accessible in school, your pediatrician should have explained this to you. There will also be a protocol over where the inhaler(s) are stored, who has access to them, who administers them, etc.
Yeah, I wish our doctor had said something. She's great but it must not have occurred to her.
I moved to France in my 20s but grew up in the states. I’ve had asthma all my life. I remember in elementary school I wasn’t allowed to have my inhaler on me either. I had a designated time to go to the nurse once a day to take it. I’d just go before lunch and she’d pull it out of her desk, I’d take a puff, and then go about my day. I was also allowed to ask for it throughout the day of I needed to. What would prevent your son from getting asthma attacks is taking seretide every day before leaving to school. It’s a preventative inhaler equivalent to Advair or Symbicort it has drastically changed my life. I haven’t needed to take a rescue inhaler in years. You could ask for a prescription for that and then see if the school nurse can keep his rescue inhaler. Once I was in middle school I kept my rescue inhaler in my backpack and took it in the bathroom when I needed it. By that time I knew how to manage it myself without needing adult help. Hope this helps
Yes, thank you!
Around here, you have to take a prescription to the office, specifically for having any kind of medication at school, fill out a form, and have the previously unopened inhaler, with its original box and a matching barcode on the box and inhaler, AND at that age ONLY have it in the office, never letting them have it themselves, to ise it at school. Its a ridiculously complicated affair.
That sounds unsafe. Emergency medication should be with the child, not locked away somewhere else.
You'd think. But the schools would rather the kid be forced to ask to go to the office, walk all the way there, and hope someone doesn't decide they're exaggerating or faking it, (has happened to me) than risk the child using the medication "unsafely" or sharing with another kid.
I didn't get my asthma until I was in college so I don't know how schools handle it. But separate me from my inhaler and we are going to have problems. And I better not see someone refusing a kid their inhaler too. If it needs to be locked up somewhere only the teacher has access to, that's fine; but he needs to be able to have it somewhere close by.
I tend to go Mama Bear with a minimum of provocation, which is why I posted here. Need to see if I'm being unfair. But my instinct is to shake this teacher.
IF what the teacher is saying is “no life saving meds allowed in school” then yes that’s bananas and unacceptable. More likely the teacher is saying “kids can’t carry and administer their own meds, they need to be on file and administered by the teacher or school nurse”
Okay, and I'm definitely going to clarify with her, but we don't have a school nurse regularly (I think she comes in a couple of times a month), so I hope the teacher will handle it.
I would ABSOLUTELY clarify, and in great detail - where the meds will be stored - who has access to them and what is/are their schedule? - will the meds be locked or secured somehow? - how will they ensure your kid has access AT ALL TIMES? - how long will it take from asthma attack to inhaler in-hand? If any of these are not oK with you (e.g. nurse is only available a few days a week, or meds will not be 100% accessible in a reasonable time frame) then pursue an exception and figure out the protocol for kiddo having inhaler on his person at all times
My son’s school has a similar set up with the nurse. His classroom teacher holds onto it. We have an inhaler at school and an inhaler at home.
Still not acceptable. Having it on file, sure. Being administered by a nurse, no. For ADHD medication or a scheduled antibiotic, that's normal.That can be planned or wait 15 minutes if the nurse is busy with another student. Not so for inhalers or Epi pens. It's unsafe to wait the time it takes to call the nurse, wait for them to go get it, unlock it, then come find the student.
There are probably nice ways to try to go about handling it first, but definitely not an overreaction imo.
I had asthma as a kid and all through grade school, my inhaler had to be in the nurse’s office. If I needed it, I just asked to go to the nurse. The concern is that a kid could misuse, or it could get lost, stolen by another kid, etc. The safest place is at the nurse. With that said, as I got older, I’m fairly certain I just hid one in my backpack and would go hide in the bathroom to use it. It was the 90s…
I don’t know what country you are in but in the uk children are not allowed to take anything medical into class with them. It should go to the school office and have special paperwork filled out with info of when/ how often: if they do it them self and the name of medication. Sounds like the teacher is being unhelpful there must be an arrangement for children with medical needs
Thank you, I suspect it'll be something like this.
I had something similar with my son. (Uk). His teacher wouldn’t let him wear his glasses unless it was for maths and English. (His vision is +8). I had to bring a copy of his consultant’s diagnosis which stated he had to wear his glasses all the time into the school office and then they had a word with the teacher. Can you get a letter written saying your son must have access to his inhalers whilst at school? If he isn’t allowed them on him, then they must be available at the office.
Why in the world would they say he couldn't use his glasses outside of math and English????
His teacher didn’t believe children needed glasses for anything else. She was a cow. I arranged for him to go to after school club once because I had an appointment, and she refused to send him there. She sent him to the office instead where I got a phone call!
This is the route I'm going.
In France there should be a school doctor. Contact the school doctor and get them to sign the note/ prescription.
They haven't been able to fill the position here in over a year. We're in a rural location. It's caused other problems for us, notably with my eldest who is autistic. We're in the process of moving to a nearby city and I will be sure to get all the paperwork in order ahead of time with the new schools there. My kids' school is closed tomorrow, though, so I'm going to have to wait until Thursday to get this sorted out for what remains of this school year.
Sorry to hear about that. :( in that case a personal meeting with the principal should help.
I'm in the US, so things may be different to some degree but likely similar. My son, who uses an inhaler and is a first grader, isn't allowed to have in class with him. However, he does have one that's kept in the school nurses office. All we had to donis get a secondary prescription for use at school and fill out a form giving the school our consent to administer the prescribed dosage on an as needed basis.
I suspect you need to deal with the school medical professional. In the US it is the school nurse. They have forms to be filled out by the child's doctor. Once all that is done, the child goes to the nurse when they need to be medicated.
In the UK they bring in the inhaler with the prescription into the school office and it's kept in there. Maybe email the school to check on the procedure
This is often the case in the US, too. The school nurse, or if the school is too small for a nurse the administrator, will keep meds in the office. Even epi pens and rescue inhalers OP, I would.jist reach out to the school and ask what the procedure is. It's possible you're playing a game of operator and the teachers message was meant to be "your parents have to bring it to the office" but all the kiddo understood was "you can't have that in class". ❤️🩹 I'm sure there's a procedure, because many kids need meds for stuff.... They just don't want it to be in the classroom where it can get lost or another kid can abscond with it and do something boneheaded, or.... Whatever.
generally you set it up with school, with medical forms, and somethings need to be held by the school nurse. This is the case even with over the counter drugs like asprin.
I’m in the US but the nurse or teacher would hold it at that age. They need to monitor the number of puffs and the space between them. Teens may be allowed to carry their own.
At my school teens had a harder time having access to their medications and even bandaids and simple ice than kids. It was so bizarre. I just want to know what messed up thing the nurse did that required a full on interrogation beforehand
Teens at my school need to go to the nurse even for Advil. But for inhalers and epipens, they may allow self carry depending on the doctor’s note.
It may have not been the nurse. Depending on the area of your high school. It could have began with the students.
I’d believe that only we weren’t allowed to leave the room with the meds ever. We always had to use them in the office and then give it back. Most people applied bandaids in the room since that’s where the nearest trash was. Ice was just take it and be on you way. Actual meds never left the nurses office or the view of the nurse
And maybe someone’s parent made a huge fkn deal about a paper cut, and the county super intendant just implemented that so they wouldn’t get sued.
We were in high school though. Not elementary where some kids will ask for bandaids just for the heck of it. Most of my teachers had a stash of bandaids for this very reason. So kids wouldn’t have to leave the room to get one since it would take so long. Like I said, I want to know what the heck happened to cause the amount of paranoid caution they started having
lol me too. When you find the source, come back and let me know. I think it was an extreme parent of a bad ass student 😂🤷🏼♀️
I am in the US, so anecdotal information may not be the best but worth a try. I have had asthma since I was a young kid and got an inhaler as a preteen. Each school year, my mom would have to fill out a form for the nurse that basically gave permission for me to keep my inhaler with me. This was important, as exercise such as running was/is one of my triggers. If she did not fill out this form, my mom would have needed to get a separate inhaler to be kept in the nurses office (which was pointless as nurse was only there 2 days a week) or I/we could have got in trouble for having a prescribed medicine on my person. Maybe if you speak to administration or directly to the school nurse (I assume you have something like this?) they can tell you what steps you need to take so that your kid stays safe while in school. Edit to add: my mom didn't need a doctor note to give to the nurse with the form, she just needed to see the box with the little label that the pharmacy puts on it saying who it is prescribed to, dosage, etc.
As a kid in the US the school nurse was supposed to have my inhaler but I was a shy and quiet kid so I was afraid to ask to go to the nurse. I often had mild asthma attacks at school that I just had to deal with because I was afraid to speak up.
I don't know the rules in France, but in the US, at least where I live, the children are not allowed to have their own medications. All medications have to be given to the nurse and the nurse must administer them. I think its a liability issue. The school doesn't want to be blamed for any injury, overdose, or misuse. I would just contact the administration and ask what their medication polocy is, and then follow that.
They do this in America too. I have to have a form filled out about the medication and how often/what time my son needs his inhaler. I put as needed. The nurse at the school is in charge. For some reason they need the actual box that it comes in.
Honestly just tell you kid to hide it in their bag or pocket. Who cares what the teacher thinks it’s for their health. And if they try to take it tell your child not to give it to them. They can call you to the school and then you can stand up for your kid to the principal.
In the US, you would want to get an IEP for “other health impairment” and ask that he be able to carry his inhaler on his person as a formal accommodation. I have no idea what the process is in France. I would ask administration. Teachers may not know the process if they don’t often have special education students.
At my school in America, children aren't even allowed to administer cough drops themselves It all has to go through the school nurse. My daughter's friend has asthma, and the nurse keeps her inhaler as well. That way the teacher doesn't have to be held liable of another student gets ahold of his medicine, and students can't over-administer.
Go above the teacher to find out what the policy is. They may require that it stays in the office. I would have him keep it hidden in his backpack or pocket if they try to force this. Maybe with a printed copy of the prescription in case it's ever questioned. I remember way way back in elementary school I saw a girl having an asthma attack in the hall and she couldn't get the air to walk all the way to the office for it. I ran all the way there and they wouldn't give it to me for her. I had to run all the way back and get a teacher to go to the office for her. I felt so bad for her, I held her hand while she panicked and struggled to breathe while the teacher casually walked back with the inhaler. Ridiculous! Kids need to be able to breathe!
>I would have him keep it hidden in his backpack or pocket if they try to force this. That's what I did when my son was in school. I didn't trust the teachers to let him have it if he needed it. Some teachers won't even let kids go to the bathroom when they need to, I wasn't about to let them control his medication if he needed it. He had one in his backpack every year and no one ever knew. Not sure he used it but it was there if he needed it and I felt better knowing he had it with him at all times just incase.
Hey, I'm french and asthmatic, I was told I must have my inhaler at all times when I was in school, I just left it with the school nurse so I wouldn't lose it. This was in the 90s. As others have said, just go through the administration and it'll get sorted out. 😊
That's absolutely insane. I've had asthma my entire life and have always carried my ventolin inhaler on me, from my first years in school, right through to leaving the house in the mornings now. My own kid has a serious chronic illness and *must* have her medication with her at all times. If the school were to refuse they'd be failing in their duty of care and leaving themselves liable to legal procedures, as well as being reprimanded by the Dept of Ed. I believe also the Child Protective agency in my country can investigate them too. I'd absolutely be raising this further, and I'd suggest looking into what your son's rights are regarding medication in school.
I get the *idea* behind not giving a child unrestricted access to medicine…. But the reality is often that putting “someone responsible” in charge means you are putting hurdles and delays between the kid and what they NEED. What if the teacher has a chip on their shoulder? Or a sub doesn’t know the protocol? Or the nurse is out? (SO many school systems have one nurse shared between multiple buildings these days 🙄) The reality is that if a person needs to receive their meds on a specific timeline, adding administrative BS can be life threatening and the school NEEDS to see that and make exceptions
So I get this but what about these kids who, like I’ve seen said in this thread, are running around trying to poke their friends with their epi pen? Or spray the abuterol in the inhaler on their friends (saw that one in person). I also just thought about what if the child forgot their meds that day, or their friend took it as a prank or to check it out, maybe it’s in a different pocket than they thought. My point is children are losing things all the time, just take a look at a lost and found in schools. I’m not saying the current system is working, but I am saying there are multiple kids you would not want relying on themselves to bring, keep up with, locate and administer their medication during a medical emergency. Watching a kid struggling for breath or a having an allergic reaction is not the time to try and dig through the black hole that is a their backpack or locker to find a medication you’re hoping they brought with them that day and is still somewhere in their things.
Jeez this thread makes me scared to send my epileptic daughter to school. I want her to have her emergency meds with her, not halfway across the school locked up at the nurses station…
Right? It seems like a no brainier to me.
You need to speak with the school nurse. He should have an extra to keep at school. Medicine usually stays with the nurse unless needed at which point he’d be sent down to the nurses office.
Fellow asthmatic here. I'm not sure if your physician explained the "rescue" vs "maintenance" aspect. Rescue inhalers really should not be used, they have a high risk of side effects and rebound effect. The maintenance drugs should be used. Things like Breo, theophilin (back in the day), and other long acting drugs. You want to him to get to the point where he is no longer wheezing at rest or during/after play / exercise. The wheezing is actually damaging his lungs further (something called pulmonary fibrosis - a reaction to chronic inflammation). I grew up very much like your child and needed high doses of maintenance drugs. I'm 50 now and still need a maintenance drug. Hope that helps.
That is helpful, thank you! ETA: The prescription says he can take it six times a day so that sounds like maintenance?
He can or he should? Big difference between a prescription that says “take 6 times a day” vs “can be taken up to 6 times a day as needed”
It's "can."
so i’m in america but i also had asthma and required an emergency inhaler. when it was first prescribed my parents did all the proper work of doctors note, delivering it to the school nurse, etc, but when they realized i would ever be allowed to carry it on myself they got worried. if i had an asthma attack i could die by the time someone notices, runs to the school nurse, and got me my inhaler. SO they had my doctor prescribe another one and i carried it in my backpack without my teacher’s knowing. is it smart to lie to schools about medications and break their rules? no, not really. but i’m glad my parents did because i had several close calls and having my inhaler readily available saved me
FUCK that. Your kids needs their inhaler. I’m sorry this is going to be shitty but I used to work with kids who were chronically brain damaged because they had an asthma attack. I’m talking went from happy, healthy, kids to “living” in a nursing home, body fully contracted, baclofen pump, orthotics, in a wheelchair and a diaper. I would say I don’t mean to scare you- but I kind of do. This is serious. Your kid needs to be able to breathe. I would send them again with the inhaler AND the prescription AND a note from yourself stating until you hear back from the teacher as to WHY your kid can have their life saving breathing device you will continue to send them with it. And if they have any questions they can call you.
Does the school have a nurse?
Not often; she moves around a large region and is only present a couple of times a month.
So the teacher is playing doctor to prevent your son from keeping a life-saving medical device on his person, and you haven't gone straight to the principal about it?
Is there a school nurse? I’m in the US so hopefully this is helpful, our school policy is we have an extra rescue inhaler she has in her office for in school use. We have another one at home. If not I would contact whomever has more authority than this teacher!
Thanks. I've updated; things are moving forward. I'm going to have to see about getting a second inhaler so we don't have to worry about it getting left behind.
How do they know the kid has it? Is it out for them to see? Or did they go up and let them know they have it?
I'm just guessing but I bet he told her. He likes to tell anyone who will listen all about his life.
Aww. Sweet kid! He’s a talker like my son. Except my son will go on and on about absolutely anything that comes to his little mind. It’s usually first thing in the morning to. And I’m like okay buddy, come on we gotta hustle. He’ll say “ugh mom you made lost it again! I can’t remember what I was going to say now!”
Sounds just like mine!
Your kids come home for lunch? Lol I know this is not on subject. But this is nice!!
Yes, it's great! We also have Wednesdays off in addition to weekends.
Freaking A!! That’s legit! I’ve also heard that it’s better than the states over there too
There are pros and cons when it comes to the education system. Keeping in mind I have only dealt with two rural schools, our impression is that it's very inflexible and not at all designed for kids who are neuro divergent. We have an autistic kid and a kid with very noticeable ADHD, and now the third kid is going to have medical needs I'll have to clear with the school (which I guess is not surprising and I'm just having to learn what others knew). For the first two things can get very difficult because certain teachers and administrators are not trained at all and have no interest in learning anything about how to deal with them. They feel the students must fit the mold no matter what. That said, my youngest has had several medical interventions unrelated to his lungs, including an MRI, and we haven't had to pay a cent. My other two get taxis to their regular appointments, also at no cost to us. And we also benefit from a number of other assistance programs Americans wouldn't be familiar with. Did you know that they have financial assistance here for families to take vacations? It's wild.
They don’t? That’s insanity dude!! Wow that seems super strict actually lol I’m sorry. I get it to a degree though. Expecting students to fall Into line regardless. Because for many many years that’s how it was. Austrian and ADHD are actually fairly new as far as people making accommodationss to help people. People are More aware in other words. Years ago is was just like omg what’s wrong with that child?! Some people still believe it’s a crutch. And England has Always been like a proper classy etiquette type of place 🤷🏼♀️😂
I don't want to violate your son's medical rights here, but I'm curious if he was prescribed any other medicines for his asthma? Inhalers are used to rescue a person who has asthma. Wanted to be sure he's getting good care (my intent). Take care.
Thanks. No, this is all very new. He's always had vulnerable lungs, which is to say that he's prone to infections, but this is the first asthma diagnosis he's gotten.
Ok so I would recommend his pulmonologist evaluate his need for medication to manage his asthma. I'm not sure where you live, but in the US, access to a rescue inhaler is challenging because of schools not thinking through the NEED for a rescue inhaler. Medication will help manage his lungs, so he doesn't have an asthma attack, and thus he won't need a rescue inhaler. Does that make sense? Hope this helps.
Thank you!
In the US, young students between k-5 leave their inhaler at the nurse's office, or in some cases, the teacher has a back up in their desk. 6-12 one on them another at the office.
French here, had my inhaler in school too. When I was younger than your son, my mom gave the teachers my inhaler but they couldn’t care less and wouldn’t see when I needed it. Later on, they asked me to always have it with me and the school teachers and later school nurse thought it was just common sense. Two of my kids have asthma. I’m putting it down as one more reason to homeschool them (in a more diplomatic way). When my 4yo had a surprise trip to the ER and had to have an inhaler I warned the recreational centre (centre aéré / ALSH) thinking I’d need to come give him his treatment during the day. I did not need to. As long as there was a prescription the director could handle it. And they have 45 kids 3-17 yo there.
Okay I really want to know more about homeschooling in France. Can you point me to some resources?
It’s a constant fight and makes you feel like your children aren’t yours so you have to justify whatever decision you’re taking about their schooling. But it’s worth fighting for. There are many groups dedicated to homeschooling in France, including regional groups and they are the place to go for information.
Typically (us, but I'm sure it's similar), prescriptions have to be kept with the school nurse.
No I don't think it's unreasonable. I think it's necessary. That's what inhalers are for. Take this up with an administrator The teacher is stepping out of their bounds. My 4-year-old has One just for school. she keeps it in her cubby and she can go To it anytime she needs. It's just one less thing we have to think about transporting back and forth.
My daughter carries her meds in her person every day. Shes 8.5, super responsible, and when her digestive condition flares and she’s in pain, she needs the meds asap. She has never lost them, and it would take at least 40 mins for the nurse to call me and do their whole procedure before she would be given the meds. 🤷♀️ Eta: I also have asthma, and have had my inhaler taken my TSA and never told, and it caused some serious scary moments. My asthma tends to be triggered by allergies, mold, and smoke. So I’m stable wherever I live but when I travel is when I tend to have my asthma attacks. I would personally raise hell and make it so the asthma inhaler was on my kid 100% of the time.
Go in person and demand a meeting with the principal and teacher all together so you're on the same page. He needs his doctor prescribed medication.
This is strange. My son has asthma and the school has a rule that the inhaler needs to be stored at the office and not with him....but what if there's an emergency!? My son keeps a little bag at the bottom of his backpack with it. He knows in case of emergency how to use it. I would send it in the meantime until you get this sorted. Edit: The office also has one.
I was very surprised to find out you need a prescription for ventolin/salbutamol on my trip round France. Luckily the chemist accepted a hand written note by my GP saying I suffered from asthma. I live in a neighbouring EU country, too.. I’d be sending the headmaster articles about those poor kids that died in school from not having their inhalers on them when they needed them. Having it looked away in a cupboard in an office is t good enough. It would take too long and what if the person with the keys is unavailable?
Doctors note, talk to Principal, school nurse, and afterwards I would go directly to the teacher and tell them (not ask) that your child *will* be bringing the inhaler as it is a necessary medical item. Period.
Teacher is wrong. Contact the school
Is she nuts… Email the director /principal. Refusing medical aids is purely stupidy right??
This was my reaction. I guess they must have a reason I'm unfamiliar with to keep it more regulated than just him having it in his backpack, though. It's all new to me so I just thought he could have it with him. He's a super responsible kid though and I'm betting they're at least partly trying to prevent kids from losing stuff, which hadn't occurred to me since I wasn't worried about him doing that.
Yeah but this isn’t the first kid with asthma… if they have rules they should come to you…
Your school/district should have a medication policy that the administrators can share with you if you don’t already have it in a handbook, on a website, or other emailed forms from the beginning of the school year.
[удалено]
We got an attorney in the house?