self-carry epi-pen or inhaler 2023-24

Feb. 17, 2023

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Tuttle Public Schools recognizes asthma is a chronic, life threatening condition. Over 7 million children in the United State have asthma. It is the third leading cause of hospitalization of children and is responsible for 10.5 million missed school days every year. We are writing to inform you about a new school health program that will make schools safer for students. In 2019 Oklahoma passed a new law (SB 381) that allows your child’s school to maintain and administer an albuterol inhaler to treat students who experience sudden, life-threatening respiratory distress while at school. Albuterol is an inhaled medication that quickly opens the tubes that move air into and out of the lungs making it easier to breathe.  This medication is safe and effective.  Because an asthma attack can happen at any time, having quick access to albuterol is important to make schools safe for children with asthma.

Several personnel including the district nurse, a certified nurse practitioner,  from your child’s school have been trained to quickly and safely respond to respiratory emergencies. While school staff will make every effort to contact parents before giving albuterol, the law allows them to administer albuterol in an emergency without prior parental contact.

If your child has asthma, we urge you to notify your child’s school and provide them with an asthma action plan from your child’s doctor.  Because the stock albuterol inhaler is not intended to replace a child’s personal inhaler, we also encourage you to send a personal albuterol inhaler for use at school if your child has asthma.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school’s health office.