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Building Procedure Changes for Asthma, Allergies, & MedicationsDear Hazelwood School District Parents/Guardians,
As the district continues ongoing planning for a return to face-to-face instruction, we want to help parents/guardians who selected the hybrid model over the summer prepare for a successful transition. To ensure the safety of everyone in our buildings, we have made a variety of procedural changes. One of these changes will be discontinuing nebulizer treatments used at any of our school sites. We will continue to recommend that relevant students have their own albuterol. The change is how the albuterol can be delivered. Nebulizer treatments cause the albuterol to go through a process that creates droplets in the air that have the potential of increasing the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Studies show that the aerosol remains in the air for at least 1-2 hours, which increases the possible spread of germs. Individual rescue inhalers with chambers provide the same medication, but in a manner that is safer for the school community.
HSD is encouraging parents to talk with their child's pediatrician to find out if medication dosing times or procedures can be done when their child is at home. We know there will be times when that is not possible, but our goal is to mitigate the risk of germ transmission as much as possible. Avoiding unnecessary trips to the school clinic is one part of our mitigation plan.
Other aspects of our mitigation plan include ending the distribution of any over-the-counter medications that could mask COVID-19 or seasonal influenza-like symptoms. If these symptoms are present with any student, the expectation is that the student will need to be picked up by a parent/guardian for further evaluation by their pediatrician. With that in mind, we will continue to emphasize the importance of parents/guardians screening their child for symptoms before they come to school. Keeping a sick child at home prevents them from exposing others and will be crucial to our efforts to deliver face-to-face instruction in the safest way possible. The district will continue to follow CDC and St. Louis County Department of Public Health guidelines regarding mask usage.
Please do not hesitate to talk with your child’s school nurse about any additional questions. They will work with you to create plans that meet your child’s individual needs. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation BREATH program assists families with co-pays and equipment related to asthma and allergies for those under the age of 22. Details about the program and additional information about face-to-face learning for families with questions or concerns about asthma, allergies, mask usage, and medications can be found in the following links:
- American Lung Association
https://www.lung.org/blog/back-to-school-with-asthma-during-covid
- The Asthma and Allergy Foundation
Be well,
Christian Bertel
Coordinator of Health Services
