Asthma Friendly Schools
Schools are an important venue for promoting health and wellness. In 2023, 8.7% of children in Georgia aged 0-17 years had been told at some point in their lives they have asthma. The Asthma Friendly Schools toolkit provides a structured framework school districts can use to create a comprehensive approach to asthma management. Comprehensive Asthma Friendly School programs include planning tools, school policy recommendations and asthma self-management education programs.
Students with uncontrolled asthma often miss more school, have poorer academic performance, and have low sleep quality. An Asthma Friendly School provides a safe and healthy environment that reduces asthma triggers and maximizes the health, quality of life, and educational outcomes of all children. Schools can support asthma self-management in children by adopting asthma-friendly policies and procedures related to the following areas:
- Asthma Education
- Asthma Management and School Health Services
- Healthy School Environment
- Medication Policies and Comprehensive Asthma Procedures including Georgia’s Law on Stocking and Administering Albuterol. For more information on school districts in Georgia stocking emergency medications, please email [email protected].
For more information on steps to becoming an Asthma Friendly School, please email [email protected].
Additional Resources
American Lung Association's Asthma Friendly School Initiative
Managing Asthma in the School Environment
To connect with free or low-cost local services that support chronic disease prevention, access to healthy food, healthcare, and social support programs please select the link: GA DPH FindHelp.
*Last reviewed 4/16/26