The
managing students' health support needs at school,
supporting students with asthma and/or at risk of anaphylaxis at school and the
administration of medication in schools procedures provide information on ensuring students with health support needs can attend and safely participate in all aspects of schooling.
Anaphylaxis management
The
anaphylaxis guidelines for Queensland state schools (DOCX, 2.6MB) provide specific information for Queensland state schools on how to support students at risk of anaphylaxis.
Training
Queensland state schools are required to have sufficient staff who have completed:
- the online Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) anaphylaxis e-training course for schools and childcare (Queensland version)—availabe via QLearn
- practical training in the use of adrenaline auto-injectors (e.g. EpiPen®)
- current first aid training (which includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the administration of emergency asthma medication - as anaphylaxis and asthma are often linked).
Schools will determine how many staff need to be trained by considering the health needs of their student population.
Purchasing and administering adrenaline auto-injectors
All Queensland state schools, including departmental outdoor and environmental education centres, are required to maintain a minimum of one adrenaline auto-injector for the purpose of providing emergency medication to students and staff for the treatment of anaphylaxis.
Pharmacists can sell adrenaline in a pre-loaded auto-injector to a principal (or a person nominated by the principal) for the purpose of stocking or maintaining a first aid kit. A pharmacist must be reasonably satisfied that the purchaser is the principal or delegate of the school.
For more information about the purchase of adrenaline for a school first-aid kit, please see Queensland Health's
medicines—regulatory advice.
For further information to support students diagnosed with anaphylaxis, refer to the
supporting students with asthma and/or at risk of anaphylaxis at school and the
administration of medication in schools procedures.
Food bans
State schools must not implement bans on food, or claim that the school or any part of the school is allergen (e.g. nut) free. Food bans do not prevent exposure to an allergen. Schools are encouraged to use a range of other strategies instead of bans.
More information is in the
reducing allergens in schools factsheet.
Asthma management
The
Asthma Guidelines for Queensland schools provides specific information for Queensland schools on how to manage and treat students with asthma.
You can find more information in the
supporting students with asthma and/or at risk of anaphylaxis at school procedure.
Diabetes management
The
students with diabetes: guidelines for Queensland schools is a resource available to provide specific advice to support students with diabetes in a school environment. These guidelines and additional
diabetes basics resources for Queensland schools have been developed by Diabetes Queensland in consultation with a working group of medical experts and Queensland school personnel.
Information about schools' requirements for supporting students with diabetes can be found in the
managing students' health support needs at school procedure.