SADS Foundation :: Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation

Back to School Checklist for Students With SADS Conditions 

With school just around the corner, make sure you do the following to help your school environment be as safe as possible for your SADS child.

( Download this_Checklist) 

Ask to meet with the principal, school nurse, psychologist and 504 plan people.  At the meeting:

___  1.  Develop an Individualized School Health Care Plan for your child. This plan may also be called a 504 plan or another name (see this list of_definitions) but, no matter what its called, it should include everything on our recommended plan. To develop the plan:

• Take our plan to your child’s physician to complete the activities, etc. OR
• Work with your school nurse to complete the plan—using your knowledge of your child’s condition and your doctor’s recommendations OR
• Fill out the plan yourself and take it to the meeting
  

___  2.  To ensure that your child’s Individualized School Health Care Plan is in place and working, verify the following:

• Who is responsible for receiving the plan (the principle, school nurse)?
• Where is the care plan housed (In a file, binder, etc.)?          
• Who is responsible for implementing the plan, if needed?
• How does the school train staff regarding the existence and implementation of individual care plans?

___  3.  Ask the principal what the school's Emergency Medical Plan is, and whether all staff are trained on what it is. (see SADS recommendations for these plan and samples here )

___  4.  Check to see if the school has an AED, a plan for the use of the AED and whether all appropriate staff are trained to use one (like your child's teachers, coaches, playground aide)

___  5.  Make a plan to ensure that all above recommendations are in place.

• Ensure that all staff has a picture of your child.
• Offer to provide training in existing staff meetings etc.
• Speak directly to all staff that deal with your student (lunch room and playground aides, coaches or PE teachers, break out teachers, etc.).

If you feel like your school is not able to provide a safe environment and need additional help, call appropriate personnel at the school district level.  They will often advocate for your child, and educate you regarding the federal law pertaining to a child with a disability (of which a cardiac diagnosis is) and your educational rights. 

If you aren't able to get your child's school to work with you on this, please let us know so we can get an idea of the problems you're encountering. You can also post on our Discussion Board to see if others have any ideas which may help. And, if you're still not successful, you can file a complaint with your regional Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you wish to file a 504 complaint, go to www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html  Or call (800) 421-3481 (TDD) (877) 521-2172.  For additional information about Section 504 visit the Dept of Ed website: www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html.