Dive Brief:

• A private group of scientists has announced a study on Dallas Public Schools to find solutions to the district's above average asthma rates, reports Dallas News. 
• The Nature Conservancy is taking a close look at Dallas Independent School District, where 9.5% of students have asthma. Those cases are disproportionately distributed in the poorer schools south of Interstate 30. 
• The Breathe Easy Dallas study will use the 2018-19 school year as a baseline. Elementary school students will be tracked for two years to compare effectiveness, cost, and the timeframe to see results of three strategies. 

Dive Insight:

Illness of any type results in absenteeism. Student health takes on even more importance in poorer districts, where healthy students often already have higher rates of absenteeism, Chronic conditions, though, like asthma, can result in more frequently missing school or even hospitalization. It's known that air pollution worsens asthma, which can surely be part of the reason why Dallas County leads the region for hospitalization of kids for this condition: Across the country, Dallas-Forth Worth ranks as one of the most ozone-polluted metropolitan areas, KERA News reports.

Using air monitors, the scientists will first determine air quality issues in the targeted schools. Strategies being considered, which could be implemented in schools well beyond Texas, include planting more trees at schools that don't have many already but that have space to plant them. Another tact that could help improve air quality in schools with large student bodies, and thus a heavy stream of school buses and cars, is an anti-idling rule.

Identifying schools with no health initiatives on campus, and bringing in resources such as medical check-ups through partnerships with local hospitals, can also alleviate the effect of asthma and other illnesses on absenteeism. 

While such longer-term solutions are being explored, day-to-day measures can be implemented to help school leaders manage asthma cases, such as student asthma action cards, which outline a particular child's asthma triggers, medications and emergency protocol. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has free resources for schools on managing asthma in student bodies, including webinar videos, downloads and legal guidelines.