Guide for students with primary immunodeficiency updated for back-to-school season

It’s time to go back to school! As students, their parents/guardians, and school personnel prepare for the return to classrooms, IDF’s School Guide for Students with Primary Immunodeficiency© has been updated and expanded. Now in its fourth edition, revisions to the guide include new sections, new templates, and lessons learned from COVID-19.

Addressing non-traditional schooling and students with PI and developmental disabilities

“Chapter 2 – Special Considerations for Students with PI” includes a new section on non-traditional schooling options, including virtual, hybrid, and homeschooling. Technology and widespread adoption of virtual learning during COVID-19 have paved the way for increased access to, and interest in, alternatives to traditional schooling. For some students with PI, these options may be the best way to balance education and health. 

Dr. Lisa Huguenin was instrumental in creating a new section in “Chapter 6 – Individualized Education Programs (IEP)” addressing some of the unique challenges for students who have PI as well as developmental disabilities. The new section provides insight into the interplay between these conditions and how specific accommodations and modifications in an IEP can help.

Templates for Emergency Care Plan and ‘I Am Immunocompromised’ card added

In addition, the fourth edition of the guide has two new templates to help families communicate the needs of students with PIs in emergency situations. The first is a template for an Emergency Care Plan (ECP; also known as an Emergency Action Plan) generously provided by the Allergy and Asthma Network from their School Nurse Chronic Health Assessment Tool. An ECP provides school personnel with instructions should the student experience an emergency related to their PI at school.

The updated guide also includes IDF’s recently developed “I Am Immunocompromised” card template. Students with PI should carry this card on them as an additional way to ensure that those taking care of them in an emergency are aware of their PI and its implications.

Integrating lessons learned from COVID-19 

Rather than develop a single chapter on COVID-19 or other pandemic scenarios, the editors of the fourth edition sprinkled insight from the COVID-19 pandemic through the entire guide. Masks, building ventilation, and the importance of infection control techniques are highlighted. The updated guide also doubles down on the importance of school personnel watching for outbreaks of infectious diseases and communicating about exposures with the families of students with PI. 

Thank you to editors and contributors

Thank you to the editors and contributors who generously donated their time and expertise to this latest edition!

• Lisa Huguenin, PhD
• Elena E. Perez, MD, PhD, Allergy Associates of the Palm Beaches
• Christopher Riley, MEd, The Palmdale Aerospace Academy
• John W. Seymour, PhD, LMFT, Minnesota State University, Mankato
• Elizabeth M. Younger, CRNP, PhD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

This publication has been made possible through a generous grant from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. 

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