The Queensland government is being urged to actively take up a new online resource aimed at helping teachers and students deal with children who have epilepsy.
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The Epilepsy Smart School program is being rolled out nationally by Epilepsy Australia following a successful trial in Victoria.
The program combines management plans, teacher training modules and community awareness programs into a single online resource.
Helen Whitehead, the chief executive of Epilepsy Queensland said the program would supplement the work the state arm of the national body already did with Education Queensland.
“The program is all things we do already but this wraps it up into a package,” Ms Whitehead said.
“The schools have to progress through three modules to be registered as a Smart School, and that’s not something we’ve done before.
“Yes we’ve done the planning, yes we’ve done the awareness programs, but we’ve never had it bundled as a single program.”
Ms Whitehead said the program would be of particular benefit for regional and remote schools who did not have regular access to epilepsy training programs.
“It’s another tool in the arsenal,” she said.
In 2018, about 3900 students attending state schools were identified as having epilepsy, according to the Department of Education.
A department spokesperson said there were already multiple programs in place to ensure teachers and students were aware of what to do to help students with the condition.
“Principals are required to ensure that there are enough staff in their school trained to meet the health support of all students at their school, including those with epilepsy,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“Therefore, the number of staff who participate in training to support students with epilepsy is determined by the principal in consideration of the student needs.
“When students require specific strategies or procedures in relation to their epilepsy, such as
administration of rescue medication, relevant staff participate in annual training.”
The department also uses parts of the Epilepsy Smart Schools program, in conjunction with other resources developed by Queensland Health and deployed by State Schools Registered Nurses.
Epilepsy Queensland said of the approximately four million state school students across Australia, more than 19,000 had epilepsy.
The condition was in the top three health conditions affecting school children, after asthma and diabetes.
“Because epilepsy is an unpredictable condition people fear it, and there’s a stigma attached,” Ms Whitehead said.
“So it’s vitally important we all know about it and we all know what to do.”
