Guidelines for Working with Students with a Seizure Disorder

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What to do when a student has a seizure in your classroom:

• Call 5555 FIRST; if you know the name of the person seizing, please give that to Public Safety and ask them to relay the information to the Health Clinic.  Public Safety can usually get there more quickly than health clinic staff. With a name, the health clinic can see if they have information on file.
  
  
• Be specific about your location and post someone where responders are likely to enter the building to make it easier for Safety or Clinic personnel to find the person.
  
  
• If you feel the person has been badly injured, or is having respiratory difficulties, you may call 911 also (but be aware that it is common for people having a grand mal seizure to make grunting or wheezing noises).
  
  
• Move desks, chairs, etc. away from the patient so they can't injure themselves.
  
  
• Do not try to restrain the person; do not try to force their mouth open.
  
  
• Position them on their side, if possible, and make sure their head is protected from hitting hard surfaces.
  
  
• If there is blood present, protect yourself.
  
  
• If possible, clear the room, or give the student some privacy, since the person often feels embarrassed about what happened; those who are not involved in direct care of the person should be encouraged to gather elsewhere in the room if they cannot leave, and occupy themselves with some other activity.

If you know your student or a colleague has a seizure disorder, there are some things you can do in advance:

• Ask them what they would like you to do in case of a seizure (call 911, call a friend or family member, etc.; be sure you have access to those numbers).
  
  
• Ask them what a typical seizure might look like for them.
  
  
• Students may fill out a "Seizure Intake Form" to keep on file with the health clinic.
  
  
• Recommend that they make a "get acquainted appointment" with the health clinic so the clinic has some basic information about their condition and how they would like staff to handle a seizure (this is also a good idea for other chronic conditions that may incapacitate someone: diabetes, fainting, cardiac disorders).
  
  
• Students are encouraged to update instructors with whatever information they feel would be useful in the case of an emergency.
  
  
• Do not share information with anyone else without the student's permission.

(Information provided by Lane Health Clinic)