Frequently Asked Questions¶
Practical answers for families, school staff, and anyone curious about the data. For emergencies, always call 911.
For families¶
My child has epilepsy. What is my school required to do?
Under Minn. Stat. 121A.24, once you tell the school your child has a provider-diagnosed seizure disorder and has prescribed rescue medication, the school must work with you on a written seizure action plan, make sure a trained staff member is available at your child's building, tell the staff who work with your child, and keep the plan on file. See The Minnesota Law.
How do I actually ask for a plan?
Email your school nurse or principal (a short note is enough), have your child's provider complete the medical parts, and ask who the trained staff member is. There is a copy-paste email in How to Help.
My district shows 'no plan posted' in your finder. Should I worry?
Not necessarily. We measured whether a plan is posted publicly online; some districts keep plans internal. It does mean it is worth asking. Use the finder in Find Your District, then contact your school.
Are the action plan forms available in other languages?
Yes. Official templates exist in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. Links are in Seizure Action Plans.
What should a babysitter, coach, or bus driver know?
The basics of seizure first aid: Stay and time it, keep them Safe, turn them on their Side, and call 911 if it lasts over 5 minutes (or as the plan says). See Seizure First Aid and try the simulator.
For schools and staff¶
We have Policy 516 already. Is that enough?
Often not. Many districts' Policy 516 (Student Medication) covers epinephrine and asthma but never mentions seizures. Check whether yours names seizures and a seizure action plan, and whether it cites Minn. Stat. 121A.24. Drop-in language is in How to Help.
We have no school nurse. What do we do?
The law allows a trained designated individual at each site when a nurse is not available. The free training below covers what that person needs to know, and the packet gives you a ready plan template.
Where do we get free training and templates?
Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota and the national Epilepsy Foundation offer free, on-demand staff and nurse training; the Minnesota Department of Health has a free toolkit and checklist. All are linked in How to Help.
What is the single highest-impact thing we can do?
Post a seizure action plan template on your health-services web page so families can find and complete it, then make sure a trained person is named at each building.
About the data¶
How did you decide whether a district 'posts a plan'?
We reviewed each district's public website: the board-policy page (Policy 516), the health-services page, and the parent/student handbook, then classified into four categories. See The Data.
Is 'no plan found' the same as 'not compliant'?
No. We measured public findability, not legal compliance. A district may have an internal plan we could not see. We never label a district non-compliant.
How accurate is this?
An independent re-check of 30 districts agreed 90% of the time (Cohen's kappa 0.82, "almost perfect"), and disagreements usually found more seizure content, so the gap is, if anything, slightly overstated.
My district's entry is wrong or out of date. Can you fix it?
Yes, please tell us via LinkedIn. We update entries and especially want to hear when a district has adopted a plan.