Epilepsy Foundation Statement at Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation Board Meeting

CEO Bernice Martin Lee Highlights Importance of Education & Training of School Personnel on Seizure Recognition & Seizure First Aid

WHITELAND, Ind., August 15, 2023 — Our hearts go out to the Dildine family for the loss of their daughter, Alaina. The Epilepsy Foundation is here today on behalf of the Freeland family and others in Whiteland with children with epilepsy who have reached out to us for support to educate and inform the community on laws that help keep schools safe for students with epilepsy. Living with epilepsy, I personally know how unsettling it can be not knowing when a seizure may happen. One important aspect of school safety is ensuring that school personnel are trained in emergency response including seizure recognition and seizure first aid.

Advocates across the country, along with the Epilepsy Foundation and other epilepsy organizations, are working to pass Seizure Safe Schools legislation in all 50 states and D.C. In 2019, Senator Blake Doriot and Representative David Frizell — with support from the Epilepsy Foundation in Indiana — championed Seizure Safe Schools legislation, which was signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb and mandates all school employees who have direct ongoing contact with children in the state to undergo training in seizure recognition and first aid once every five years. Ensuring schools are complying with the law is urgent and critical. The importance of knowing how to recognize a seizure and administering seizure first aid cannot be overstated. Simply put, properly supporting students with disabilities, such as epilepsy, and school personnel trained in seizure first aid can help save lives.

Every student deserves to feel safe, and every parent should have peace of mind that their child will be cared for at school in the event of a seizure. The Epilepsy Foundation wants everyone who has direct contact with children to be knowledgeable about epilepsy and seizures. We want to emphasize support for all policies and processes that keep students with epilepsy safe and thriving in the school environment. Let’s work together to protect our children and educate everyone around us about epilepsy and seizure first aid. It is paramount to the safety and well-being of our children.

About Epilepsy

According to the World Health Organization, epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder worldwide with no age, racial, social class, national or geographic boundaries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3.4 million people in the United States are affected by epilepsy. Epilepsy is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce seizures which are sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that disrupt brain functions.

About the Epilepsy Foundation

With a network of partners throughout the United States, the Epilepsy Foundation is leading the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy. The Foundation connects people to treatment, support and resources; leads advocacy efforts; funds innovative research and the training of specialists; and educates the public about epilepsy and seizure first aid. For more than five decades, the Epilepsy Foundation has shone a light on epilepsy to promote awareness and understanding, and to advocate for laws that matter to people with epilepsy, while also funding epilepsy research and supporting epilepsy investigators and specialists in their early careers. In partnership with the CDC, the Epilepsy Foundation has helped to improve access to care for people with epilepsy, expanded its digital reach and online resources in homes across the country, and trained more than 600,000 people in seizure recognition and first aid. The Epilepsy Foundation continues to focus on serving the epilepsy community through advocacy, education, direct services and research for new therapies. To learn more visit epilepsy.com or call 1.800.332.1000. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.