How We Approach Bridging Pediatric Sickle Cell Care and the School Experience

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience school-based barriers that affect well-being and long-term outcomes. This article reframes school as a partner and core site of care. Because SCD is chronic, variable, and often invisible, students may appear well even when experiencing pain, fatigue, dehydration, or neurocognitive changes. Schools benefit from clear understanding of needs ranging from stigma interventions to emergency plans. We describe a scalable clinic-to-classroom coordination model integrating anticipatory guidance and personalized health plans. This approach reduces inequities, administrative burden, and reliance on individual advocacy while promoting educational access and health equity for children with SCD across diverse settings.