Breathe easy. Law lets Illinois schools keep emergency asthma inhalers on hand

PEORIA – A new law will allow school nurses to keep backup asthma inhalers on hand for kids to use on the off chance that forgetful youths don’t have theirs with them when they have an asthma attack.

The legislation, signed Friday by Gov. Bruce Rauner and sponsored by state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, lets nurses and other school personnel administer asthma medication registered in the name of the school. It mirrors similar laws allowing the same procedure for EpiPens.

“We have to do more to help kids suffering with asthma in school,” Koehler said of Senate Bill 3015 in a news release. “This legislation will help so many young kids focus more on school and less on their next inevitable asthma attack.”

Some 13.6 percent of Illinois children – one in eight – have asthma, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, and it’s one of the top causes of absenteeism from school.

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