The Chicago School Board on Wednesday approved a $195,000 plan to stock all public schools with injectible epinephrine to help save the lives of students having severe allergic reactions.
Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, each school will be stocked with four to six Epi-pens. The new policy also allow students to carry and self-administer Epi-pens, asthma inhalers and diabetes testing with written approval of a parent or guardian.
“We must prepare our schools to deal with crisis situations to ensure the safety of our students who may face potentially a life-threatening situation because of anaphylaxis shock and, pending board approval, our schools will now have the necessary medication available at their immediate disposal to do so,” said schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard in a statement.
About 25,000 CPS students suffer from allergies, asthma and diabetes. There are about 409,000 students total in the system.
A new policy requiring training for staff on using the Epi-pens along with diabetes management, asthma and staff related to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder is also included in the proposal.
