Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday signed into law new legislation that allows schools to obtain epinephrine injectors for students with severe food allergies.
The law permits school personnel to administer the treatments to students having a severe reaction who are on record at the school as having been diagnosed with food allergy. It also allows a school nurse to administer the treatment to any student whom the nurse believes is having a severe reaction to food.
However, the law does not allow school personnel to give the injections to any student having an attack who is not on the list of students with food allergies, and many schools do not have nurses on duty who could administer those shots.
The legislation gained traction when a 13-year-old Chicago student, Katelyn Carlson, died last December when she didn't have her epi-pen with her.
Carlson's father was on hand when the governor signed the law, and thanked everyone for making it happen.
