Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill today sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) to reduce the risks of anaphylactic shock for school children by allowing schools to retain and administer epinephrine. Previously, a school’s only recourse in the case of a student suffering a severe allergic reaction was to call 911, prolonging the student’s risks and suffering.

House Bill 3294, also known as The Emergency Epinephrine Act, authorizes school districts and nonpublic schools to administer an EpiPen to a student if he or she is unable or unconscious. It provides liability exemption for school nurses or other authorized school personnel who administer an EpiPen "in good faith" to a student believed to be suffering from anaphylaxis. State law already allowed students to carry these devices; this change provides a back up in case a child forgets or loses his or her EpiPen or is unable to use it.

"I thank Governor Quinn for signing and Attorney General Madigan for initiating this important bill. People of all ages with severe allergies often carry an EpiPen, an auto-injector that administers Epinephrine if an allergic reaction requires immediate treatment," Senator Schoenberg (D-Evanston) said. "Quite a few children have food allergies, and many have reactions at school if they are unknowingly exposed to an allergen that triggers an attack. It’s important that school nurses be prepared to treat a reaction immediately with an EpiPen to increase the child’s chance of survival in the case of a serious allergic reaction."

"I keep an EpiPen with me because I have severe allergies," Schoenberg said. "In the event a child at school experiences an allergic attack, schools should be able to respond quickly and appropriately."

The bill is an initiative of the Illinois Attorney General in response to the death of 13-year-old Katelyn Carlson, a Chicago girl who had an allergic reaction to peanut oil at school shortly before Christmas in 2010. House Bill 3294 takes effect immediately.