Funding would provide emergency allergic reaction tool to schools

The law, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, gives federal funding to states that require schools to maintain a supply of epinephrine without a prescription for any student that may experience life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

“We didn’t have these kind of allergies when I was attending school. Things have evolved and I believe schools need an important tool like this to help children during these life-threatening situations,” Brown said Thursday at River’s Edge Montessori in Dayton.

Current Ohio law only allows schools to keep an EpiPen for students with a known allergy and a prescription written specifically for the individual student. Until a recent proposed Ohio law is signed, educators are not allowed to use an EpiPen in the event of an emergency unless the student needing treatment has a prescription, even if that student is having a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Allergic reactions, like anaphylactic shock, can occur within minutes of exposure to any allergen. Food allergies are a common cause of anaphylactic shock, and one in 13 children has food allergies—an average of two children in every classroom, according to Virginia Noe, director of Health Services at Dayton Public Schools.

“This legislation is a step forward in helping with these kind of emergencies,” Noe said.

Julia Thacker-Mann, a first-grader at River’s Edge, is one of the 3 percent of students who have an allergy in the Dayton Public Schools.

Her father, Dominic Thacker-Mann, said school officials should be able to use the EpiPen on children who have not previously had an allergic reaction.

“As an parent, I feel safe that an educator would be able to safely administer the device. It’s very easy to do and could mean the difference between life and death for some children,” Dominic Thacker-Mann said.

Brown said he’s urging state legislators to take further action on the Ohio proposed legislation since it would only give incentives to schools that maintain a supply of epinephrine. The federal law signed last week provides priority federal funding to states that ensure that all schools maintain a supply of epinephrine without a prescription.