Please call, write, or e-mail your State Senator in support of this bill. Please reply if you live in Ohio and would like further information.
Senate Bill 164 is currently assigned to the Ohio Senate Education Committee. This bill would allow students to carry prescribed epinephrine medication in school, rather than the medication being in a locked storage place.
Current Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.713) states the following regarding prescription drugs:
"The board, or a person designated by the board, shall establish a location in each school building for the storage of drugs to be administered under this section and federal law. All such drugs shall be stored in that location in a locked storage place, except that drugs that require refrigeration may be kept in a refrigerator in a place not commonly used by students."
This law was revised in 1999 to allow students to possess and use prescribed asthma inhalers (Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.716).
The new legislation is available online at [url="http://www.legislature.state.oh.us"]www.legislature.state.oh.us[/url] (Senate Bill 164). Here is the direct link:
[url="http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=126_SB_164"]http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=126_SB_164[/url]
Summary:
To amend sections 3313.64 and 3314.03 and to enact sections 3313.718 and 3314.141 of the Revised Code to permit students of school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools to carry epinephrine medication approved by the students' physicians and parents, and to grant immunity to school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools and their employees for good faith actions in connection with this permission.
SB 164 passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee on May 8th. The bill then passed the full Senate today 31-0. The bill will now go to the House for consideration.