Schools

New Law Allows Schools to Give Allergy Meds Without Prescription

"A couple other states had passed laws after a child had died in the school," said Issaquah State Senator Mark Mullet, the law's chief sponsor.

It's every parent's worst nightmare: A student is rushed to the hospital after having an allergic reaction for the first time to something they ate at school.

But last month a new law took effect that will allow doctors to prescribe epinephrine directly to a school, according to KOMO News. If a student has a first-time reaction, a trained nurse may use the school’s supply of the drug.

The law's primary sponsor, State Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah), proposed the law after a local mother brought the issue to his attention.

“A couple other states had passed laws after a child had died in the school,” Mullet said.

Until recently, school nurses could not administer epinephrine to a child having the potentially life-threatening reaction unless the medication had already been prescribed in that child’s name, according to KOMO News. In cases where children were having a first-time reaction, the school had to rely on emergency medical responders to arrive at the school and inject the medicine in time.

Read more on the new law allowing allergy meds to be administered without a prescription in school at KOMO News.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Mercer Island