According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 1 in 13 children in Pennsylvania suffer from asthma. This chronic respiratory disease inflames and constricts the airways, making it difficult to breathe. Asthma attacks can be unpredictable, often triggered by everyday exposures like pollen, dust, exercise, or viral infections. For some students, these attacks can escalate rapidly, creating life-threatening emergencies within minutes.

This legislation would authorize Pennsylvania schools to maintain a supply of short-acting asthma medications, such as albuterol or a nebulizer, and permit a licensed healthcare practitioner or trained school employee to administer them to students in respiratory distress with the permission of a legal guardian.

Currently, many schools can only respond to an asthma emergency if a student has their own prescribed inhaler on hand. However, too often, that inhaler is forgotten, lost, or expired. By ensuring immediate access to treatment, we can protect our most vulnerable students and help children return to the classroom and continue learning with minimal disruption to their day.

I respectfully invite you to join me in supporting this critical legislation to safeguard the health and well-being of Pennsylvania’s students. This is a practical, life-saving measure that strengthens our schools’ ability to respond in an emergency and reflects our shared commitment to keeping every child in Pennsylvania safe and ready to learn.