Relating to the self-administration and storage of bronchodilators and bronchodilator canisters and spacers relative to schools and students

This bill relates to the self-administration, storage, and supply of bronchodilators and bronchodilator canisters and spacers relative to schools and students. Current law provides for the self-administration by students of asthma or other airway constricting disease medication or epinephrine auto-injectors. The bill adds a bronchodilator specifically to the definition of “medication”, adds respiratory distress as a condition that may be treated by the medication, and adds bronchodilator canisters and spacers to the list of devices that may be self-administered by students and stored relative to students and schools. The bill includes definitions of “bronchodilator”, “bronchodilator canister”, and “spacer”. The bill requires that the same conditions be met for the board of directors of a school district and the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school to permit the self-administration of medication or the use of bronchodilator canisters and spacers by a student as are currently required for the self-administration of medication or the use of an epinephrine auto-injector by a student. The bill also applies to a bronchodilator and bronchodilator canisters and spacers the same requirements for self-administration and use of medication or epinephrine auto-injectors relating to permissions, the requirements for the provision of written statements from licensed health care professionals, and the maintaining of information provided to the school. The bill expands provisions authorizing a licensed health care professional to prescribe epinephrine auto-injectors in the name of a school district or accredited nonpublic school to be maintained for use at a school to also include bronchodilator canisters and spacers. The bill also expands current provisions allowing personnel authorized to administer epinephrine to provide or administer an epinephrine auto-injector from the school’s supply to allow personnel authorized to administer a bronchodilator to provide or administer a bronchodilator canister and spacer from the school’s supply, and provides liability protection for persons who act reasonably and in good faith. The bill expands the requirement that the department of education, the board of medicine, the board of nursing, and the board of pharmacy, in consultation with an organization representing school nurses, adopt rules pursuant to Code chapter 17A to implement and administer the bill relative to bronchodilators and bronchodilator canisters and spacers.