Columbus -- The Ohio Association of School Nurses and other advocates are preparing to propose legislation hat would allow Ohio schools to stock epinephrine to be used in the event a child has an allergic reaction to school.
Currently, epinephrine, also known as "Epi-Pens" are also used in schools if a child has a prescription for it. The steroid can be life-saving if a child goes into an allergic shock.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this month that 1 in 20 American children have food allergies -- an increase of 50 percent since the late 90's.
Jude Cohen has been a school nurse for more than 30 years and says each year she's seeing more and more kids with allergies.
"A lot of food allergies, including things like watermelon, shellfish, of course nuts are the prime allergen we see," said Cohen. If they progress to having any symptoms, from hives, difficulty breathing, swallowing sometimes coughing or just itching in their mouth then we'll go ahead and use the epi pen."
The Ohio Association of School Nurses wants epi-pens to be in stock at all times.
Some parents who have kids with allergies believe that's a good idea. Syeta Davis says her son has a number of allergies.
"That's something I would definitely like, them taking action like that, especially if it was life or death situation and then knowing that there are professional registered nurses on site that have been trained for situations like this that would make me feel more secure," said Davis.
In the Kettering School District, all teachers are trained to use epinephrine pins, but some districts aren't that fortunate.
"Unfortunately that is a huge expense and having to go through not just getting the medication but also the pharmacy board license is a huge expense for every district and I'm sure there are many that would not be able to afford it," said Cohen.
The legislation being crafted by the Ohio Association of School Nurses is expected to be introduced in the next few weeks.
Currently, epinephrine, also known as "Epi-Pens" are also used in schools if a child has a prescription for it. The steroid can be life-saving if a child goes into an allergic shock.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this month that 1 in 20 American children have food allergies -- an increase of 50 percent since the late 90's.
Jude Cohen has been a school nurse for more than 30 years and says each year she's seeing more and more kids with allergies.
"A lot of food allergies, including things like watermelon, shellfish, of course nuts are the prime allergen we see," said Cohen. If they progress to having any symptoms, from hives, difficulty breathing, swallowing sometimes coughing or just itching in their mouth then we'll go ahead and use the epi pen."
The Ohio Association of School Nurses wants epi-pens to be in stock at all times.
Some parents who have kids with allergies believe that's a good idea. Syeta Davis says her son has a number of allergies.
"That's something I would definitely like, them taking action like that, especially if it was life or death situation and then knowing that there are professional registered nurses on site that have been trained for situations like this that would make me feel more secure," said Davis.
In the Kettering School District, all teachers are trained to use epinephrine pins, but some districts aren't that fortunate.
"Unfortunately that is a huge expense and having to go through not just getting the medication but also the pharmacy board license is a huge expense for every district and I'm sure there are many that would not be able to afford it," said Cohen.
The legislation being crafted by the Ohio Association of School Nurses is expected to be introduced in the next few weeks.