HB 922 -- ALLERGY PREVENTION AND RESPONSE IN SCHOOLS

SPONSOR:  Smith (14)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass by consent" by the Committee on
Elementary and Secondary Education by a vote of 10 to 0.

This bill requires each school district to adopt a policy on
allergy prevention and response by July 1, 2011, with priority
given to addressing potentially deadly food-borne allergies.
Elements that the policy must contain include distinguishing
between building-wide, classroom, and individual approaches to
allergy prevention and management; providing an age-appropriate
response to building-level and classroom-level allergy education
and prevention; describing the role of certificated and
noncertificated staff, parents, and other students in preventing
and mitigating allergies; addressing confidentiality issues
relating to sharing student medical information; and coordinating
with other entities to ensure that existing school safety and
environmental policies do not conflict.  The Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education, in cooperation with any
appropriate professional association, must develop a model policy
by July 1, 2010.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2010, FY 2011, and
FY 2012.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that food-borne allergies are
potentially life-threatening, so teachers, parents, and students
need to know how to prevent allergy attacks and how to respond if
a student does have a severe reaction.  Districts need guidelines
for handling these situations.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Smith (14); and
Richard Simpson.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

OTHERS:  Others testifying on the bill say while the bill does
not appear to extend rights to those who do not currently have
Section 504 or an Individual Education Plan for handling their
allergies, it is possible that someone may attempt to use the
policy to gain more rights.

Testifying on the bill was Penney Rector, School Administrators
Coalition.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated November 17, 2009 at 9:25 am