Click below to download the new School-Ready: Let’s Talk poster for free — it’s part of the Breathe: It’s the Law program sponsored by Dey Pharma, LP.
In English: 8 1/2″ x 11″ or 11″ x 17″
En Espanol: 8 1/2″ x 11″ or 11″ x 17″
AANMA and supporters pushed for years to make sure all 50 states had laws protecting students’ rights to carry and use asthma and anaphylaxis medications at school. It wasn’t easy, but the last state passed its asthma-medication law last year! New York and Rhode Island still need anaphylaxis laws.
AANMA’s Breathe: It’s the Law awareness campaign doesn’t stop once these laws are on the books. Parents, teachers, school nurses — YOU can contact local schools and make sure they know this law exists and what it means for them. Here’s an FAQ sheet to share with your child’s teachers, school nurse, P.E. teacher and coaches. We’re grateful to legislators for helping us get these laws passed — now it’s time to save lives!
What is Breathe: It’s the Law?
A campaign to make sure students in EVERY state can carry and self-administer their life-saving asthma and anaphylaxis medications. AANMA spearheaded this campaign with support from volunteers and legislators in every state.
Why is it important?
Every school year students die because they were unable to get to their asthma or anaphylaxis medications on time. The medications were locked in a nurse’s cabinet or stowed away in a place too far to get to when the student needed them. Minutes count when asthma or anaphylaxis strikes. Students need to carry these medications on them, know when and how to use them — and then do it!
Do we have these laws in every state?
In 2010 we celebrated that all 50 states protect students’ rights to carry and self-administer asthma medications. But our work’s not done – two states still need to pass laws permitting students to carry and use their anaphylaxis medications: New York and Rhode Island.
How can I help get these laws passed in the two remaining states?
Contact Sandra Fusco-Walker, AANMA’s Director of Patient Advocacy, at sfwalker@aanma.org or 800.878.4403. We’ll help you contact your local legislators and send you a sample letter you can send to them urging them to pass this legislation.
I live in a state that has passed these laws — how can I make sure my school knows about the laws and allows students to carry and use their medications?
Visit your school and hand them this fact sheet! Bring copies for the principal and school nurse, a few extra for other teachers. They can visit www.aanma.org/advocacy/meds-at-school and click on their state to read exactly what the law is.
The Breathe: It’s the Law campaign is sponsored by Dey Pharma, LP.
Medications at School
In 2002, AANMA held an Asthma Awareness Day Capitol Hill field hearing about the plight of schoolchildren whose asthma medications were locked in the clinic instead of by their side at all time as prescribed by their physicians. Tragically, each school year there were reports of students who did not receive medication in time. They died. The same was true of students with anaphylaxis and their access to prescribed auto-injectable epinephrine.
As a result of those hearings, members of Congress joined with AANMA and advocates across the country to pass the Asthmatic Schoolchildren’s Treatment and Health Management Act of 2004 (first introduced in the House of Representatives in 2003 as HR2023). Signed into law in October 2004, this groundbreaking legislation gave funding preference to states that protect student’s rights to carry and self-administer asthma and anaphylaxis medications at school.
To see a list of the original sponsors of the ASTHMA Act, click here:
Today, all 50 states have laws protecting students’ rights to carry and use prescribed asthma medications; 48 have similar laws regarding anaphylaxis medications.
| Color Key: |
 States that protect student rights to possess and self-administer prescribed lifesaving asthma and anaphylaxis medications. |
 States that protect student rights to possess and self-administer prescribed lifesaving asthma medications. |
 States that protect student rights to possess and self-administer prescribed lifesaving asthma medications and have pending legislation also allowing anaphylaxis medications. |
 States that have pending legislation. |
 States that do not protect student rights to possess and self-administer prescribed lifesaving asthma and/or anaphylaxis medications |
Two States Remaining!
The light blue states on the map — New York and Rhode Island — are the two remaining states without anaphylaxis laws. Do you live in one of these? E-mail or call AANMA’s Director of Patient Advocacy, Sandra Fusco-Walker at sfwalker@aanma.org or 800.878.4403 for information about how you can help bring this vital protection to students at risk for anaphylaxis in your state!
Links to State Laws
| Alabama | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Alaska | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Arizona | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Arkansas | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| California | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Colorado | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Connecticut | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Delaware | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| District of Columbia | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Florida | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Georgia | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Hawaii | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Idaho | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Illinois | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Indiana | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Iowa | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Kansas | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Kentucky | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Louisiana | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Maine | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Maryland | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Massachusetts | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Michigan | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Minnesota | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Mississippi | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Missouri | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Montana | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Nebraska | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Nevada | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| New Hampshire | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| New Jersey | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| New Mexico | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| New York | Asthma (PDF) |
| North Carolina | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| North Dakota | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Ohio | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Oklahoma | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Oregon | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Pennsylvania | Asthma (PDF) |
| Rhode Island | Asthma (PDF) |
| South Carolina | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| South Dakota | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Tennessee | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Texas | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Utah | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Vermont | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Virginia | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Washington | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| West Virginia | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Wisconsin | Asthma and Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
| Wyoming | Asthma/Anaphylaxis (PDF) |
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