UPDATE: Kenneth Mendez, CEO and president of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), testified on Jan. 8, 2020, before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health in support of the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act. Read AAFA's statement.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is asking Congress to support the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act (H.R. 2468). If passed, this bill would put important protections in place for children with allergies and asthma. Kids With Food Allergies (KFA) is a division of AAFA.
This bill would encourage schools to have:
- Methods to identify all students who have allergies or asthma
- Individual student action plans
- School nurses or trained staff on site during operating hours to give medicines for both allergies and asthma
- Education for school staff
- Efforts to reduce environmental triggers
- Support for families managing allergies and asthma
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) and Representative Dr. Phil Roe (R-TN) introduced the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 2, 2019. If this act becomes law, states that require public schools to have asthma and allergy management programs would get preference for certain grants. Schools will have a better chance of receiving grants if they have a school-based allergy and asthma management program.
We hope this bill will encourage states to pass these laws so they can get better access to grant money. These measures will help schools take better care of students with asthma and food allergies. It will result in healthier and more productive students and more safe and inclusive classrooms.
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