Lisa Madigan
Lisa Madigan

A new law will allow Illinois schools without nurses to administer medicine to children with severe allergies.

Under the law, school personnel can be trained to administer epinephrine injections, or epi-pens, to kids who are having a severe allergic reaction. Previously, only school nurses could give that medicine to students, and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says that presented a problem.

According to Madigan, the training will be relatively simple for the State Board of Education to implement.

Illinois schools are not required to keep epi-pens on hand, but Madigan is hoping to change that through future legislation.