HB4274ham001 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Dan Swanson

Filed: 4/1/2024

10300HB4274ham001 LRB103 35300 RJT 71511 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4274

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4274 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 2310-666 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2310/2310-666 new)

Sec. 2310-666. School tick removal guidelines and form.

(a) The Department of Public Health, in consultation with the State Board of Education, shall do all of the following no later than July 1, 2025:

(1) Issue guidelines on how to remove and safely store a tick.

(2) Publish the guidelines issued under paragraph (1) and the model form issued under paragraph (4) on the Department of Public Health's website.

(3) Provide public testing lab information to schools. The lab must have the capability to provide test results to parents or guardians.

(4) Issue a model form as provided in subsection (b) that schools shall send to parents or guardians of students who have been identified as having been bitten by a tick.

(5) Make available to schools, upon request, tick removal kits consisting of tweezers, bandages, a sealable plastic bag, an alcohol wipe, repellent wipes, an information card, and a tick identification card.

(b) The form issued under paragraph (4) of subsection (a) shall be in substantially the following form:

"A tick was identified on your child today. We attempted to contact you and (were/were not) successful. The tick (has/has not) been removed by school staff. Ticks can transmit disease and make people sick. Common illnesses caused by ticks in Illinois are Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Due to the high incidences of tick-borne diseases discovered in Illinois through tick surveillance, the school will preserve the tick for 3 school days so that you, as the parent or guardian, may send the tick to a lab for testing. A handout is included with this form providing information on how you may submit the tick to a lab for testing. However, you may give the school permission to dispose of the tick before the 3 school-day period has expired.

After 3 school days, the school may dispose of the tick.

Not all tick bites lead to tick-borne diseases.

You should record the date on which the tick was removed.

It is recommended that you promptly seek medical treatment for your child from your child's health care provider if you notice any early signs or symptoms of illness within 3 to 30 days after the date of removal.

Some people with Lyme disease will get a bullseye rash. Others may have an atypical rash. Not everyone who has Lyme disease will get a rash. Other symptoms that may occur during the early state of Lyme disease include chills, fever, headache, tiredness, stiff neck, joint pain or swelling, and swollen lymph nodes. Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. If untreated, infection may progress to joint, heart, brain, or nerve abnormalities.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial disease spread through the bite of an infected tick. Most people who get sick with RMSF will have a fever, headache, and rash. RMSF can be deadly if not treated early with the right antibiotic. Early signs and symptoms are not specific to RMSF, including fever and headache. However, the disease can rapidly progress to a serious and life-threatening illness. See your child's health care provider if your child becomes ill after having been bitten by a tick or having been in the woods or in areas with high brush where ticks commonly live. Signs and symptoms may include fever, headache, rash, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, muscle pain, and lack of appetite.

Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are not the only tick-borne diseases with which an individual can be infected after being bitten by a tick."

Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Sections 10-20.87 and 34-18.87 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.87 new)

Sec. 10-20.87. Tick removal.

(a) Before the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, each school district shall establish the following procedures on tick removal consistent with guidelines developed by the Department of Public Health under Section 2310-666 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois:

(1) to contact a parent or guardian of the student as soon as is practicable after a tick on a student is identified. If a tick is identified on a student, and a parent or guardian is unable to be reached, the school nurse, an administrator, or a designated individual shall be allowed to remove the tick

(2) to train on proper tick removal and providing equipment for proper tick removal to school nurses, administrators, and other designated individuals;

(3) to require that a form be sent home with the student who was identified as having been bitten by a tick. The form sent home shall meet the requirements of the form issued by the Department of Public Health under Section 2310-666 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois; and

(4) to require, in addition to the form provided under paragraph (3), the school to provide the parent or guardian with an information sheet from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Public Health regarding the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and testing labs for ticks.

(b) If a tick is removed at a school, the school shall preserve the tick for 3 school days so that the parent or guardian may send the tick to a lab for testing and shall provide information to the parent or guardian on how to send the tick to a lab for testing. However, the parent or guardian may give the school permission to dispose of the tick before the 3 school-day period has expired.

(c) A school district and its employees and agents may not be held liable, except for willful or wanton conduct, as a result of any injury arising from the removal of a tick if the removal of the tick was conducted following the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Health under Section 2310-666 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.87 new)

Sec. 34-18.87. Tick removal.

(a) Before the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, the district shall establish the following procedures on tick removal consistent with guidelines developed by the Department of Public Health under Section 2310-666 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois:

(1) to contact a parent or guardian of the student as soon as is practicable after a tick on a student is identified. If a tick is identified on a student, and a parent or guardian is unable to be reached, the school nurse, an administrator, or a designated individual shall be allowed to remove the tick

(2) to train on proper tick removal and providing equipment for proper tick removal to school nurses, administrators, and other designated individuals;

(3) to require that a form be sent home with the student who was identified as having been bitten by a tick. The form sent home shall meet the requirements of the form issued by the Department of Public Health under Section 2310-666 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois; and

(4) to require the school to provide the parent or guardian with an information sheet from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Public Health regarding the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and testing labs for ticks.

(b) If a tick is removed at a school, the school shall preserve the tick for 3 school days so that the parent or guardian may send the tick to a lab for testing and shall provide information to the parent or guardian on how to send the tick to a lab for testing. However, the parent or guardian may give the school permission to dispose of the tick before the 3 school-day period has expired.

(c) The district and its employees and agents may not be held liable, except for willful or wanton conduct, as a result of any injury arising from the removal of a tick if the removal of the tick was conducted following the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Health under Section 2310-666 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.".