An Open Letter to Governor Pritzker.

When Every Second Counts, Our Students Need More

Dear Governor Pritzker,

Last spring, I was at a high school track meet when a student-athlete passed out after the 400-meter dash. As his team gathered around him, the adults on the track, including his coach, appeared shocked and unprepared. The faculty scrambled to find his health records.

Was he anemic? Diabetic? Did he have a heart condition?

But with the information inaccessible from their iPhones, they were at a loss.

Thankfully the student, who turned out to have asthma, fully recovered shortly after the ambulance arrived. But the incident demonstrated a troubling gap in emergency preparedness for students with chronic health issues.

Unfortunately, what I witnessed reflects a statewide deficiency. Despite the growing number of children with chronic health issues (over 750,000 kids in Illinois today suffer from a chronic illness) many schools across the state still rely on outdated systems to track students’ preexisting conditions, delaying emergency care when every minute counts.

Even when staff do know a student’s condition, schools are often ill-prepared to intervene. In Chicago, for example, over 60 percent of public schools do not offer sufficient support for students with chronic conditions, according to the school system’s 2024 health data. Alarmingly, just a quarter of Chicago students with asthma reported having a school emergency plan in place.

Your record on this issue has been strong. In 2021 you signed the Childhood Anaphylactic Policy, improving school safety for students like my nut-allergic sister, by mandating comprehensive anaphylactic shock plans for all Illinois schools. You also launched a state-funded program requiring schools to stock medication for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions as well as diabetes. And with one in 10 Illinois high school students reporting prescription drug misuse, I applaud your order allowing schools to administer naloxone for opioid overdoses.

But there is more the state can do to save students’ lives. First, expand training programs so school staff are better equipped to provide CPR, use defibrillators, and follow seizure protocol. Second, while providing naloxone is a great start, schools should also have EpiPens, Albuterol inhalers, Glucagon, and anticonvulsants on hand — regardless of known student diagnoses. For schools lacking resources, the state should allocate budget funds to cover these essentials.

Third, student health data should be easily accessible to school staff through an HIPAA-compliant, easy-to-use app. At the risk of self-promotion, I want to mention that I’ve created my own app, CareCircles, that does exactly that. Already used by an independent school and soon a summer camp in Lake County, a statewide rollout could help Illinois schools streamline emergency response and save lives.

The rise in noncommunicable diseases among children is undeniable — a trend highlighted by the New York Times. In the mid-1990s, under 13 percent of children in the United States had chronic conditions; within a decade, that number more than doubled. By ensuring schools are prepared for medical emergencies, you can position Illinois as a national leader in student safety and a champion for its youth.

Thank you,

Lina Bhatia