HB4274 EngrossedLRB103 35300 CES 65342 b HB4274 Engrossed LRB103 35300 CES 65342 b
HB4274 Engrossed LRB103 35300 CES 65342 b
1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and
5 Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6 amended by adding Section 2310-666 as follows:
7 (20 ILCS 2310/2310-666 new)
8 Sec. 2310-666. Tick removal guidelines and form.
9 (a) The Department shall do all of the following no later
10 than July 1, 2025:
11 (1) Issue guidelines on how to remove and safely store
12 a tick.
13 (2) Publish the guidelines issued under paragraph (1)
14 and the model form issued under paragraph (4) on the
15 Department's website.
16 (3) Provide public testing lab information to schools.
17 The lab must have the capability to provide test results
18 to the parents or guardians of students.
19 (4) Issue a model form as provided in subsection (b)
20 that schools shall send to the parents or guardians of
21 students who have been identified as having been bitten by
22 a tick.
23 (5) Make available to schools, upon request and free
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1 of charge, tick removal kits consisting of tweezers,
2 bandages, a sealable plastic bag, an alcohol wipe,
3 repellent wipes, an information card, and a tick
4 identification card.
5 (b) The initial form issued by the Department under
6 paragraph (4) of subsection (a) shall be in substantially the
7 following form and may be updated by the Department based on
8 recommendations from the Lyme Disease Task Force as necessary:
9 "This letter is to inform you that a tick was found and
10 removed from (student's name) (location on body) on
11 (date).
12 Due to the high incidences of tick-borne diseases
13 discovered in Illinois through tick surveillance, the
14 school will, at your request as the parent or guardian,
15 preserve the tick for up to 3 school days so that you may
16 send the tick to a lab for testing. At your request, a
17 handout will be given to you providing information on how
18 you may submit the tick to a lab for testing. However, you
19 may give the school permission to dispose of the tick
20 before the 3 school-day period has expired. After 3 school
21 days, the school may dispose of the tick.
22 Ticks found in Illinois and other nearby states carry
23 germs that can transmit disease and make people sick. When
24 ticks bite and attach, the likelihood of exposure to Lyme
25 disease increases with the length of time the tick is
26 attached. Symptoms of Lyme disease include a bullseye rash
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1 or atypical rash, chills, fever, headache, tiredness,
2 stiff neck, joint pain or swelling, and swollen lymph
3 nodes. A bullseye rash occurs only in 70% to 80% of
4 infected persons.
5 The most common illnesses caused by ticks that bite
6 and attach for less than 24 hours include spotted fever
7 group rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis.
8 Symptoms of these illnesses may be similar to Lyme disease
9 but may also include spotted rash, nausea, vomiting,
10 diarrhea, and loss of appetite.
11 It is recommended that you call your child's health
12 care provider if you notice any signs or symptoms of
13 illness, such as a skin rash, fever, or flu-like symptoms
14 for up to one month following the tick bite. Most
15 tickborne diseases can be treated with antibiotics if
16 recognized and diagnosed promptly.
17 For more information about ticks and how to prevent
18 bites visit: (the Department of Public Health's website on
19 tickborne illnesses). If you have any questions regarding
20 your child's health, call your child's health care
21 provider.
22 Sincerely,
23 (Signature)
24 (Title)"
25 Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Sections
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1 10-20.87 and 34-18.87 as follows:
2 (105 ILCS 5/10-20.87 new)
3 Sec. 10-20.87. Tick removal.
4 (a) Before the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year,
5 each school board shall establish procedures on tick removal
6 consistent with guidelines developed by the Department of
7 Public Health under Section 2310-666 of the Department of
8 Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil
9 Administrative Code of Illinois.
10 (b) If a tick is removed at a school, the school shall, at
11 the request of a parent or guardian, preserve the tick for up
12 to 3 school days so that the parent or guardian may send the
13 tick to a lab for testing and shall, at the request of a parent
14 or guardian, provide information to the parent or guardian on
15 how to send the tick to a lab for testing. However, the parent
16 or guardian may give the school permission to dispose of the
17 tick before the 3 school-day period has expired.
18 (c) A school district and its employees and agents may not
19 be held liable, except for willful or wanton conduct, as a
20 result of any injury arising from the removal of a tick if the
21 removal of the tick was conducted following the guidelines
22 issued by the Department of Public Health under Section
23 2310-666 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties
24 Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
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