Sen. Hall urges OSDE to quickly distribute emergency inhaler funds

Hall also requests confirmation of inhalers distributed by OSDE

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Appropriations Chairman Chuck Hall, R-Perry, on Thursday urged the State Department of Education (SDE) to quickly distribute state funds appropriated in 2023 to provide Oklahoma schools emergency asthma inhalers.

Following new guidance from Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Hall penned a letter to State Superintendent Ryan Walters encouraging SDE to expeditiously distribute the $250,000 in funds earmarked to provide all school districts life-saving inhalers.

In the letter, Hall writes, “my strong recommendation is to follow the legislative intent, the result of your RFI (Request for Information) and the counsel of the attorney general and multiple members of the legislature and get this money out to the McLarty Foundation, as they are the only organization that offers this service.”

In addition, Senator Hall is requesting the SDE provide details on the distribution of funds for inhalers after a department spokesman told multiple media outlets the agency has been distributing funds for this purpose for the past two years.

Schools have been waiting for these inhalers for more than a year, and they shouldn’t have to wait any longer, Hall said.

“I appreciate Attorney General Drummond’s letter of counsel and for underscoring the magnitude of this issue. While I respect Superintendent Walter’s diligence in seeking further guidance, I also agree with the attorney general when he said the State Department of Education should act on this as quickly as possible to prevent a tragic event from happening.

“I am also requesting Superintendent Walters provide the numbers of inhalers and the amount of money the State Department of Education has spent on inhalers, as his spokesperson told several media outlets yesterday. I have been in communication with the McLarty Foundation, and they have not received any reimbursement for the distribution of inhalers from the State Department of Education.”

Drummond on Wednesday issued a letter of counsel advising SDE to immediately work with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services on next steps for procuring the inhalers.

The Oklahoma Legislature overwhelmingly passed legislation last year appropriating $250,000 to SDE for emergency inhalers. Hall and other lawmakers repeatedly advised SDE officials that the intent of that legislation was for the agency to work with the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation, which promotes asthma education, to purchase and distribute these life-saving devices. The foundation is named after a former Perry teenager who suffered a fatal asthma attack.

Click here to read Hall’s full letter.

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For more information, contact Sen. Chuck Hall at (405) 521-2628 or Chuck.Hall@oksenate.gov