California is sending inhalers to all schools, officials said on Aug. 20.

The move was funded by legislators in the latest state budget.

Each public school will receive two metered-dose inhalers and 25 single-use inhalers annually for three years. The albuterol inhalers, sometimes called rescue inhalers, relax muscles around airways to treat sudden breathing issues.

Private schools can purchase inhalers at a discounted rate of $9.50 per inhaler and $93.75 for 25 single-use inhalers. That is up to 80 percent less for inhalers and 35 percent off the 25-pack.

“No child should be left gasping for air because their school doesn’t have an inhaler,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “This initiative lets us all breathe easier by equipping schools with the right tools to respond to potentially life-threatening asthma attacks.”

Kesa Bruce, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, was among those praising the development.

“For a child experiencing an asthma emergency, immediate access to albuterol can be lifesaving, and this initiative will help ensure that a student’s ability to breathe safely at school does not depend on where they live or their family’s ability to afford medication,” Bruce said in a statement. “Expanding access to this essential treatment will make California schools safer, reduce health disparities, and give students with asthma greater security to learn, play, and thrive.”

Approximately 1 million children in California have asthma, according to state officials. About a third of those have active symptoms that cause them to miss at least a week of school every year.

Dr. Erica Pan, California’s state public health officer, signed an order that eliminated the previous requirement for schools to obtain a prescription from a doctor for inhalers for students.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a U.S.-based company that makes inhalers, is partnering with California in the effort.

Models demonstrate the difference between a healthy airway and one inflamed by asthma at the Venice Family Clinic in the Los Angeles community of Venice, on June 6, 2007. (David McNew/Getty Images)

If funding lapses in three years, the system created by Amneal will remain in place so that schools can order products directly from the company, officials said.

The inhaler effort is the third under the CalRx initiative, which started with an executive order from Newsom. The first was to make insulin pens available to pharmacies and individuals at reduced prices, and the second was giving people the opportunity to buy naloxone nasal spray at discounted rates.

As part of the inhaler effort, the California School Nurses Organization and CalRx will provide training guidelines on asthma and inhalers at no cost. The training will include recognizing when people experience respiratory distress that may require an inhaler, as well as follow-up procedures for contacting 911 and notifying parents.

Private schools must pay for the training.