Chicago ? Many kids grow up learning they cannot come to the dinner table until they’ve washed their hands.

But in the rush of a school day, not only is washing of hands not mandated, it often is not even possible.

A bill introduced this month by Illinois state Rep. Mary Flowers, a Democrat, would change that. Her legislation, to be voted on next session, would mandate that every student washes or otherwise sanitizes their hands before eating lunch at school.

“When you think about all the things your hands touch – before you even enter a room you touch a doorknob that’s been touched by hundreds of thousands of people before and who knows when it’s been washed,” said Flowers, who represents the southwest side of Chicago.

If school officials aren’t able to cycle all students through the restroom before lunch, Flowers suggests handing out sanitary wipes to students in line or placing antibacterial hand sanitizers in cafeterias.