Adoption Date: 7/19/1994, Revised: 6/20/2000; 1/20/04; 7/1/2008; 12/04/12; 3/15/16, Reviewed: 4/23/19
7000 - STUDENTS
STUDENT WELFARE
7513 ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION
The
school's registered professional nurse may administer medication to a
student during school hours under certain conditions. (For the purpose
of this policy "medication" includes prescription and non-prescription).
Per New York State Education Department (NYSED) requirements, the
school must receive the following before medication is given to a
student:
a) The original written order from the student's
physician stating the name of the medication, precise dosage, frequency
and time of administration;
b) A written, signed consent from
the student's parent or legal guardian requesting the administration of
the medication, as prescribed by the physician, to the student in
school; and
c) The medication, properly labeled in its original
container, must be delivered to the School Health Office by the
student's parent or legal guardian. (The term "properly labeled" in the
context of this policy means that the container must include the
following information: the student's name, name of medication, dosage,
frequency and prescribing physician.) A student is not permitted to
carry any medication on his/her person in school, or on the school bus,
or keep any medication in his/her school locker(s). An exception to this
policy may apply for a student's asthma inhaler or epi-pen which a
student may carry and use under certain conditions.
All medication orders must be reviewed annually or whenever there is a change in dosage.
Procedures
governing the School District's receipt, storage and disposal of
medication, as well as those pertaining to the administration of
medication to a student after school hours and/or off school grounds
during a school-sponsored activity will be in accordance with NYSED
guidelines.
Emergency Medication
The
administration of emergency medication (injectable, including
"epi-pens," and/or oral) to a student for extreme hypersensitivity may
be performed by a school staff member responding to an emergency
situation when such use has been prescribed by a licensed prescriber.
However, a registered professional nurse/nurse
practitioner/physician/physician's assistant must have
trained the staff member to administer the emergency medication for that
particular emergency situation (e.g., "epi-pen") and given him/her
approval to assist the student in the event of an emergency anaphylactic
reaction. Such a response would fall under the Good Samaritan exemption
for rendering emergency care during a life threatening situation.
Use of Asthma Inhalers in Schools
A
student may carry and use an asthma inhaler if the School Health Office
has on file: the physician's written order/diagnosis that the student
has a severe asthma condition and may be subject to sudden and
debilitating asthmatic attacks; and written permission from the
student's parent or legal guardian. Upon written request of the
student's parent or legal guardian, the school must allow a student to
maintain an extra asthma inhaler in the care and custody of the school's
registered professional nurse. (A School District is not required
to hire a registered professional nurse solely for the purpose of
maintaining a spare inhaler or to ensure that a registered professional
nurse is available at all times in a school building for such purpose.)
Health
Office personnel will maintain regular parental contact in order to
monitor the effectiveness of such self-medication procedures and to
clarify parental responsibility as to the daily monitoring of their
child to ensure that the medication is being utilized in accordance with
the physician's or provider's instructions. Additionally, the student
will be required to report to the Health Office on a periodic basis as
determined by Health Office personnel so as to maintain an ongoing
evaluation of the student's management of such self-medication
techniques, and to work cooperatively with the parents and the student
regarding such self-care management.
Students who self-administer
medication without proper authorization, under any circumstances, will
be referred for counseling by school nursing personnel. Additionally,
school administration and parents will be notified of such unauthorized
use of medication by the student, and school administration may also be
involved in determining the proper resolution of such student behavior.
Blood Glucose Monitoring
Children
with diabetes have the right to care for their diabetes at school in
accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which provide
protection against discrimination for children with disabilities,
including diabetes.
Accordingly, blood glucose monitoring must be
allowed in the school setting at any time, within any place, and by
anyone necessitating such testing. Children must receive assistance if
needed with the procedure.
The school nurse shall oversee any
arrangements that need to be made for testing and a system to report the
results to the nurse as needed. Proper arrangements should be made for
the disposal of sharps.
Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers
Alcohol-based
hand sanitizers are considered over-the-counter (OTC) drugs by the
United States Food and Drug Administration. However, due to the fact
that careful hand-washing and sanitation is the most effective way to
control the recent spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
(MRSA) in schools, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has
allowed a medical exemption to the requirements for OTC preparations in
the school setting to permit the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
The
School Medical Director may approve and permit the use of alcohol-based
hand sanitizers in the District's schools without a physician's order.
Parents may provide written notification to the school in the event that
they do not wish to have their child use this product.
It should
be noted that hand sanitizers which contain alcohol are flammable and
shall not be placed in hallways or near an open flame or source of
sparks.
Sunscreen
Overexposure to
ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun may cause sunburn, skin damage
and increases the risk of skin cancer, especially exposure in the first
fifteen (15) years of life. Although the FDA technically considers
sunscreen an over-the-counter drug which would require a doctor's
prescription in addition to parental permission, the New York State
Education Department (NYSED) has issued an updated guidance document
that will allow the use of sunscreen without a physician's order.
The District allows students to carry and use sunscreen in school if:
a)
The sunscreen is used for the purpose of avoiding overexposure to the
sun and not for medical treatment of an injury or illness;
b) The sunscreen is approved by the FDA for over-the-counter use; and
c) The student's parent or guardian provides written permission for the student to carry and use sunscreen.
A
student who is unable to physically apply sunscreen may be assisted by
unlicensed personnel when directed to do so by the student, if permitted
by a parent/guardian and authorized by the school. Parents/guardians
are responsible for providing the sunscreen to be used at school.
Disposal of Unused Medication
Any
unused medication (including, but not limited to expired prescription
and nonprescription drugs) must be returned to the parent/person in
parental relation by the end of each school year. If the parent/person
in parental relation does not retrieve the unused medication by the end
of the school year, then the School Nurse or designated School Health
Office personnel must document that the medication was abandoned and
dispose of the unused medication.
NOTE: Refer also to Policy #7521 -- Students with Life-Threatening Health Conditions
Policy References:
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 [Public Law 108-446 Section 614(a)]
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 USC Sections 1400 et seq.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 USC Section 794 et seq.
Education Law Sections 902(b), 916, 6527(4)(a) and 6908(1)(a)(iv)
Public Health Law Section 3000-a