OT - what's your school's policy on OTC drugs (like Tylenol)?

[Aliceacc]

Medication is to be brought to the nurse's office.

If you need that medication, you go to the nurse's office to take it. Whether it's prescription or OTC doesn't matter.

The nurse will give you a pass getting you back into class.

 

[kacaju]

from our HS handbook:
All ingested oral medications, including over-thecounter
medications, must be turned in to the nurse with a
note from a parent. Students are not permitted to dispense
these medications to themselves or other students during
the school day.

 

[spacemountainmom]

Our school district also requires the doctor's note and that parents send in an unopened bottle if it's otc.

When dd started her cycle, I would send her to school with a Midol in her pocket and told her that I would deal with it if she ever was caught. We have crappy insurance and I will be darned to pay for an office visit to get a note from the doctor.

My ds is in middle school and suffers from migraines. I work at his school so depending on when one hits him, he either finds me or goes to the nurse and she finds me. He takes one tylenol and one motrin when the symptoms hit and that usually does it for him. I carry a dose for him in my pocket at all times.

I get that they are trying to stop problems, but why can't I write a note giving my child permission to take an otc painkiller in the nurse's office? I really find that concept offensive. Why must the doctor ok a Midol for that time of the month? Why must a doctor ok the nurse helping my son to stop a migraine? I just don't get it.

 

[snowy76]

As a student I used to carry Motrin all the time for menstrual cramps or headaches. As a teacher, I now know that it's actually state education LAW (at least in our state) that bans any meds without a doctor's note and/or school personnel administering it. But I doubt most parents are aware of it.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Students in high school can carry their own, but can't share with others.

Nobody else is allowed to have drugs of any kind unless there is a signed permission form from their doctor, and then the drugs stay in the nurse's office. The only exception is asthma inhailers, which kids can carry around on their person.

 

[rt2dz]

Our district, no matter what grade, requires a parent to walk the medicine into the nurse's office. There they fill out a form and have to attach a doctor's note. The student then must go to the nurse's office when the medication is needed and have it dispensed there. They are just handed the bottle for the most part.

Personally, I think it's reasonable. I totally get why the policy is in place and if my kid is needing some type of medication (prescription or OTC) at school, I'm sure we'd have seen a doctor at some point. The Dr. note can say "as needed for allergies" and can be good for the whole year. Nothing complicated. Does it really solve a drug problem? No. But you'd be amazed that parents are stupid enough to send a bottle of medicine with a 5 year old and expect them to be responsible enough to handle it. It's mostly met a deterrent.

 

[dizneechic]

This is from our high school's online handbook...

MEDICATION
Students who take medication during the school day must have signed
authorization from their physician and parents. This “Physician’s Request” form
may be obtained from the Main Office. Once this form is completed, students
should bring the medication to school where it will be secured in a locked
cabinet. It is the student’s responsibility to report to the office in order to take the
medicine.

ETA: Here is the elementarty handbook info...

Medication – Students requiring medication must have on file in the office a school medical form signed by a parent and a physician. All medication will be taken under supervision of designated school personnel. Students are not to transport medication to school. The medication must be brought to the office by the parent/guardian. The school will send home the empty prescription bottle to let you know that medication needs to be replenished. However, the student is not permitted to transport the replenished prescription to school. All medications must be in the original bottle and have the current pharmacy label attached.
Students are not permitted to carry any medication during school hours. This would include but is not limited to sinus medication, nasal spray, eye drops, aspirin, etc. Cough drops are permitted, but must be given to the teacher at the onset of the school day in order that he/she dispenses the cough drops. An exception to this rule can be made for needed inhalerswith a signed medical form on file. Contact the school nurse to make needed arrangements. Medication in the wrong hands can be extremely dangerous. Please follow the process above if this situation pertains to your child/children.

Our school policy is VERY similar. The only difference is we sign letters in the beginning of the year as well permitting the nurse to give certain medications IF needed at any point during the year. We also sign off if they are allowed to give them at will (no notification to parents), with prior consent (before administering), or if we would like to be notified after the fact. This way if a child needs something they can see the nurse and get it vs carrying it around and risking getting caught (elem age, middle and high are allowed to carry w/ notice). The medications we sign off on in the beginning of the year are acetaminophen, ibuprofen, benedryl, eye drops, & cough drops and you can choose, one, a few or all.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

Our district policy is that :

students may not carry or administer their own medications, including High School. IMO I think they are old enough to deal with OTC on their own( tylenol, pepto, etc)

Parents must bring all medications to the school nurse Rx or OTC and complete a meds request form in order for the child to take the meds at school

Children are not allowed to carry said meds to the nurse or on their person at any time, thus Parents are required to carry meds to school nurse.

In our district, you can leave things like Tylenol to be taken as needed and you just say so on the form. But it must be at the childs request.

all Rx meds must be brought in the original package/bottle with label

Rx meds are kept on a schedule and logged when given by the nurse each day.

 

[PollyannaMom]

For the first time this year, we got a note home from the nurse that we could sign and she would keep on file, authorizing her to give our child Tylenol or Motrin (there was a choice on the form) without calling us.

Rx meds must be brought to the nurse by the parent, in the original container.

The students are allowed to carry cough drops as long as you let the classroom teacher know it's OK with you.

 

[Magpie]

Wow - so it would appear our high school's relaxed approach toward students having OTC drugs in school is rarer than I thought.

I wonder if it's a Canadian/American thing? Or just my son's particular school? In any case, I'm very glad I called to check first!

 

[disfan07]

At my old high school you could not have any medication with you. Exceptions were asthma medications and epi-pens.

I understand why they have the rules. I don't care how good you think your school is or how "perfect" you think the kids are who go there. I can guarantee that there are kids at EVERY high school doing drugs. And prescription drugs are more commonly abused in teenagers than illegal drugs so the policy makes sense.

Teenagers share and sell pain medications, ADHD meds, CNS depressants, etc. It's a bigger issue than most parents think (or want to believe)

I get that schools with serious drug/discipline issues feel they have to issue zero tolerance rules, but that's not our planet.

Believe me, all schools have kids doing drugs. No school or town is immune to the problem. Just becaus eyou odn't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.

 

[Magpie]

At my old high school you could not have any medication with you. Exceptions were asthma medications and epi-pens.

I understand why they have the rules. I don't care how good you think your school is or how "perfect" you think the kids are who go there. I can guarantee that there are kids at EVERY high school doing drugs. And prescription drugs are more commonly abused in teenagers than illegal drugs so the policy makes sense.

Teenagers share and sell pain medications, ADHD meds, CNS depressants, etc. It's a bigger issue than most parents think (or want to believe)

Believe me, all schools have kids doing drugs. No school or town is immune to the problem. Just becaus eyou odn't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.

Oh, I'm well aware kids can get drugs if they want. However I don't think banning legal OTC painkillers does one darn bit to cut down on drug use at high school.

The worst you can do with Tylenol is torch your liver. You certainly can't get high on it!

BTW - I asked my tenth grade daughter about drug use at her high school. She said, "I don't know anything about it, but I'm not the kind of person who would." Then she paused and said, "I might have heard something mentioned once about drugs being available at a party that night, when I was getting changed in the girls' locker room. Oh, and when we had that session at the hospital, the nurse asked us if we'd seen any drugs used at parties and most of the girls put up their hands."

So I wonder when we'll be banning all OTC painkillers from homes containing people under 18? After all, it appears MOST drug dealing/use is happening at parties in children's homes around here.

 

[RMulieri]

In our school all meds including OTC, have to be locked with the nurse.Prescription meds need a Drs note to administer and OTC needs a parent note to administer

 

[krcit]

Oh, I'm well aware kids can get drugs if they want. However I don't think banning legal OTC painkillers does one darn bit to cut down on drug use at high school.

The worst you can do with Tylenol is torch your liver. You certainly can't get high on it!

BTW - I asked my tenth grade daughter about drug use at her high school. She said, "I don't know anything about it, but I'm not the kind of person who would." Then she paused and said, "I might have heard something mentioned once about drugs being available at a party that night, when I was getting changed in the girls' locker room. Oh, and when we had that session at the hospital, the nurse asked us if we'd seen any drugs used at parties and most of the girls put up their hands."

So I wonder when we'll be banning all OTC painkillers from homes containing people under 18? After all, it appears MOST drug dealing/use is happening at parties in children's homes around here.

It seesm to me that most schools have a policy that OTC drugs must be taken in the nurse's office or office. I understand that completely. How is a teacher suppossed to know if the pill she just saw a kid take is a Tylenol or an Oxycontin? When I was in high school, kids would pop Nodoze like they were Pez I'm sure there is a reason that these policies exist even though they seem silly at first glance.

 

[disfan07]

It seesm to me that most schools have a policy that OTC drugs must be taken in the nurse's office or office. I understand that completely. How is a teacher suppossed to know if the pill she just saw a kid take is a Tylenol or an Oxycontin? When I was in high school, kids would pop Nodoze like they were Pez I'm sure there is a reason that these policies exist even though they seem silly at first glance.

Thank you. You hit the nail on the head with why the rules are there. I just did a paper on teenage drug abuse-specifically prescription durg abuse and the number of teenagers reporting getting the drugs at school was astounding.

 

[TanyaS]

I don't have the policy in front of me, but the district's policy on OTC medicines was one of the examples that caused me to strike through the line before signing the policy: Yes, I have read the policy. No, I do not agree with it.

I understand WHY districts implement zero tolerance policies, but I don't agree with them. I'll take common sense over zero tolerance any day.

 

[scrapquitler]

I've heard so many horror stories about kids getting busted for having Tylenol in their possession that I was nervous about how my son's high school would react to him bringing painkillers to school.

Back story - my 13yo son sliced the tip of his thumb off Wednesday night. Took off about half his nail and a good chunk of the pad of his thumb, cutting the small artery. Fortunately, he found the bit he'd lost and a plastic surgery resident sewed it back on for him at the ER.

Anyway, he's taking one extra-strength Advil and one extra-strength Tylenol every four hours to control the pain. I called the high school yesterday to find out if he could bring his painkillers to school with him. Turns out it's no problem! The only thing they said is that they can't remind him to take his drugs (I said, "If he needs to be reminded, then he clearly doesn't need to take them!") and they can't give them to him or help him open the bottle or anything like that. So since child safe bottle caps are defeating him at the moment, I put them in a plastic baggie along with a signed and dated note indicating what they were.

I was very impressed with how sane and reasonable our school's policy was. And now I'm wondering...

What's YOUR school's policy on OTC drugs, like Tylenol? Are the horror stories about kids getting arrested or expelled only news because they almost never happen? Are most schools actually relaxed about this kind of thing?

In our school district, the children (even in high school) are NOT allowed to carry any type of medication on them (even tylenol). The only exception is an Epi-Pen or an asthma inhaler (with proper documentation on hand in the child's medical file).

If the child needs to have any prescription (OR OTC) medication during school, you need to have a form filled out BY THE CHILD'S pediatrican on hand in the nurses office AND you have to send in a sealed (for OTC) and labeled bottle of the medication to be kept under lock and key in the nurse's office. If it's a prescription, you need to send in a supply in the prescription bottle, labeled with all the dosage information.

I'm sure my child's pediatrician will be thrilled if I ask him to fill out a form so that I can send a bottle of tylenol in to school I'm sure I'd also have to pay the $15. fee they charge for filling out forms at any time other than during a checkup.

I have, in the past been called by the school nurse for something that didn't warrant sending my DD home from school for and I went in and administered her tylenol myself because there wasn't any other option.

 

[jodifla]

Nurses in schools??? Our schools don't have nurses...you actually have nurses in schools?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Nurses in schools??? Our schools don't have nurses...you actually have nurses in schools?

See, now my question would be:

No nurses in schools??? Every school I know of has nurses...your actually don't have nurses in schools?

Who keeps track of vaccinations? What happens when a child has an asthma attack, or an allergic reaction to something?

 

[Magpie]

See, now my question would be:

No nurses in schools??? Every school I know of has nurses...your actually don't have nurses in schools?

Who keeps track of vaccinations? What happens when a child has an asthma attack, or an allergic reaction to something?

We don't have nurses in our schools, either.

The office tracks whether kids have vaccination records on file. If they don't, they send a note home to the parents advising them to contact their doctor and get a copy of the record to bring in. Whenever mass vaccinations are in order, they line everyone up in the gym and visiting nurses administer them.

Normally, our schools can't administer anything resembling medication, but older children are allowed to carry meds and treat themselves. I don't know what they do with severely allergic children who have to have epi-pens... I assume there's different rules in place for them.

My daughter used to get frequent but painless ear infections. They'd get kind of gooey. One afternoon, in first grade, I got a call from the office saying that her ear was leaking. "Oh," I said, having gone through this many times before, "Don't worry, it's just a minor infection. If it's not bothering her, tape a cotton ball over her ear to contain the mess and send her back to class."

You'd think I'd just ask them to perform open heart surgery on the kid. It took me a good ten minutes to convince someone to just HAND the kid a cotton ball and some tape so she could deal with it herself.

They were really upset with me, for not rushing out to pick her up. But I really didn't see the need, since the kid was fine.