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Medication Guidelines

Below are school policies that are in place to ensure the health, safety and welfare of children who need medicines during the school day.  Please also review the medication guidelines in the student/parent handbook.

General Medication Guidelines

  1. Medication must be purchased in the United States, regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and must be in its original bottle. Medication purchased in a foreign country will not be given.
  2. A consent form filled out by a parent/guardian must be on file in order for school personnel to give any medicine.  The parent’s consent form must not conflict with the label instructions. NO MEDICATION WILL BE ACCEPTED UNLESS THE APPROPRIATE FORMS ARE COMPLETED BY THE PARENT.
  3. No more than a 30-day supply should be delivered to the school at one time because of limited space.
  4. No medication is supplied by the school district. This includes but is not limited to prescription medication as well as over the counter medications such as medicated ointments (eg Neosporin, Hydrocortisone) and pain reliever (eg Tylenol, Ibuprofen). 
  5. School personnel can only administer a missed dose with a note or verbal permission from a parent confirming the dose was missed.
  6. For the safety of the student, parents must administer the initial dose of medication that their student has no prior history of taking. Because of the possibility of an allergic or adverse reaction, it is recommended that the parent keep the student home for close monitoring. School health staff will not administer the initial dose of a medication that the student has no prior history of taking. 
  7. Medications will NOT be sent home with the student unless a physician has authorized to self-carry per student medical action plan. All unclaimed medication will be discarded on the last day of school.

Prescription Medication Guidelines

  1. Medication must be properly labeled with: Prescription Date, Student Name, Pharmacy, Physician, Name of Medicine, and Dosage Requirements including Time. This includes inhalers and Epipens. 
  2. If medication is only given 1-3 times per day or time released, it can be given at home unless specific times are ordered by the physician.
  3. A pharmacist can prepare 2 labeled containers so there are properly labeled containers both at home and at school.
  4. Any change in dosage different from the printed instructions on the label must be stated in writing by a physician until a new prescription bottle is provided.  Otherwise, school personnel must administer medication as stated on the container label, or parents may choose to come to the school and dispense the medication to their student.
  5. If a student is to self-administer asthma medication (inhaler) or epi-pen, or have these types of medications available at school, an action plan must be completed, signed by the child’s parent and physician, and be on file in the office.  These medications can only be given based on the prescription label instructions unless an action plan is provided with additional or emergency instructions. The Action Plan has a section where the student’s medical provider can grant permission for the student to self-administer medication. The district does not allow students to carry their own medications and self-administer without prior approval from their physician and the school nurse.

NON-PRESCRIPTION/OVER THE COUNTER Medication Guidelines

For NON-PRESCRIPTION/OVER THE COUNTER medication to be given at school it must be age appropriate for the child, or a doctor’s note must accompany the medication stating that an adult dose has been recommended for the child.  Texas law requires:

  1. If school personnel reading the label directions find that the medicine is contraindicated for that student, a parent must come to school and administer the medication (ex:  if a student is younger than the recommended age on the label directions, school personnel cannot administer the medicine without a physician’s consent).
  2. If Over the Counter medication is given at school for three (3) consecutive days, a physician’s order/note is required for the safety of the student.
  3. Herbal or dietary supplements will not be administered unless the medication will benefit the student’s educational achievement as stated in the student’s individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan and is prescribed by a physician.
  4. Essential oils are concentrated liquids that give plants their characteristic scents.  These oils are not regulated by the FDA. The strong scents could cause allergic reactions or aggravate respiratory issues in certain students; therefore, SAISD nurses, faculty, or staff will not administer essential oils

Guidelines for Self-Administration of Asthma Medicine or Anaphylaxis medication

A student with asthma or severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) may be permitted to possess and use prescribed asthma or anaphylaxis medication at school or school-related events only if he or she has written authorization from his or her parent a physician, or other licensed health-care provider.  The student must also demonstrate to his or her physician or health-care provider and to the school nurse the ability to use the prescribed medication, including any device required to administer the medication.

Also if:

  1. If a student is to self-administer asthma medication (inhaler) or epi-pen, or have these types of medications available at school, an action plan must be completed, signed by the child’s parent and physician, and be on file in the office.  These medications can only be given based on the prescription label instructions unless an action plan is provided with additional or emergency instructions from the physician.  These forms also give the student permission to carry and self-administer medication if it is age appropriate and the physician signs off that they can do so.
  2. The prescription asthma or anaphylaxis medicine has been prescribed for the student as indicated by the prescription label on the medicine;
  3. The self-administration is done in compliance with the prescription or written instructions from the student’s physician or other licensed health care provider;
  4.  A parent of the student provides the school written authorization, signed by the parent, for the student to self-administer prescription asthma or anaphylaxis medicine; and
  5.  A parent of the student provides the school a written statement from the student’s physician, signed by the physician that states:
    1. The student has asthma or anaphylaxis and is capable of self-administering the
      prescription asthma or anaphylaxis medication.
    2. The name and purpose of the medicine.
    3. The prescribed dosage for the medicine.
    4. The time at which or circumstances under which the medicine may be administered;
      and the period for which the medicine is prescribed.

If the student has been prescribed asthma or anaphylaxis medication for use during the school day, the student and parents should discuss this with the school nurse or principal.

The physician’s statement must be kept on file in the office of the campus the student attends. A
person standing in parental relation to a student or the student himself, if over the age of 18, may give permission to use an asthma inhaler under these guidelines.