Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to identify when NTC personnel are authorized to administer medication to students, when students are authorized to self-medicate and how NTC personnel will maintain, administer, monitor and dispose of student medication.

Definitions

For purposes of this Policy, these terms have the following definitions:

"Medicine" or “medications” includes prescription medications and over-the-counter medicines such as but not limited to aspirin, cough syrup, medicated ointments and any other item used to treat an illness, disease or malady.

“Parent” means a parent, a court-appointed guardian or a person having legal custody.

Policy

Under Oklahoma law, a school nurse, an administrator or a designated school employee may administer prescription and nonprescription medications to students. Only designated employees who have successfully completed specific training in the administration of nonprescription and prescription medications may administer medication to students with legitimate health needs.

Except as provided in this Policy and in the NTC’s Student Diabetes Care and Management policy, students may not retain possession of or self-administer any medicine. Violation of this rule will be reported to the student's parent and may result in discipline, including out-of-school suspension.

As further set out below, the NTC retains the discretion to reject requests for the administration of medication and to discontinue the administration of medication.

The parent must deliver the student’s medicine to the school nurse or school administrator in its original container with the parent’s written authorization for administration of the medicine. The parent's authorization must identify the student, the medicine and include or refer to the label for instructions on administration of the medicine. The school nurse, an administrator or a designated employee will administer the medicine to the student pursuant to the parent's instructions and the directions for use on the label or in the physician's prescription. The parent must complete a new authorization form annually and for each change of medication. NTC will maintain the authorization form as a part of the student’s health record. Authorization forms will be available in the campus director’s office. A parent who chooses to do so may come to the school and personally dispense medication to the student.

The administration of each school will keep a record of the students to whom medicine is administered, the date of administration, the person who administered the medicine and the name or type of medicine administered.

Medications will be stored in a separate locked drawer or cabinet that is readily accessible only to the persons who will administer the medication. Medications requiring refrigeration will be refrigerated in a secure area.

Any person administering medicine to a student will participate in training by October 1 of each year conducted by a school nurse or other health care professional. The training will include:

• Review of state statutes and school rules and regulations (including this Policy) regarding administration of medication by school personnel;

• Procedures for administration, documentation, handling and storage of medication; and

• Medication needs of specific students, desired effects, potential side effects, adverse reactions and other observations.

Only those persons who successfully complete the training are authorized to administer medication. Each campus will maintain a current list of those authorized to administer medication at that site.

Students who are able to self-administer specific medications, such as inhaled asthma medication, or use specialized equipment, such as an inhaler, may do so provided such medication and special equipment are transported and maintained under the students’ control in compliance with the following rules:

• A licensed physician or dentist must provide a written order that the student has a particular medical condition (asthma, etc.), is capable of and has been instructed in the proper method of self-administration of medication. It is the parent’s responsibility to contact the physician and have the physician complete and return the required order.

• The parent must provide a written authorization for self-administration of medication.

• Parents who elect self-medication understand and agree that NTC, its agents and employees shall incur no liability for any adverse reaction or injury the student suffers as a result of self-administration of medication and/or use of specialized equipment.

• The written authorization will terminate at the end of the school year and must be renewed annually.

• If the parent and physician authorize self-medication, NTC is not responsible for safeguarding the students’ medications or specialized equipment.

• Students who self-medicate are prohibited from sharing or playing with their medication or special equipment. If a student engages in these activities, the parent will be contacted and a conference will be scheduled with the parent, student, nurse and other appropriate persons.

• Students will not be allowed to self-administer:

  • Narcotics;

  • Prescription pain killers;

  • Ritalin; and

  • Other medication hereafter designated in writing by NTC.

• Except as otherwise provided by an individual student’s school health plan, students may self-administer non-diabetes-related injectables only in the school office in the presence of authorized school personnel. Diabetes-related injectables will be administered in accordance with NTC’s Management of Students with Diabetes Policy.

• Students who self-medicate are encouraged to wear Medic Alert bracelets or necklaces.

• The parent will provide an emergency supply of a student’s inhaled asthma medication to be administered by school personnel, as required by state law.

Nonprescription medication: School staff will only administer nonprescription medication with the parent’s written authorization and according to label directions or written instructions from the student’s physician. The medication must be in the original container that indicates:

• Student name (affixed to the container);

• Ingredients;

• Expiration date;

• Dosage and frequency;

• Administration route, i.e., oral, drops, etc.; and

• Other directions as appropriate.

School staff will only administer aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and products containing salicylic acid with written instructions from the student’s physician. The parent must provide and maintain a supply of nonprescription medication for the student.

Prescription medication: School staff will only administer prescription medication with written authorization and instructions. Prescription medication must be in the original container that indicates:

• Student name;

• Name and strength of medication and expiration date;

• Dosage and directions for administration;

• Name of the licensed physician or dentist;

• Date, name, address and phone number of the pharmacy.

The parent must provide and maintain the supply of prescription medication for the student.

The parent must reclaim any remaining medication by the last official day of school closing or within seven days after the prescribing physician discontinues the medication. The school nurse or designated employee will destroy in a nonrecoverable fashion in the presence of a witness any medication not timely reclaimed. The person who destroys the medication will record the following information:

• Date of destruction;

• Time of destruction;

• Name and quantity of medication destroyed; and

• Manner of destruction of medication

Any and all controlled substances will be destroyed according to state law.

The school nurse or designated employee will advise the campus director or designee if discontinuance of medication to a student is appropriate and assist in informing the parent. Legitimate reasons for discontinuing administration of medication include, but are not limited to the following:

• A legitimate lack of space or facility to adequately store specific medication;

• Lack of cooperation by the student, parent and/or prescribing doctor and NTC;

• An unexpected and/or adverse medical reaction to the medication at school, i.e., mood change, allergic reaction, etc., considered to be deleterious to the health and well being of the student;

• Any apparent change in the medication’s appearance, odor, or other characteristics that raise reasonable doubts about the quality of the medication; and

• The medication expiration date has passed.

Amended this 15th day of September, 2003
Amended August 11, 2008