Due to a change by a state organization, school nurses across the state, including those with Vernon ISD, are having to change how they distribute medication to students for the 2024-25 school year. The change to the district’s FFAC (LOCAL) Policy that covers dispensing medicine to students was approved by the board of trustees at their regular monthly board meeting Monday evening.
Last year, school nurses could give students an over-the-counter medication, as long as the nonprescription medication was provided by the parent in the original, properly labeled container, and the parent also provided a written request allowing the school nurse to give their child the medication.
This year, parents must provide a doctor’s note, or prescription, for the over-the-counter medication before the school nurse can give the child the medication.
“The Texas Board of Nurses made this change,” said Amanda Thomas, RN, the school nurse at Vernon Elementary. “They said the parent’s request is not sufficient by itself for nurses to administer medication and that is true for all nurses in every setting. We have to follow their protocols because the Texas Board of Nurses is our licensing agency. If we go against one of their mandates our nurse’s licenses could be at stake.”
Over the counter medications include Tylenol, cortisone, antibiotic lotion, Chapstick, etc. Insect repellant is also considered a nonprescription medication. The directions on the OTC packaging regarding age, dose and frequency must be strictly adhered to. Requests to alter the dosage or frequency must be accompanied by a physician’s note stating the dosage and frequency of the medication can be given.
Thomas said what the medication is being given for must be specific. “If the physician’s note states the medication is for headache pain, we will not be able to give it for a toothache. We will not be able to accept orders that state ‘use as directed’ or ‘use as needed.’
“We know this may cause parents some hardship, but we have to follow these regulations,” Thomas added.