Saw this article in the Washington Post today. Some schools require students to have a doctor’s note so they can wear sunscreen outside. WTF?! But legislators have introduced a bill to change that…
Oh, and it’s not just sunscreen, it’s lotion too! From the article: “Even with hand and body lotions, we require a note from the parents.”
HUH? When I was in school, after gym class, us girls would slather on body lotion. Now you need a note? What the hell?!
It’s a cya measure, nothing more. They don’t want to risk getting sued after some kid has an allergic reaction to someone else’s lotion or sunscreen, or drinks a bottle of the stuff on a dare or bet. Our system had that same policy for any OTC drug. You were supposed to have a note from your folks and leave the meds in the office, where they would be doled out to you as needed. They didn’t search your purse for contraband NSAIDS or anything, but if you were stupid enough to whip out the bottle in front of a teacher, they were supposed to confiscate it and take it to the office.
My kids are out of school now, but if this “rule” had been in effect when they were, my permission slip would have read something like this:
To whom it may concern
My child has my permission to wear sunscreen, lotion or any other damn over the counter product that they wish.
This requirement for a note to wear sunscreen is a joke right? I mean you guys can’t be serious can you? Do you really have your head that far up your ass?
Any idiot who is dumb enough to require a parental note for a student to use a completely legal over the counter product is, in my opinion, so stupid that it amazes me that their brain can generate enough electricity to keep them standing upright. Frankly anyone this stupid must have a note pinned to their clothes every morning with directions back to work, so they don’t get lost. The person that wrote this rule makes Forrest Gump look Nobel Prize winner. How did the person that wrote this rule wind up working for the school district? Did the Department of Motor Vehicles not have any openings that week?
Maybe if you idiots spent a little more time worrying about why you keep promoting kids that can’t read, and less time worrying about my child’s sunscreen, your school would not be such a laughing stock.
I trust I have made my position on this matter clear.
Sincerely
I guessing that this would be the last time they sent home a permission slip for such a stupid thing, at least to my house.
In my county they require a doctor’s note for any medication, including otc medicines. So if my daughter (who is 16) has a cold, she would have to get a doctor’s order to allow a school nurse to dispense a frikkin’ cough drop. At this point, I just have to tell her to hide it in her purse and don’t let any teachers see her taking it.
My high school had a similar rule for OTC meds, though I carried them anyway. Sure, the nurse could (and would) give out Advil or Tylenol if you had a need for it, but if I had cramps there was no way I was going to the nurse every couple of hours, and probably being late to classes, for five days straight when I could just carry around a bottle of advil on my own. Too much hassle, and I usually needed more advil than the nurse would willingly give out. I’d just take it in the bathroom when there were no teachers around, not a problem.
I doubt anyone’s going to be searched for lotions, though this rule seems excessive. Yes, some people are sensitive or allergic to ingredients in various lotions, but most people know what these ingredients are by the time they are in school. They can easily avoid using those they are allergic to by reading the ingredients. Younger children will need help with this, but in the case of sunscreen, I assume a teacher would have to help little ones putting it on anyway and will have been informed of an allergy. In the case of older kids, they should already know better and be able to avoid certain things themselves.
In my day (and my day wasn’t all that long ago) it was default to assume that all the kids had no allergies or special situations. Allergies and other illnesses like asthma were listed with the school nurse, to make sure Junior wasn’t given peanut butter or made to play certain games at gym. However, the onus was on the parents to let the school know of a special situation - the school did not assume the situation for everyone and then make the (majority) of kids who didn’t have allergies take permission slips home for every possible situation.
On second thought…why don’t we just put them all in plastic bubbles, that way my (not-yet-conceived) kids can do what they want in their bubbles eating peanutbutterandrollingaroundinsunscreen and other peoples’ kids can never, ever be exposed to the outside world? Good plan…
woops, that was supposed to be a tiny font…oh well
I find it hard to believe that either sunscreen or cough drops could be considered “medicine”.
Well, what about getting sued after Junior comes home with 3rd degree sunburns after an hour in the sun for PE class?
The likelihood of a kid getting a sunburn is thousands of times higher than a kid having an allergic reaction to sunscreen.
By the way, when I was in high school (a mere 12 years ago) we freely carried around Advil, Tylenol, lotion, mouthwash, silverware, etc., and we all survived. The way schools act now is insane, IMO.
Whether you think it’s stupid or not, the most likely reason this was even an issue was that somewhere, someday a well-meaning teacher decided to put some of her sunscreen on “Little Suzie” so she wouldn’t be burned to a crisp on field day. Little Suzie may have then developed a rash or something. Then Mom and Dad and their excited lawyer sued (or threatened suit on) the district for applying “chemicals” to their baby without their permission.
If you want to blame someone, blame the fools who decide to sue (or threaten to sue) the school everytime their child farts crossways.
In my classroom I cannot even spray Lysol when a child throws up on my floor because that “fogs the room with chemicals and may cause allergic reactions”. I cannot apply sunscreen. I cannot apply antiseptic spray to scrapes or cuts. I cannot even help a child remove an earring from an infected ear.*
So, in conclusion, a small percentage of parents have taken adavantage of the “lawsuit happiness” and have now required me to shrug my shoulders and say “Sorry, I can’t help you” to any child who is in discomfort.* I am also prohibited from keeping my room fresh smelling or disinfected during the day when your children are there. We just have to hope the bleach the janitor pours in the toilet at night will miraculously spread through the room during flu season to keep us all germ free. Should I take it upon myself to care for a child or clean my room while children are present, I will be written up and reported to the school board.
Same thing here. My daughter is 13. I recently had to drive to her school to personally give her 2 aspirin for a toothache. I asked if I could leave a supply in case she needed more and was told that without a doctor’s note (they wouldn’t accept a note from a parent), I couldn’t. I had to have the doctor’s note faxed, then go back to the school and leave off a few aspirin. I was told that if she were caught with them on her, (locker, backpack etc…) she would be suspended.
I know it’s a CYA thing but sheesh, I swear when I was in school they gave out morphine. 
FaerieBeth Please don’t get me wrong, I hold nothing against a teacher in this case, it is obvious that a teacher did not set this policy (or the one about the earring, or Honey’s aspirin).
It’s just that school administrators are so busy covering their own ass, they are not doing their jobs.
On the other side of it, I don’t hold much respect for parents that send little Susie to school with infected ears, and then whine if a teacher helps Susie get the earrings out of her ears.
In other word the school administrators need to grow some balls and start doing what is right, not just covering their ass, and parents need to stop being such whinny super critical sue happy assholes when Johnny scrapes his knee.
If I were a judge and some parent brought an action for aplying lotion to junior, boy would they get an earful before I threw that sucker out.
These people DO know that sunscreen can help prevent skin cancer, dont they?
(asks the woman who just had a Squamous Cell Carcinoma removed - successfully.) (And who has to wear floppy hats and SPF9million for the rest of her life.) (But who isn’t in school any more, so I’m not sure it applies, but…crap, this is ludicrous.)
Inky
Goth by prescription
Yep, sad and stupid, but true.
I have my kids keep their OTC meds in their backpacks and NO SHARING OF MEDS. It’s ridiculous–even more so is the HS policy where my kid is not allowed to use the restroom during class time–no matter what.
I asked the teacher what if she got her period in the middle of class? Or what if she suffers from IBS or some such thing?
I was told that IF I had a doc’s note–they would let her go at any time at all.
This has gotten ridiculous–now they can’t even pee when needed…
What is next? Policing of food at lunch?
Don’t the teachers have better things to do? I should say administrators–I’m sure that most teachers are less than thrilled to be enforcing this stuff.
Man, after reading this thread, I’m so glad I’m out of school. I thought it was grim while I was in, I’ll bet death row prisoners don’t go through all this nonsense.
IIRC, this has already been happening, too. Another doper (sorry, I don’t remember which) had her daughter suspended for giving food to a child who’d forgotten her lunch money because there is a “no food sharing” policy at the school.
Some years ago my son was criticised by a teacher for not eating his food in the right order, he had left the sandwich 'til last.
I have resorted to the “keep it a secret” with both guys rather than go through the rigmarole involved in notifying the school about routine treatments.
No sweat, Rick. My frowny face was for the parents and administrators, not for you!
My goodness…
My aunt is a kindergarten teacher, and their policy is that if they kids don’t wear sunscreen and a hat, they’re not allowed outside to play in summer.
Then again, we do have the highest skin cancer rate in the world…