Kids and Medicines at School

We recently talked about two separate cases in the news that left us absolutely baffled. First, two girls were suspended from school after one had an asthma attack, and the other offered her inhaler to help. Both girls were punished due to sharing a controlled substance (yes, an asthma inhaler is apparently a controlled substance) on school grounds. Shortly after this case, a boy in Texas was suspended for rushing a classmate who was suffering from a severe asthma attack to the nurse’s office! The quick-thinking boy decided to take action after the girl, who was choking and wheezing, collapsed!

Both of these stories really got us thinking about how kids with food allergies and/or asthma are treated in schools around the country and the rest of the world. Every state has a law that allows kids to carry inhalers, and 48 out of 50 states allow kids to carry epinephrine pens, too. Despite these laws, many school districts restrict kids’ access to these asthma and allergy medications out of fear that the child will use it improperly or share it with another student. Many times, schools require kids to keep their asthma and allergy medications in the nurse’s office instead of with them at all times.  Allergy and asthma medications for kids are often grouped in the same category as illegal prescription drugs, and as shown by the stories we mentioned, kids can be punished as if they were using drugs and not life-saving medications!

I understand the concern that schools have surrounding kids carrying medications on their own, after all, my son once stabbed himself with an Epi-Pen when he was a little younger because he wasn’t fully trained on how to use it. But, where do we draw the line? When should schools start trusting kids with food allergies, asthma and other health concerns to carry and administer their own medications?

So, how should you protect your kids with food allergies or asthma? Here are some tips on keeping them safe while at school:

• Meet with the school nurse. Usually, these nurses will be your biggest advocate in allowing your kiddo to carry medication with him or her.
• If your kid is not old enough to administer his or her own medication, meet with teachers to make sure that the medication is carried wherever your kid goes, from lunch to recess and everywhere in between. The medication should never be too far out of reach!
• Be sure to fill out any necessary paperwork. Some schools will ask parents to fill out paperwork releasing the school from liability in order to allow kids to carry around their medications with them. My own allergist won’t fill out a form for my 12 year old son to carry an inhaler until he is 14.  My son’s asthma has never been very severe but if it was and I thought his life was in danger then you better believe that I would have fought like hell and/or looked for a different physician.
• Get a proper medicine case. Our medicine cases are bright and kid-friendly, plus functional, too! Each case has room for kids to carry two epinephrine pens and other medications, and can easily fit in backpacks or purses.

What do you think of the current rules and regulations surrounding asthma and allergy medications on school campuses?

What do you think is the appropriate age for kids to carry and administer their own meds?

xo

Iris

Iris Shamus Wife, mother to three awesome kids and founder/CEO of AllerMates. Based in New York, Iris and her team create helpful content, answer emails, ship their products and obsess every day about keeping kids safe.