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I'm pretty sure all schools have similar expectations with regard to the parents providing the prescription, action plan, and the drug itself.
That is my point. The Mom should be able to pull out the general handbook in which this is outlined and her child's written plan. In the absence, there very likely WAS no plan.
I don't blame you for your anger at the previous posters snide remark about "real allergies". I can only imagine your fear and trepidation at having him in the hands of others who don't understand the seriousness of allergies.
There are enough worries without having to worry about other cynical parents. One of the bigger hurdles which I had not anticipated was educating my son on who he could trust to verify the safety of food. Now he is older, he can do so himself, but when he was younger, and some parents really don't understand the seriousness, it is a bit nerve-wracking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopes
At the very least I think schools should have an EMT. The decision to administer the epi pen can be via an ER doctor over the phone, just like they do with paramedics and EMTs.
All of the schools in my region have nurses, even the private schools. (I wonder if it's a state law here.) I just googled it and not just any RN can be a school nurse in PA. RNs need school nurse certification to work in a school. There's legislation to change that but I doubt it will pass.
All school nurses here need to be certified, but don't need to be RN's. It's all about funding, when we had big budget cuts, that was the first position slated to go. public outcry saved school nurses, but I'm not sure for how long.
Quote:
Originally Posted by somebodynew
The school nurse can administer other prescription drugs. I am not an RN, and as a child care provider, I was responsible for administering it if the need arose. It is not a huge deal.
The burden lies with the parents to see to it that the nurse and teacher are
- authorized in writing to do so
- educated and reeducated in correct technique.
Rinse and repeat every year.
The same thing is true for diabetics, elileptics ... who require special care.
If I were the mom of a person with peanut allergies, I might even push for a 504 plan to make sure that that condition was treated with the caution it deserves.
I was specifically responding to what would happen with no prescription and no nurse, but with Epi-Pen on hand as has been suggested.
That is my point. The Mom should be able to pull out the general handbook in which this is outlined and her child's written plan. In the absence, there very likely WAS no plan.
But you're ranting all over Zimbo's posts by quoting her when she's talking about something else entirely. We were discussing permitting staff to make decisions to administer epipens to ANY student without a prescription. Mom is not part of the equation when you quoted this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zimbochick
This has been debated for a long time now. Most school nurses are not RN's. Many schools do not even have school nurses. Someone is going to have to make the decision to give the Epi-Pen, and if there is no nurse, then who? It would be a logistical (and sadly litigious) nightmare to have people working in school dispensing drugs without prescriptions.
Because she was responding to this quote of mine:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopes
But this is article certainly provides a strong argument for allowing schools to stock epi pens like bandaids.
At the risk of sounding ignorant, are epi pens like bandaids, as in one size fits all. ?
I assumed, that an epi pen was designed to be used on the perscribed patient as in it had the antidote that patients allergies, no?
It's odd to me that it is such an issue as the area where I live in NJ (like Hopes in PA) has RN's staffed in every school for this reason. My son has mild asthma. We get a form that is filled out by us and his doctor as to his treatment plan. We provide his inhaler in the original prescription box and that's it.
A friend of his has a peanut allergy and his parents fill out the same form and provide the epipen. The school then takes the basic precautions for dealing with peanut allergies like having seperate lunch tables, limiting snacks, etc.
Ultimately it's the schools responsibility to meet a certain minimum standard of prevention without going too crazy over it. I feel at the end of the day the parents are the ones responsible for educating their child about their issues and how to deal with it. If the child is allergic to the point that simple basic precautions can't protect them, then they shouldn't be in public schools. I also think that it is ridiculous to require the school to provide something like epipens or any medication.
As for what I tell my kids it more or less comes down to an awareness that certain things can make people very sick. My MIL has celiac's disease so that helps the conversation as they have someone in the family who has problems with certain foods. We let them know that the reactions can be very serious, but it doesn't mean that they need to treat the person any differently.
This is such a nightmare for all involved. One of my children had a peanut allergy when he was little (he has since outgrown it). Luckily, his allergic reactions were never life threatening and his breathing was never compromised. I feel for the parents and kids who are dealing with severe allergic reactions. How scary. And how heartbreaking for that family and that school.
Are they absolutely certain that this child's death was caused by an allergic reaction to peanuts? It seems odd that she was outside on the playground when this happened. Could this have been an asthma attack?
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