More states allow sunscreen at schools without doctors OK
Source: Associated Press
By MATT O’BRIEN
Today
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Susan Grenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the fair-skinned 10-year-old can’t bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor’s note.
Many school systems categorize sunscreen as an over-the-counter medication requiring special paperwork, but several states have been pushing to loosen restrictions to make it easier for kids to protect themselves from skin cancer.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a bill into law this month allowing students to use sunscreen at school without notes from a doctor and parent. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, enacted a similar measure late last month, following Utah in March. Oregon, Texas and New York have also freed students to use sunscreen in recent years. California did it back in 2002.
Backed by the personal care products industry, such proposals also have wide and bipartisan support from health experts and state lawmakers. Legislation is moving forward this spring in Rhode Island and Louisiana. In Florida, it’s waiting for the governor’s signature. The main opposition has come from school nurses voicing caution about children bringing in lotions that can cause allergic reactions.
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give permission for the use of OTC products. I've worked in outpatient pediatrics for 40 years, and it is my feeling that if a parent can buy something without a prescription, then the parent should be able to give permission for its use.
"The main opposition has come from school nurses voicing caution about children bringing in lotions that can cause allergic reactions."
When my now 27 yr old was in middle school, the 8th grade was going to do an all-day outdoor activity in a heavily wooded area in the early fall - peak West Nile mosquito time. They were not going to permit the kids to bring insect repellent. I contacted TPTB to express my strong disagreement with this idea, and got a similar line to the one in the quote above - fear of allergy. I asked if the bathrooms at the school had soap so the kids could wash their hands -yes, of course. I asked if the kids were allowed to bring deodorant/antiperspirant to apply after PE - yes, of course. I asked if girls were forbidden to have perfume or hair products in their purses or backpacks - no. Could not a student be potentially allergic to these permitted products, and, if so, why were they allowed?
I further asked if the school district wanted to be liable for students contracting West Nile virus by forbidding insect repellent.
TPTB relented, and lotion insect repellents were permitted, but not sprays. I felt victorious.
I was once asked by a mom to write a letter to her daughter's school requesting that she be allowed to carry a water bottle during the day. She was asthmatic and needed to stay well hydrated. The rationale offered by the school was that without a doctor/ nurse practitioner note, they would not know what might be in the bottle. Did they think I was going to be at the kid's house filling it up for her? Just because I say someone needs a water bottle at school, that has no influence over what the student ultimately puts in the bottle before they get to school.
