Garfield Re-2 Policies

JLCD-R

Administering Medicines to Students

 

If under exceptional circumstances, a student is required to take oral medication during school hours, only the school nurse or the nurse’s designee will administer the medication in compliance with the following regulations.  In the alternative, the parent/guardian may come to school to administer the medication.

1. All directives of the accompanying policy must be followed.

2. Written orders from the student's health care practitioner with prescriptive authority under Colorado law must be on file in the school stating:

a. Student’s name

b. Name of drug

c. Dosage

d. Purpose of the medication

e. Time of day medication is to be given

f. Anticipated number of days it needs to be given in school

g. Possible side effects

3. The medication must be brought to school in a container appropriately labeled by the pharmacy or health care practitioner.

4. An individual record must be kept of such prescription medications administered by school personnel.

5. Medication must be stored in a clean, locked cabinet or container. Emergency medications (such as epinephrine) shall be inaccessible to students, but immediately available to trained school personnel and not in a locked cabinet.

Unless these requirements can be met, medication will not be administered at school.

Self-Administration of Medication

A school may permit a student to possess and self-administer medication, such as an inhaler or epinephrine, or other prescription medication if all of the following conditions are met:

1.     Written authorization signed by the student’s health care practitioner must be on file with the school which must include the student’s name; the name, purpose, prescribed dosage, frequency, and length of time between dosages of the medication(s) to be self-administered; and confirmation that the student has been instructed and is capable of self-administration of the medication.

2. The school nurse or administrator, in consultation with the school nurse, the student’s health care practitioner and the student’s parent/guardian, collaborates to make an assessment of the student’s knowledge of their condition and ability to self-administer medication.

3.    A written statement signed by the student’s parent or legal guardian must be on

       file with the school, which must include permission for the student to

       self-administer his/her medication and a release from liability for any injury

       arising from the student’s self-administration of such medication.

4. A written contract between the school nurse, school administrator, the student, and the student’s parent/ guardian must be on file with the school, assigning levels of responsibility to the student’s parent/guardian, student, and school employees.

A treatment plan authorizing a student to possess and self-administer medication for asthma or anaphylaxis is effective only for the school year in which it is approved. 

A student must report to the school nurse or designee or to some adult at the school immediately after the student uses an emergency use of epinephrine during school hours.

Upon receiving such a report from a student, the school nurse, designee, or other adult will provide appropriate follow-up care to the student, which must include making a 911 emergency call.

 

Approved: July 25, 1978

Revised: July 14, 1998

Revised: June 26, 2001

Revised: November 27, 2007

Revised: September 28, 2010

Revised: February 9, 2016

Revised: November 22, 2025

 

Garfield School District No. Re-2, Rifle, Colorado