Change in Medication Policy
All parents will be receiving a letter this summer to advise them about a medication policy change in our schools. We need to make this change to bring us into compliance with the Professional Nursing Law of PA (P.L. 317, No. 69). In addition to the legal consideration, our students’ safety is always our first concern. Because we continue to see an increase in the number of students who take prescription medicine on a regular basis, we are increasingly concerned about the possibility of drug interactions when additional medicine is sent into school. Therefore, effective September 2009, Great Valley School District will require a physician written order for the school nurses to administer any medication sent into our schools.
Our goal is to make this policy change as easy as possible for parents while we work to ensure our students’ safety. Compliance with this policy change can happen in a number of ways:
- Securing a written order from the doctor at the time of the appointment or yearly physical appointment for a medication taken as needed throughout the year,
- Requesting the doctor to fax a written prescription order to the school nurse,
- Administering the medicine before or after school.
- You may administer medication to your student at school.
Please remember that your consent for some "over-the-counter" medications is given via your signature on the Annual Emergency/Medical Update Card, issued to you every June. These medications include:
- Acetaminophen (generic Tylenol),
- Ibuprofen (generic Advil or Motrin),
- Calcium Antacid (generic TUMS),
- For Emergency Only:
1. Diphenhydramine HCl (generic Benadryl),
2. Epinephrine Auto-Injector ,"EpiPen"
These medications will not need an additional doctor’s written order. If you have not returned your child’s Emergency/Medical Update Card, please do so as soon as possible.
We thank you in advance for your support in keeping our students safe and keeping us in compliance with our Nursing Law. The new form can be found in your elementary handbook in the fall, and right here online via the "Forms" link on the left.