5330 - ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION/EMERGENCY CARE
The Board shall not be responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of student illness. The administration of medication to a student during school hours will be permitted only when failure to do so would jeopardize the health of the student, the student would not be able to attend school if the medication were not administered during school hours, or a student with disabilities requires medication to benefit from the student's educational program.
For purposes of this policy, "practitioner" shall include any physician, naturopathic doctor, dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, physician assistant, and advanced practice nurse prescriber who is licensed in any state. "Medication" shall include all drugs including those prescribed by a practitioner and any nonprescription drug products. "Administer" means the direct application of a nonprescription drug product or prescription drug, whether by injection, ingestion, or other means, to the human body. "Nonprescription drug product" means any non-narcotic drug product which may be sold without a prescription order and which is prepackaged for use by consumers and labeled in accordance with the requirements of State and Federal law.
Administration of Prescription Drug Products by School Staff
Before any prescribed medication may be administered to any student during school hours, the Board shall require the written instructions from the child's practitioner accompanied by the written authorization of the parent. Such documentation shall be kept on file in the school office nurse's office. Prescription medication must be provided in the original container with the prescription label showing the name and telephone number of the pharmacy, the student’s name, the name of the physician, the name of the drug, and the dosage to be administered.
Administration of Nonprescription Drug Products by School Staff
Nonprescription drug products may be administered to any student during school hours only with the prior written consent of the parent. Such documentation shall be kept on file in the school office nurse's office. Substances, that are not FDA approved (i.e., natural products, food supplements), will require the written instruction of a practitioner and the written consent of the parent. Nonprescription drugs that are provided by the parent may be administered by school staff only if the nonprescription drugs are supplied in the original manufacturer's package which lists the ingredients, recommended therapeutic dosage in a legible format and the student's name. Any dosage of nonprescription medication other than that listed on the medication’s packaging must be authorized in writing by a medical practitioner.
Student Possession of Medication
Students are prohibited from possessing, using, carrying, or distributing in school, at school-sponsored events, or on school grounds any drugs or other products which, even though not defined as a drug, are used or marketed for use for medicinal purposes, such as to relieve pain or to relieve the symptoms of an underlying medical condition (including aspirin, ibuprofen, dietary supplements, CBD oil products, etc.).
The provisions of this policy are to be viewed together with the Board policy on Drug Prevention, Policy 5530 - Student Use or Possession of Intoxicants, Drugs, or Paraphernalia.
CBD Products at Schools
No CBD products will be permitted for use at school or at school-sponsored events.
Use of Essential Oils
Students are prohibited from using essential oils at school.
General Provisions
Parents may administer medication at school or at school-sponsored events.
No student is allowed to provide or sell any type of medication to another student. Violations of this rule will be considered violations of the Student Code of Conduct and Policy 5530 -Student use or Possession of Intoxicants, Drugs or Paraphernalia.
Any bus driver, staff member or volunteer, authorized in writing by, the District Administrator, or a principal, is immune from liability for their acts or omissions in administering medication including, but not limited to glucagon, an opioid antagonist, and epinephrine, unless the act or omission constitutes a high degree of negligence and, in the case of any staff member or volunteer who administers an opioid antagonist, the staff member or volunteer contacts emergency medical services as soon as practicable after administering the drug to report the suspected overdose. Such immunity does not apply to health-care professionals.
The Board shall permit the administration by staff of any medication requiring a delivery method other than oral ingestion when both the medication and the procedure are prescribed by a practitioner and the delivery is under the supervision of a licensed nurse, provided that the staff member has completed any necessary training and the staff member voluntarily agrees to deliver the medication. No staff member, other than a health care professional, may be required to administer medications that are administered by means other than oral ingestion.
Any staff member or volunteer who, in good faith, renders emergency care to a student is immune from civil liability for their acts or omissions in rendering such emergency care.
Any administrator or principal who authorizes an employee or volunteer to administer a nonprescription drug product or prescription drug to a student is immune from civil liability for the act of authorization unless it constitutes a high degree of negligence or the administrator or principal authorizes a person who has not received the required Department of Public Instruction training to administer the nonprescription drug product or prescription drug to a student. School nurses, as District employees, are regulated by the Wisconsin Nurse Practice Act and are therefore not necessarily immune from civil liability.
Any time a student, or a group of students, participates in a school event not on District premises, District staff responsible for organizing and/or supervising the event will take steps so that Emergency Medical Information Forms, Health Plans, or Section 504 Plans are available in the event of an emergency. This includes, and is not limited to, all school-sponsored or school-related activities, including music trips, athletic trips, field trips, and academic contests. This does not include student spectators at events.
A BS nurse providing services or consultation on the District’s Emergency Nursing Services Plan has provided assistance in the development of this policy and will also provide a periodic review of the written instructions and consent forms and the Medications Administration Daily Log(s). The plan shall state whether and to what extent the District or individual schools will retain opioid antagonists for use in the event an authorized employee or volunteer observes an apparent overdose.
Opioid Antagonist Plan
The District's Emergency Nursing Service Plan shall state whether and to what extent the District will retain opioid antagonists for use in the event an authorized employee or volunteer observes an apparent overdose. The District's plan for administration of an opioid antagonist shall be posted on the District's website.
Epinephrine Auto-Injectors
The Board intends to adopt and maintain a plan for managing students with life-threatening allergies so as to permit each school to obtain a school prescription for epinephrine auto-injectors and to permit each school nurse and designated school personnel to administer them. Accordingly, the Board directs the school nursing staff, in consultation with the District Administrator, to develop a plan that meets the following:
- specifies those designated school personnel that have agreed to receive training and that will be trained and authorized to perform the functions of the plan;
- identifies the specific training program that will be implemented to prepare each school nurse and designated school personnel to identify the signs of anaphylaxis and to provide or administer epinephrine auto-injectors accordingly;
- delineates the permissible scope of usage to include providing District-owned epinephrine auto-injectors to students who have a prescription on file with the school in the event the student is experiencing an anaphylactic event and/or administering epinephrine auto-injectors to such students, and/or administering epinephrine auto-injector treatment to any student, regardless of whether the student has a prescription on file or the staff member so trained is not aware of whether the student has a prescription on file, but believes in good faith the student is suffering from anaphylaxis, provided that the staff member immediately contacts emergency medical services;
- identifies the number and type of epinephrine auto-injectors each school will keep on-site and identifies a member of the nursing staff or other school official who will be responsible for maintaining the epinephrine auto-injectors supply;
- is approved by a physician licensed in the State of Wisconsin;
- notes that the school and any school nurse or designated school personnel that provide or administer epinephrine auto-injectors under this plan are immune from civil liability for any harm that may result, regardless of whether there is a parental or medical provider authorization, unless the administration was a result of gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct;
- is published on the District's website or the website of each school.
Revised 4/2/18
Revised 1/18/21
T.C. 6/21/21
Revised 10/16/23
Revised 10/21/24
Revised 3/17/25
T.C. 1/16/26
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