Medication During School

At the beginning of each year, you'll complete a Medical History and Consent to Treat Form (available in PowerSchool) for each of your children. This form provides our Nurses with important health information and gives them permission to medicate your child throughout the year with specific, over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen or cough drops. Please note, any information provided on the form is confidential to the nursing office. Feel free to contact the School Nurses throughout the year with any updates or changes regarding your child.

If you have any changes to your child's name, phone number, or address, please contact AGCS's Main Office. 

In compliance with the Pennsylvania Department of Health's guidelines for for the administration of medicines and emergency care, we require a doctor's order to administer medications to your child. Please download the Medication Administration Form, complete all of the information, have it signed and dated by a licensed prescriber, and return it to the Health Services Office. 

We often have parents ask if a prescription is accepable in place of a doctor's order; by state law, it is not. The guidelines clarify that a prescription is for a pharmacist to use to dispense medication and includes instructions on how and when to take the medicine. A doctor's medication order provides instruction to the nurse for the administration of the medication. For this reason, AGCS School Nurses cannot administer medication without a doctor’s order. We cannot make exceptions to this state law and appreciate your providing the correct documentation. 

The Avon Grove Charter School nurses recognize a growing trend in CBD containing products being marketed for over the counter use for a variety of ailments.  A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed almost three-quarters of CBD products sold online were either over or under labeled regarding their CBD concentration.  Additionally, these products have the potential to interact with other medications; and can cause harm to the liver.  Until CBD containing products are fully regulated and prescribed by licensed physicians, the AGCS nursing staff will not administer any CBD containing products during the school day. Any supplement that is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not be administered during the school day by the school nurses.

In October 2018, the Pennsylvania School Code was amended to include a section on Sun Protection Measures for Students.  Section 1414.10 states that a school entity shall allow the application of sunscreen during school hours, at a school-sponsored activity, or while under the supervision of school personnel. Review the full legislation, which is available on the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s website.

Parents/guardians may choose to supply their child with non-aerosol topical sunscreen, if it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Parents/guardians must complete and submit this permission form in order for their child to apply sunscreen during school hours, at a school-sponsored activity, or while under the supervision of school personnel.

Due to the staffing needs of the AGCS Nursing Offices and a shortage of substitute nurses, a school nurse will not accompany students on field trips for the purpose of dispensing medications. However, students with an active 504 plan who currently receive daily medication(s) as detail in their 504 at school will have all required nursing services provided during field trips. Only emergency medications (inhalers, Epi-pens) will be permitted to go on field trips. Options for families of students requiring daily medications include the student taking their medication at an adjusted time, before or after the field trip, skipping the dose, or having a parent accompany the student on the trip and administering any medications. Should your child qualify for medication administration on a trip, the following still apply.

Avon Grove Charter School complies with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Medical Practice Act, the Pharmacy Act, and the Professional Nursing Law on all issues of medication administration during school trips. To remain in compliance with these guidelines, the following criteria must be met in order to administer medication to a student. No exceptions will be made.

• A doctor’s medication order must accompany all medications to be given on the trip, including over the counter medications and supplements. A pharmacy label does not meet the requirements of a medication order; a signed order must be on file. A doctor’s order: “provides instruction to the nurse for administration of the medication” (Guidelines for Pennsylvania Schools for the Administration of Medications and Emergency Care).
• All medications for administration on a field trip must be in the nursing office at least 48 hours before the trip. All controlled substances must be brought directly to the nursing office by an adult.
• Prescription medication must be in a pharmacy bottle with proper labeling. Over the counter medications must be in their original packaging.
• Written parental/guardian consent.
• No student is allowed to carry any medication with them on the trip, except for rescue medication that has to be pre-approved by the nurse. A doctor’s order and parental consent still applies to rescue medication.

In lieu of the above guidelines, any parent who wishes to administer medication to their child on a field trip may do so. If you have any questions, please contact the nursing office at 484-667-5000 and select 2.