Complexities of Healthcare in Education

Did you know that approximately 49% of 915,000 students enrolled in High Schools in New York experience a gut-wrenching pain that studies have shown can be as bad, or even worse, than a heart attack? This pain is commonly known as menstrual pain which plagues every woman in different intensities but is scientifically compared to a heart attack at its worst.

Most people would just reply, “So? Just take an Advil.”

However, it is a common struggle among students who battle chronic pains, menstrual pain, and body pain, as well as the parents of these students that self-administering medication as simple as over-the-counter Advil or ibuprofen can become a long and unnecessarily complex process on school grounds.

THE MEDICAL POLICY PROCESS

In all schools in New York, all controlled substances (medicine) must be prescribed and stored in the school health office coupled with a new Medication Administration Form or Medically Prescribed Treatment form which has to be renewed every school year.

This means that students are strictly not allowed to carry medicine with them, even simple over-the-counter pills, and either wait out until lunch or a free period to visit the nurse’s office to get their medicine (the second option: arriving fashionably late to class) despite any form of horrid pain that couples common chronic pains, headaches, menstrual pain, muscle pain, etc.

Even before obtaining these over-the-counter drugs, a parent/guardian must send students to school with a new Medication Administration Form that details the dose, time intervals between doses, student info, and even a photograph of the student. Although every school does things slightly differently, the majority of schools require a prescription for any form of medication on school grounds, including over-the-counter drugs meaning you would have to get a doctor’s prescription for ibuprofen, aspirin, and Acetaminophen (Tylenol) even for simple headaches, muscle ache, and menstrual pain.

Some schools even go as far as to call the parent/guardian every time the student goes to the nurse's office to assure parental consent despite the Medication Administration Form being filled out prior to any intake. In addition to this, the bottle or box must be given unopened and brand new (if the school doesn’t already have it) for safekeeping within the school. It is undoubtedly that this unnecessarily long process is intimidating for both students and parents, forcing many students to endure pain which will inevitably hinder their academic performance, or have parents slip students their prescription without knowledge of the school which often leads to students getting disciplinary action when caught.

THE CONTROVERSY

Much of the controversy surrounding these policies on over-the-counter medication in schools stems from the undeniable drug overdose issues that only seem to be increasing with each passing year. It is only right that schools be overprotective about substances that can lead to dangerous consequences especially while schools are being held liable for students’ health, wellness, and safety.

It is indisputable that policies should be put in place to monitor the type of medicine students are bringing into school and how often they are needed to avoid drugs like fentanyl in schools which has become a pivotal problem all over the world. However, these policies should be put in place in order to help and support students rather than be a means to restrict, demean, and harm students.

James W., a commenter on the Motherlode blog, argues, “...Such zero-tolerance policies are a clear indicator that virtually everyone at the top of the command structure of these organizations is pretty clueless, and that cluelessness runs right down the chain when it’s implemented lock-step.”

Agreeing to this notion, J.C. responds assertively, “It is exceedingly difficult to comprehend the grand scale idiocy of the educational system in regards to student health care. Per individual districts, a middle or high school student cannot bring and then take their own OTC pain reliever. Still, in the State of Alaska, a female as young as 13 years old can obtain an abortion without the knowledge, let alone actual consent, of her parents or legal guardians as protection of her rights to privacy. Yeah, let’s not give a child an aspirin, but she can have surgery without parental consent.”

PUBLIC OPINION - STUDENTS AND PARENTS VS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Richard Smith, a retired otolaryngologist; and pharmacist, answered the question “Is it OK to bring ibuprofen to school?” on Quora, saying “Even the question points to an overreach of school authority. When I was younger, I could bring medications to school with me, with no problem, and no involvement of the school. The only person who needed to know was my mother. Now schools have put themselves in between the physician, parent, and child.”

Smith continues to recall moments in his career that have stuck with him, “As a physician, I was asked to write notes that a child was to be permitted to bring medication to school. The child was forced to relinquish them to the nurse even though the child was responsible and perfectly capable of self-administration. It seemed strange that a note was required even though the medication bottle had a pharmacy label with the name of the patient, the name of the medication, instructions for use, and my name as the prescriber. Why was the label not sufficient documentation for this? Perhaps it is time for the public to question school authority.”

Echoing his ideas, a junior, A.K., says “I’ve never really dug too deep into the process for being able to carry over-the-counter medication because I’ve only ever needed one or two Advil occasionally on my [menstration] cycle.” They went on, “I didn’t feel like there was a need to go through the entire process when I could just slip one [Advil] in when I feel like I can’t concentrate anymore.”

Agreeing with A.K., junior N.R. says, “I think it’s a bit unethical to punish us for taking over-the-counter medication for things like period cramps and headaches, even though most of us are already 16-18 and perfectly able to self-administer painkillers, which we have been doing our entire lives as females and should be encouraged to, as we won’t have the school nurse in our back pockets to administer our dosage for us later in life.”

And so, leaving it in the hands of the viewers, is it right for school faculty to punish students for taking over-the-counter medication in school for menstrual pain, chronic pain, muscle pain, and headaches? This active debate has facilitated many studies, articles, and discourse.

How do you predict the future of our healthcare in school will be carried out?