Administration of medication in schools?

Question

what is the protocol for administering regular medication to special needs pupils (aged8) in mainstream school. who is the person resonsible for giving it within the school, is it the support assistant who deals with the child or the classroom assistant who has no real dealings with the child other than general duties. thanks

Answer 1

The problem you have is that terms like "support assistant" and "classroom assistant" are not universally applied.  

However, none of the laws that I have ever seen (IDEA and sec 504) in particular will dileneate to that degree.  That is typically left to school policy provided those policies do not contravene any state or locality specific laws or rules.  

The best way to find out is to ask the school for their policy and take it to your local state required advocacy agency.  They usually take a name like "center for disability law".

Answer 2

every school district has their own policies on how to deal with this and who administers the meds

check with your local school board or school principal

Answer 3

in answer to you comment:

you have asked a question and people are doing their best to answer it, you have a really awful atitute, it sounds like you are either the support assistant or the classroom assistant and theres been a prob in deciding who administers the meds, if so poor child if this is the way you deal with things, by just talking down to people.

original answer to question.

you don't say what the medication is for which i think makes a difference, if it is an inhaler or general medicine i feel the office staff can store monitor this. where as like my son who is epileptic and the school needed to know how to administer emergency meds, then the community nurse came in and trained all staff (teachers, LSA, Dinners ladies etc) but it was assigned to the 3 teachers who were first aiders to be the main carer of him and his meds. hope this helps

Answer 4

The rules are fairly strict and in my school one member of the office staff deals with the medicine, the drugs cabinet and the medical fridge.  She has done the courses and passed exams on medicines in schools.

Answer 5

When I worked in a special education school office, the support assistant was responsible as she was the person who a) knew the child best and b) was best known by the child.  However, that was 7 years ago and like everything else the rules may have changed.  Good luck and hope you get everything arranged to your satisfaction.

Answer 6

AT least in my school district the medication must be kept in a locked cabinet in the school office and the parents must have a doctors note specific to administering the medication and the office staff is responsible for administering medication for all students special and general ed. who require medication at school.

Answer 7

Usually it is the school nurse, who deals with medical issues.

Answer 8

That's a good question and I have run into it when I was asked to administer medication on a camping trip. I am not comfortable with certain health problems as I have no medical training.

The school needs to provide training to someone, but I doubt it matters who. The training should include another person so if one is absent there is someone to back it up.They are really opening themselves up for a law suit should someone make a mistake.