Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 officials announced new procedures for administering medications during the school day after a nurse was fired for giving students the wrong medication.
In particular, prescription controlled substances dispensed by parents at school must be certified not only by the school nurse but also by a witness.
Under the new rules, the witness can be another nurse or a member of the school administration.
This second person must also check the patient’s room weekly to ensure that the contents of the medication bottle match the written prescription description and quantities. A parent can also request such a check.
If a discrepancy is found, school administrators will initiate an investigation and contact the student’s parents. If a controlled substance is missing, district officials will notify Arlington Heights Police.
In May, the school board fired a Westgate Elementary School nurse who remains under police investigation for possible abuse of prescription drugs intended for students. No criminal charges have been filed.
“While this action addressed the immediate problem, we and our district administration knew more needed to be done,” said School Board President Greg Scapillato. “We knew that greater oversight was needed at all levels of our school district. We needed to take further action to address the breach of trust.”
Led by Assistant Director of Student Services Diane Kaffka, district administrators, nurses and legal counsel recommended the new medication management procedures after reviewing the old ones over the summer.
The new rules also require all controlled medications to be kept in the school’s health department in a locked medication container and cabinet accessible only to nurses and school administrators. The district will also purchase special locked bags in case students need to take medications on field trips.
Also new this school year is that all parent-dispensed prescription medications will be limited to a 30-day supply. That applies to controlled substances like Adderall to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and rescue medications like albuterol for students with asthma, Kaffka said.
Any over-the-counter medications brought to school – such as painkillers or allergy tablets – must now be in their original sealed packaging, she added.
According to Kaffka, the district now differentiates its approach according to the type of medication, which was not the case before.
New Superintendent Brian Kaye sent parents the full 13-page list of medication procedures on Wednesday after Kaffka presented it at a board meeting Tuesday night.
The first day of school is August 29th.
