Administration of Medication to Students
Only medication prescribed by a legal prescriber* will be administered during the time the student is at school. A district medication administration permission form must be fully completed and signed by the parent/guardian before medication can be administered. Over the counter medications must also be authorized by a legal prescriber. ** The school will have the right to contact the prescriber’s office to confirm or clarify medication instructions.
All medication will be supplied to the school in the original container, properly labeled, and will be administered only by the school nurse or other personnel who have successfully completed a state-approved medication administration course. It is strongly recommended that a parent/guardian or responsible adult bring medications to the school. Students who have demonstrated competence in administering their own medications may self-administer their medication with approval of the parent/guardian, prescriber and the school nurse. By law, students with asthma or other airway constricting conditions may self-administer their medication with approval of their parents and prescriber regardless of competency. A written medication administration record will be on file at school and retained for five years. All medication will be stored in a secure area in the health office unless an alternate location is approved by the school nurse. Medication records will be kept confidential.
Iowa law allows schools to stock certain medications:
- Epinephrine auto injectors and Bronchodilators. Personnel authorized to administer epinephrine or a bronchodilator may provide or administer an epinephrine auto-injector, a bronchodilator canister, or a bronchodilator canister and spacer, as applicable, from the school’s supply to a student or other individual if such personnel reasonably and in good faith believe the student or other individual is having an anaphylactic reaction or requires treatment for respiratory distress, asthma, or other airway constricting disease.
- Naloxone (Narcan) for use in an individual suspected of having an opioid overdose. Allows a school employee to possess and administer an opioid antagonist to an individual if the school employee reasonably and in good faith believes that the individual is experiencing an opioid-related overdose.
*Legal Prescriber – Physician, dentist, podiatrist, licensed physician assistant, advanced registered nurse practitioner.
** Middle and High School students, in accordance with Health Services protocols for common complaints of pain, may have limited, over-the-counter medication with written parental consent.
Legal Reference:
Iowa Code §§ 124.101, 147.107, 155A.4,152.1, 280.23, 280.16, 280.16A, 281.14, 135.190
Education [281]—14, 41.404
I.A.C. Pharmacy [657]— 8.32 (124, 155A)
I.A.C. Nursing Board [655]—6.2(152)
District Health Services Protocols
- Approved: 10-11-93
- Reviewed: 07-15-96
- Revised: 01-12-98
- Reviewed: 01-11-99
- Revised: 01-10-05, 05-24-10, 02-24-14, 01-14-19, 11-14-2022
- Documents: 605.3b
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