Re: Why won't school nurses give supplements?

August 25, 2006

Melinda.

I have been battling this for over a year now. My school in Ankeny Iowa says

that it is because they are not FDA approved (even though they are GRAS which is

generally regarded as safe according to the FDA). The state of Iowa Nursing

Board has said many years ago that if something is not FDA approved and that if

the school nurses do not feel comfortable administering them then they do not

have to. My particular school nurse has done the research and would feel

comfortable dispensing them but the district says they must remain consistent

throughout the district so they will not allow it. As a result of the past year

of going back and forth they are taking it before the policy committee board to

see if it can be changed. This meeting is scheduled for September. It is soooo

frustrating but I am not going away. He took them on his own for a year before

they advised me that I was breaking the rules now for the last year I go every

day before lunch to give him something that he can do himself. I will let you

know what happens if you are interested.

Hope you have better luck than I have had.

Tami D.

Why won't school nurses give supplements?

We are working with a Dr. and an ARNP and follow their recommendations.

Even with a written note from both we are having problems. Is there

some information I can give the school that tells them they have to

comply with dotors or medical professionals orders. Thanks Melinda

August 25, 2006

If they have a doctor's order or prescription, they already have

everything they need. If they're still refusing, actually it sounds

like you might need an attorney.

My son's first school made things impossible, and we went to mediation

and the people at that level - the mediator and school attorney - were

wonderful. They were disgusted with the principal that they'd been

called in on something so ridiculous. In my son's case they weren't

letting him on the school premises during meal times because he was

GFCF and making me go get him and physically escort him from the

school prior to lunch being served, so he missed the rest of the day,

and the school was being absurd. Don't be afraid to go above their

heads, when necessary.

Amy

>

> We are working with a Dr. and an ARNP and follow their

recommendations.

> Even with a written note from both we are having problems. Is there

> some information I can give the school that tells them they have to

> comply with dotors or medical professionals orders. Thanks Melinda

>

August 26, 2006

>

> We are working with a Dr. and an ARNP and follow their recommendations.

> Even with a written note from both we are having problems. Is there

> some information I can give the school that tells them they have to

> comply with dotors or medical professionals orders.

You can write it into the IEP.

You can ask which doctor on the school's staff is overruling your

doctor. Ask for the policy in writing.

Other ideas here

http://www.enzymestuff.com/discussionschool.htm

Dana

August 26, 2006

>

> This just infuriorates me for the parents who have to deal with

this. I would be threatening them with legal action.

My son takes his own enzymes and he's only going into 2nd grade! I

wouldn't want the nurse to give them to him, because he doesn't need

them with every meal or snack. He only takes No-Fenol and so it

depends what he eats. I put a pill right into the ziplock with his

food if he needs it; otherwise, he knows there's no " zoinky " food

and he doesn't need a pill. I cleared this with the school

secretary, who cleared it with the principal, who cleared it with

the school nurse. Nobody questioned it. I had to fill out a form

and show them the bottle. One time there was a substitute teacher

and she went a little crazy on him when she saw him taking a pill.

He was all bent out of shape about it, but I reminded him that she

was looking out for his safety and doing her job.

Otherwise, there have been no issues whatsoever with him taking his

enzymes at school. I have a good relationship with much of the

staff & administration; they seemed just fine with it.

August 31, 2006

Our school district requires a written order from a child's physician

and the pills must be in the correct bottle with a current

prescription. Since enzymes don't come in a regular " prescription "

bottle, I decided to save the hassle by making the chocolate wafers.

I found some GFCF chocolate chips in our local health food store and

whipped up a batch for the freezer. My son (and his teacher) knows

that he is supposed to eat his " chocolate candy " first. I could have

gone through all the steps and forced the issue, but this is the

easiest solution for me. It may not be the best solution for you and

your child, but it works well for us.

Maureen

September 1, 2006

Our physician just asked us to bring the bottles in for him and he wrote us a

script, without hesitation for the school. I think this is an interesting issue

because our school district's policy is that students can have over the counter

medication without a prescription, but in the original bottle and labeled with

the child's name and dosing instructions; yet enzymes are over the counter, and

we need a new script for every little change in dose or manner of consumption.

September 2, 2006

Tami, I live in Ames, Iowa. Please keep me posted on what happens.

Thanks, Melinda

> Melinda.

>

> My school in Ankeny Iowa says that it is because they are not FDA

approved (even though they are GRAS which is generally regarded as safe

according to the FDA).

September 3, 2006

I will keep you posted. I get so frustrated because he took them on his own for

a year before I was told I was breaking the rules. It's embarrassing to him to

have to be pulled aside if I am 2 minutes late in getting to the school. I try

to do it between subjects or between specials and going to class but I sometimes

don't make it and it breaks my heart to see him look around to see if anyone is

watching. It could be completely avoided if they let him take them by himself.

The Ankeny administration office kept going back to some memo from the Iowa

board of nursing which stated they couldn't administer anything that was not FDA

approved. I asked to see the memo. They showed it to me and ironically it was

signed by my mothers sister (she is the head of the Iowa Nursing). I read it

and called her for an interpretation. She said that it is the nurse's decision

based on whether they feel comfortable doing so. My school nurse says she has

done a lot of research and based on that along with hers and my relationship she

would be ok with giving them to him but then the district attorney said they

have to remain consistent throughout the district. I don't know but we just got