MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION IN THE SCHOOL

WHEREAS, the benefits of advances in research, technology and healthcare delivery have enabled infants who would never have survived premature delivery to do so, resulting in an increase in the number of children with developmental disabilities and chronic health issues; and

WHEREAS, 25 percent of children and adolescents have chronic health conditions, including asthma, seizure disorders, hypertension, diabetes and life-threatening food allergies, that may affect their ability to be in school and learn, and require ongoing monitoring, medication administration, and emergency intervention; and

WHEREAS, health and ability to learn are directly linked; and

WHEREAS, more than approximately 75 percent of schoolchildren (45 million) missed at least one day of school, and 5 percent missed 11 or more days, due to illness or injury, and absenteeism contributes to lower graduation rates; and

WHEREAS, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act identifies the ongoing and expert management of chronic illnesses as a primary goal to reduce costs and improve quality of life; and

WHEREAS, the school nurse addresses the physical, emotional, social and behavioral health needs of children and supports their achievement in the learning process; and

WHEREAS, school nurses and healthcare services are funded through education dollars, making them extremely vulnerable when budget cuts take place and requiring that school personnel assume their responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, 43 states have laws that allow for unlicensed personnel in schools to administer potent and controlled medications such as insulin, Valium, and epinephrine; and

WHEREAS, any unlicensed person administering medication to a student should do so strictly on a voluntary basis and be able to decline without retribution; and

WHEREAS, training for school employees is frequently brief, automated and lacking any method to observe the competence of the individual; and

WHEREAS, the safety and well-being of students are at risk when unlicensed personnel take on the duties of licensed health professionals:

RESOLVED, that the ongoing, chronic and acute healthcare needs of schoolchildren will be managed by school nurses who are educated and prepared to provide professional assessment, intervention and evaluation and that these positions should not be treated as disposable depending on budgetary issues; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates will lobby for and support federal, state and local initiatives that would institute and maintain school nursing positions and find dedicated healthcare dollars to support those positions; and

RESOLVED, that the union and its members will play a role in the design, development, evaluation and monitoring of the content of the medication-administration training curriculum and the training itself; and

RESOLVED, that AFT locals will work with school districts to ensure that school personnel who volunteer to be trained to administer medications to students have access to immediate support from licensed school nurses for consultation, assessment of treatment effectiveness and recommend further or complementary treatment; and

RESOLVED, that in the absence of a school nurse, or in an emergency situation, any unlicensed person administering medication to a student should do so only after substantive, in-person training has been provided by a licensed health professional, preferably a school nurse, who can answer questions, demonstrate and observe a return demonstration to make certain that basic safety precautions and techniques are maintained, and answer any and all questions identified by the unlicensed person; and

RESOLVED, that volunteers will receive training that is deemed sufficient by the recipient of the training and includes "live" training, interactive workshops, demonstrations and return demonstrations, and an opportunity to opt out if the learner feels insufficiently prepared following training; and

RESOLVED, that the trainer will have the professional autonomy and authority to determine a person unqualified to manage medication administration based on the trainer’s professional judgment.