Another idiotic school policy that hurts children. [View all]

[pnwmom]

Another school administration with no common sense.

And two children, with blistering sunburns, who have just doubled their lifetime risk of melanoma.

This was the children's first field day, and their mother wasn't aware of the district's anti-sunscreen policy. Take a look at the girls' pictures if you don't think this is a serious issue.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/jesse-michener-sunburn_n_1618964.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular


On Tuesday, sisters Violet, 11, and Zoe, 9, came home from school with severe sunburns -- they were outside for 5 hours for field day and were not allowed to apply sunscreen because of a school policy, their mom posted on her blog.

"Two of my three children experienced significant sunburns. Like, hurts-to-look-at burns," Jesse Michener from Washington wrote. It was raining that morning, so Michener didn't apply sunscreen on her kids. But even if she had, the kids would have needed another coat once the sun came out (the AAP recommends applying sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 every two hours). The girls weren't allowed to put any sunblock on though, and the reason cited was school policy.

Tacoma Public School district spokesman Dan Voelpel told Yahoo! Shine that, according to statewide law, teachers are not allowed to apply sunscreen to students and students can only apply it to themselves if they have a doctor's note.

Mom was particularly outraged because her daughter Zoe has a form of Albinism. She said the school's staff was aware of her condition, and they still didn't make an exception.

SNIP

(PHOTOS AT LINK)

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More from the mother's blog:

http://lifephotographed.com/2012/06/burn-babies-burn/

I took all three children to Tacoma General last night and their burns were met with concern from doctors and staff alike. Violet is starting to blister on her face. Both children have headaches, chills and pain. Two are home today as a direct result of how terrible they feel.
As much as I am saddened about the burns, I realize my deepest concerns revolve around everything but the sunburns.

Let me back up a bit and share what I experienced yesterday: after seeing the kids upon returning home from work, I immediately went to the school to speak with the principal. Her response centered around the the school inability to administer what they considered a prescription/medication (sunscreen) for liability reasons. And while I can sort of wrap my brain around this in theory, the practice of a blanket policy which clearly allows for students to be put in harm’s way is deeply flawed. Not only does a parent have to take an unrealistic (an un-intuitive) step by visiting a doctor for a “prescription” for an over-the-counter product, children are not allowed to carry it on their person and apply as needed. Had my children gone to school slathered in sunscreen (which they did not, it was raining), by noon – when the sun came out – they would have needed to reapply anyway. Something as simple as as sun hat might seem to bypass the prescription issue to some extent. Alas, hats are not allowed at school, even on field day.

My children indicated that several adults commented on their burns at school, including staff and other parents. One of my children remarked that their teacher used sunscreen in her presence and that it was “just for her.” So, is this an issue of passive, inactive supervision? Where is the collective awareness for student safety? If they were getting stung by bees, teachers would remove them. Staff need to be awake to possible threats or safety issues and be able to take action. Prolonged sun exposure leads to burns: either put sunscreen on or, at the very least, remove the child from the sun. A simple call would have brought me to that school in minutes to assist my kids.

SNIP