Dear Parents/Guardians:
Please note a change in medication administration at HISD for next school year:
School districts in Texas are required to follow Texas Education Code, while nursing actions, including those of school nurses, are dictated by the Nursing Practice Act.
All prescription medications and all over the counter (OTC) medications (Tylenol/Motrin/cough medicine) will need a parental consent and physician’s order before they can be administered. All prescriptions must be in a prescription bottle with current prescription date and have student name, dosage, and frequency. All other medicines shall be presented in the original container with physician’s order.
This change is due to changes in guidelines from the following:
Nurses must follow the Nursing Practice Act (NPA) in all settings (including schools). NPA 301.002(2)(C) states that nurses may only administer treatments (including medication) with a written order from a physician or other person with prescribing authority in Texas (MD, DO, APRN, PA, podiatrist, dentist).
According to Texas Administrative Code (TAC, 224.11(c)), when there are two competing laws, nurses must follow the most restrictive law that governs their practice, which in this case is the NPA.
Our nurses will need corresponding documentation prior to administering any of the medications named above or other OTC medications.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as our nurses follow these new guidelines.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Alphin
Superintendent
Harmony ISD