OAN Staff James Meyers
1:24 PM – Friday, August 16, 2024
A Boise, Idaho school district is requiring students to have parental permission before they can get a Band-Aid or headache medication from school nurses or staff.
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Senate Bill 1329 went into effect in July and includes a section that states that “an individual shall not furnish a health care service or solicit to furnish a health care service to a minor child without obtaining the prior consent of the minor child’s parent.”
On Wednesday, Boise administrators sent out a memo to parents asking that they fill out a consent form. The district now needs permission “before non-life threatening medical services can be provided to minors,” per Senate Bill 1329, the message said.
Among the things the district said it needed consent for was the use of routine first aid, Band-Aids, mental health check-ins and over-the-counter headache medicine, the memo states.
“While the Boise School District is not a health care provider in general, and does not diagnose medical conditions, we do provide services that are covered by the new law,” it reads.
The Idaho School Boards Association said that “while it may not be the legislative intent of the sponsors to require explicit permission to provide a band-aid,” they are urging school districts and charter schools to obtain consent.
“While it may be strange to parents who are being asked to do this, they should know that the district or charter are following the new statute created by SB 1329 … and could be faced with a civil penalty if they fail to comply,” executive director Misty Swanson said in a statement.
“It was existing ISBA guidance to receive parental permission regarding the dispensing of any medication. While we don’t know of any other districts sending out memos like Boise School District, all public schools in Idaho are required to follow the new statute or again be faced with civil penalties,” Swanson added.
According to the statute, it states that any time an individual provides a health care service, like examinations and care, parental consent must be given first.
A one time waiver for parents to sign off on is nothing out of the ordinary, but due to the new law, it has schools taking additional steps to not break the law.
The new law applies to all students in the Boise School District who are 18 and under.
The West Ada School District told KTVB of Boise that it has required consent for over 15 years but is “now operating with an increased level of awareness in light of recent legislation.”
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