If under exceptional circumstances a student is required to take medication during school hours, only the school nurse or the nurse’s designee may administer the medication to the student in compliance with the following regulation. In the alternative, the parent/guardian may come to school to administer the medication.
- All directives of the accompanying policy will be followed.
- Written orders from the student’s health care practitioner with prescriptive authority under Colorado law must be on file in the school stating:
- Student’s name
- Name of medication
- Dosage
- Purpose of the medication
- Time of day medication is to be given
- Anticipated number of days it needs to be given at school
- Possible side effects
- The medication must be brought to school in a container appropriately labeled by the pharmacy or health care practitioner.
- An individual record must be kept of medications administered by school personnel.
- Medication must be stored in a clean, locked cabinet or container. Emergency medications (such as epinephrine) must be inaccessible to students, but immediately available to trained school personnel and not in a locked cabinet.
Unless these requirements are met, medication will not be administered to students at school.
Self-Administration of Medication
A school may permit a student to possess and self-administer medication, such as an inhaler, epinephrine, or other prescription medication, if all of the following conditions are met:
- Written authorization signed by the student’s health care practitioner must be on file with the school which must include the student’s name; the name, purpose, prescribed dosage, frequency, and length of time between dosages of the medication(s) to be self-administered; and confirmation that the student has been instructed and is capable of self-administration of the medication.
- The school nurse or school administrator, in consultation with the school nurse, the student’s health care practitioner, and the student’s parent/guardian collaborate to make an assessment of the student’s knowledge of their condition and ability to self-administer medication.
- A written statement signed by the student’s parent/guardian must be on file with the school, which must include permission for the student to self-administer their medication and a release from liability for any injury arising from the student’s self-administration of such medication.
- A written contract between the school nurse, school administrator, the student, and the student’s parent/guardian must be on file with the school, assigning levels of responsibility to the student’s parent/guardian, student, and school employees.
A treatment plan authorizing a student to possess and self-administer medication for asthma or anaphylaxis is effective only for the school year in which it is approved.
A student must report to the school nurse or designee or to some adult at the school immediately after the student uses an emergency use epinephrine during school hours. Upon receiving such report from a student, the school nurse, designee, or other adult will provide appropriate follow-up care to the student, which must include making a 911 emergency call.
Revised: November 2015
Reviewed: August 2020
Revised: August 2021
Revised: August 2025
Lake County School District R-1, Leadville, Colorado