There’s a lot you have to do before sending your child to school: buying their school supplies, talking to their teachers, etc. If your child has allergies, you also need to have a care plan in place in case they develop a reaction at school. One of the ways we treat severe allergic reactions, called anaphylaxis, is with an emergency epinephrine shot (EpiPen®).
Let’s look at the rules regarding EpiPens in schools and how you can ensure your child receives the care they need in an emergency.
Can Schools in Indiana Stock EpiPens?
Schools in Indiana are allowed to stock EpiPens but are not required to. That means that you may need to provide the school with EpiPens for your child. In some cases, schools will stock a few EpiPens in case a child forgets their medication or has an unknown allergy, but request that parents of children with known allergies provide their own EpiPens.
Administering EpiPens in School
Indiana allows school employees to administer emergency medication to students if they have received training in recognizing a life-threatening emergency and administering the medication properly. The school employee is required to submit a report to the Indiana Department of Education within 10 days of administering the medication.
Schools are also required to establish policies and procedures to identify which employees can administer medication, when they are permitted to do so, what training they are required to complete, who will administer their training, how many EpiPens they store, where the EpiPens are located and stored, when the medication will be available, how they replace it after use and who will write reports after using the medication.
You can find more information about Indiana’s law surrounding EpiPens here.[1]
Students Carrying and Administering EpiPen Shots
All states have laws allowing students to carry and self-administer prescribed EpiPen shots.[2] If your child is old enough to carry the medication, it’s crucial that they know when and how to administer it. If they’re too young to administer the shot themselves, give their medication directly to trained school faculty.
We can walk your child through identifying anaphylaxis and administering an EpiPen shot. With some education and clear communication between you, your child and the school, you can feel confident that they’ll get the care they need.
Contact Ear, Nose and Throat Associates to schedule your appointment with one of our specialists today.
[1] Indiana Code § 16-41-43 (2015). Emergency administration of epinephrine. https://statecodesfiles.justia.com/indiana/2015/title-16/article-41/chapter-43/chapter-43.pdf
[2] Allergy & Asthma Network. (n.d.). State laws. Advocacy with Allergy & Asthma Network. https://advocacy.allergyasthmanetwork.org/state-laws/