PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Should children at Philadelphia extended-day school programs administer their own medication in a health emergency? One prominent Philly parent said that’s what she was told her child should do.
The city has touted before- and after-school sessions as part of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Extended Day, Extended Year program. But former school board member Mallory Fix-Lopez, who has a third-grader with a severe nut allergy in the before- and after-school program at Childs Elementary, said providers were unable to give her their policy for administering medications in a health emergency, such as an allergic reaction.
“I had asked the … after-care providers how students will access emergency medications,” she said. “I was looked at like a deer in the headlights.
“These providers are not trained, nor do they — nor have they — expressed that it’s a responsibility to do so,” she continued. “The continued response is that children have to self-administer.”
Fix-Lopez said providers told her repeatedly that children would have to administer medication themselves. She said it’s not an issue during school hours when there is a nurse on duty who has access to an EpiPen.
“What we’d be looking for is a written plan or protocol for how children with special medical needs will have access to their life-saving medication during, after and before care. And also who is responsible for — and trained for — the administration of those,” Fix-Lopez said.
In a statement to KYW Newsradio, the city’s Office of Children and Families said that in accordance with state law, providers do administer medication if they are given the medication and instructions.
“The safety, health and well-being of students enrolled in City of Philadelphia Out of School Time or Extended Day/Extended Year programs is our top concern,” the statement reads. “Pursuant to State law and/or contractual obligations, the private providers who run these programs, can and do administer medication, such as an EpiPen, to students if they have been given permission, the actual medication, and appropriate instructions (including a prescription) from a student’s parent or guardian.”