end of year sending meds home

[Apples&Oranges]

So, I am working as a PT school nurse right now, and I will be sending letters home next week about meds going home in June. I have a form letter left by the previous nurse (I am a permanent job sharing sub- NOT a CSN) and I am comfortable sending things like inhalers, Epi Pens, Ibuprofen, Celexa, etc., home with Bobby on the last day - not that any of them will show up to get them.

Here's my question: While I will not, under any circumstance send little Bobby home on the bus with 20 IR Ritalin/Adderal tabs (for him to sell, get stolen, crush and snort himself, whatever,) is it ok to send XR Ritalin home on the bus? I read that even if opened and crushed the beads in the XR capsules will not get one high. IDK if this is true (never tried it, ha!) but would you feel comfortable sending this med home with a kiddo? It is still a class 2 controlled substance, right?

Obviously if the kiddo/parent does not come in to claim it, I'm just going to throw it out with a witness anyway, but if he or she does stop in and want to take a controlled substance home on the last day, what should I do?

BTW, I cannot find a facility policy on this, even after asking the secretary (who legit knows EVERYTHING) or the principal.

Any guidance would be appreciated! Thanks!

[AdobeRN]

Our district policy is that students can not have any medications on them at all - Parents must bring in/pick up all medications. The exception are the diabetics, CF kids that have enzymes or those kids that have a doctor's note stating it is ok to carry inhaler or Epipens.

I send an email home about a week before school is out reminding parents to pick up medications. Meds that are not picked up by the last day are disposed. It is so wasteful - we throw out so much.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

Like many, I send a letter home. I will send home inhaler/Epi-pens with students (MS/HS kiddos, several self-carry to begin with), but other meds must be picked up by a parent. I have a sign-off sheet for pick-up.

If a parent has another Epi-pen at home and the one I have is valid through the next school year, I do have a spot where they can check allowing me to store the Epi-pen properly over the summer for use next year, provided they give me an updated order. I added this because getting some of those Epi-pens can be a hassle. However, many school Epi-pens become camp Epi-pens. We have a summer camp run by my school (no nurse here for it, different story), and I can delegate an Epi-pen to the camp coordinator with parent permission/sign-off.

I do, however, have some students over the age of 18. They can take home their own meds, but must also complete the sign-off sheet at pick-up.

I dispose of any meds not picked up at my local police station's med drop off location. I usually take a witness for the ride if I can, or I will have a witness watch me put the medications into a small sharps box prior to my drop-off.

[grammy1]

Anything a student carries (insulin, epi-pen, etc), I let them carry home. Other than that, we send a letter home, anything not picked up (Rx) is disposed of. Ibuprofen, tylenol, etc are put in a staff meds drawer for use during the next school year.

[JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN]

We are not authorized to send medication of any kind home with a student. I send a letter about picking up medication a few weeks before school ends. I do a phone call the last week of school for any stragglers and anything not picked up by the last day gets sent with the SRO and disposed of at the sheriff's station.

[Supernrse01, BSN]

I don't send medications with students. Our policy is a parent or guardian must pick up the medications. The only exception to that rule, of course, are those students that have completed the appropriate forms and are already self-carrying their rescue inhaler or Epipen.

[SchoolNurseTXstyle]

I will send epi-pens and Inhalers only!!! All other meds must be picked up by parent.

[tining, BSN, RN]

The last refill I get; for controlled substances, I count out how many days of school left and mom takes the rest home. Last day = last pill.

[tamarae1]

It sucks to have to destroy meds at the end of the year. District policy here states that meds DO NOT go home with students. Ever. Parents are told throughout the year that they have to pick them up in person prior to the last day of school. They will receive multiple letters and at least one phone call before the end of the year as reminders. Still, at the end of the year, all of us district nurses converge on a central location to dispose of the left-behind meds on the last day of school. We can't store them over the summer. Boxes upon boxes of meds are tossed. It is so sad.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

If the parents don't come pick up the meds we would throw them out at the end of the year. I agree, it is so wasteful.

[Dperez0113]

What state are you in? NO meds even PRN meds are to be sent home with students in my district.

[WineRN]

It sucks to have to destroy meds at the end of the year. District policy here states that meds DO NOT go home with students. Ever. Parents are told throughout the year that they have to pick them up in person prior to the last day of school. They will receive multiple letters and at least one phone call before the end of the year as reminders. Still, at the end of the year, all of us district nurses converge on a central location to dispose of the left-behind meds on the last day of school. We can't store them over the summer. Boxes upon boxes of meds are tossed. It is so sad.

I am in the same situation. This will be my first time, so I don't know how many will be left over. I'm planning on sending a generic letter next week to all parents about med pick up, and then a more specific one about 2 weeks before school is over to the specific students.

[Timbal]

As a mom, I expect medication to be returned to me at the end of the school year. My daughters' medication is $10. per pill and I would raise a big fuss if my money was just thrown into the trash.

As a nurse, I only take 5 pills to the school, to be used if my daughter forgets to take her medication before leaving the house. The school is not meant to be a catch-all for medicating kids!

Our school nurse sends a form at the end of the year, asking if we want the med sent home with the child, or if we will be picking up.