Preschool regulation question... - Parent opinions

Kentuckychick wrote: Well I started my preschool practicum 2 weeks ago (the same week I had my hand surgery ) and it has really been a lot of fun... some chaos, but more fun.

We had our siminar the other day and had one of the state members/inspectors come in to discuss regulations and such with us and one of the newer regulations really stumped us and I just wanted to ask your opinions.

So the new regulation states that now ALL medications have to be kept in a LOCKED cabinet (where before they just had to be "inaccessible" which meant out of reach) now they must be locked away. The definition of a "medication" is anything that has a drug fact label on it. This includes things like diaper creme, powder, chapstick, sunscreen, etc... All of this isn't really a problem but the big kicker is that Epipens are also considered a medication and they MUST be kept in a locked container/cabinet/box/etc... at ALL times.

Frankly we were all baffled by this. I have a friend teaches a child who is deadly allergic to peanuts and she has always kept the epipen on the top shelf of her cabinet (where she could reach it and the children couldn't). In our preschool before now we'd kept them on a shelf in the bathroom (which is in the classroom) readily available and in the first aid bag that goes outside. Now they are in a locked box on the counter where the director has told us to keep them.

We were talking about it the other day in class (with the director) and over half the class agreed that if there were one regulation we would break and take the fine each time it would be this one. I now have an extreme fear that a child will have an allergic reaction and no one will be able to get to that locked epi. It's a genuine fear too. I can't imagine as a parent being okay with a rule like this.

Do any of you have children who use epi pens? Would you be upset by this type of rule? Our instructor/the director has told us to ask for some opinions.

mom2patrick&jalin replied: I do not have a child that uses an epi but I do and if I had to keep it locked up I would not like it. Also I am a daycare provider and if we had to keep it locked up there too I would not do it I would take the fine!!

CantWait replied: I don't see the big deal with it. In a preschool setting there is always someone there that is ABLE physically to get the epipen CALMLY (or at least they should be calm about it). Really it shouldn't take much more time then when it is left at the top of the cabinent so long as the key is say at the top of the cabinent and it's an easy lock to manuveur.

In saying this I don't have a child who uses one, but severe allergies like peanuts generally aren't brought to school anyway, and I haven't seen other food allergies that are extreme or severe as peanut (meaning most cases the person that suffers from the allergy can still be around the product they are allergic however not injest it unlike peanuts), although daycares/preschools are aware of any food allergies anyway and therefore probably don't serve those foods. The only other allergy I would be concerned about that causes extreme reactions are bee stings, which I stick to and say that the lock shouldn't required a lot of extra time.

Why not do practice drills after preschool and see how long (how much longer) it takes to open the lock? Practice makes perfect.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Yes, Wil has severe tree nut allergy and we have to follow this regulation at his preschool. I had to give his teacher and school nurse a photo of him so that they could stick it to the box they lock the epipen in. I also had to fill out a ton of paperwork to have on file.

It doesn't worry me too much. Wil's classroom is maybe 10x20, so it's not like they have to go far to get the epipen if needed. Now if they are out on the playground, yes, that scares me a bit more. But they would have to go back to the classroom to get it either way, locked up or not.

Wil's teacher and I are very good at discussing what Wil can eat or not. She tells me each morning what the snack is for the day. I haven't had a problem with anything yet, so I think teachers and parents are becoming more educated about food allergies and not bringing nut products into class.

I know I sound pretty relaxed, but I trust that the teachers are all trained in administering the epipen. Having it locked is really not an issue for me.

Kentuckychick replied:
It's good to hear this perspective. I think for me it's just that fear that something will happen to the key or the that the lock would malfunction. I mean in my mind I know it's unlikely but the fear is still there.
We do break regulations when we go out to the playground. We have a child in our class with an unidentified allergy. This child had an allergic reaction once and almost died from it. They were never able to discover the cause (though they suspect it may have been almonds). With the other child who has a distinct allergy it's a bit easier. We know he's highly unlikely to encounter that allergen out on the playground, but with an unknown we don't want to take any chances.

We keep the epi pen outside in the play shed on the playground which is only used by our preschoolers (it's a university child development program) and the shed has one of those "childproof" locking mechanisms on it. But truly if you pull hard it opens. There are 6 adults with 16 children so they are all watched carefully and are never allowed in the shed. We'll take the fall on the regulation if it comes down to it, the director has discussed the issue with the parents and they feel that because of the nature of her reaction this is a necessary procedure.

I didn't know until a couple days ago, but apparently in some schools the epi pens have to be kept in the nurses office. I really don't see how that would be helpful.

redchief replied: I'm with Marie on this. I don't have a problem with locking up an Epi-Pen. If the school gets a good quality medicine cabinet and all staff have access to the key (and there should be more than one available at all times), then the small amount of time it will take to get the cabinet open shouldn't be life-threatening.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Now THAT doesn't make sense to me! Wil's preschool classroom is in one of those trailers out on an elementary school playground. It would take a teacher quite some time to trek all the way across the campus to get to the nurses' office. Man that is scary. Thank god our school allows it to be locked right IN the classroom.

luvbug00 replied: Mya has an epi and i would go postal if they did this.

The epi is somthing that has to be used IMIDATELY. SO i would pitch a hudge fit about it. there are too many what if senarios there. I would take it to the school board if i have to. Here it's an out of reach thing. He old school kept it in the nurses office and i did thow a fit there too and had it moved to the room.

boyohboyohboy replied: I just asked about the protical for the school with caleb starting kindergarden, when jake goes he needs to have his epi pen with him at all times. he has severe allergies. some we have not identified yet.
however that being said we were told that the state requires that the pen be kept in the nurses office down the hall. not in his room. or on the bus!
i was upset with this, but figured i have a few years until we really have to fight this. its upseting.
locking it up isnt the smartest thing to do. most of the people who will carry a key, have tons of keys, and as someone who was acting supervisor of a nursing unit, believe me when i tell you there are professionals out there who really dont have a clue when it comes to emergencies how fast they need to move, and what key fits what....
especially if its something that rarely happens.
just how many times have you heard of a crash cart not being stocked right! i had that happen twice in my own career.

you only have seconds to get that pen injected, and sometimes it doesnt work, so for me, there needs to be a pen in the room with the child who needs it, and frankly not to offend anyone, but my own opinion is, if you think its "not a big deal" to have it in another room, you dont have a child who s life depends on it.

DansMom replied: I would be comfortable with that only if the key were taped to the cabinet at all times, at adult height. (That might be one way to satisfy all interests---presuming the law is trying to prevent access by young children.)

Hillbilly Housewife replied: It only takes minutes to get the epipen out of a locked cabinet.

It only takes minutes to get the epipen from the nurse's office.

It only takes minutes to go down the hall and get it.

~~~

It only takes minutes for the child to die.

boyohboyohboy replied:
i would feel better about having it taped to the door, although i would feel much better if that locked cabinet were in the actual room with the child.

luvbug00 replied:


THAT'S RIGHT! Epi's only provide a 15 min window to get emergancy services to arrive and if you have a 2 pack it's 30 min. But the meds must be administered imdiately.

MommyToAshley replied: I don't have a child with these type of severe allergies, so I am not sure how long you have to administer the epi pen. But, I know I would not be comfortable with the epi pen being locked .... as the parent of a child with allergies or the educator responsible for the child with allergies. The biggest risk I can see happening is the key getting lost. I think the epi pen simply should be out of reach of the child and in the same room.

Ashley's classroom is a nut-free room. No one is allowed to send snacks with any kind of nuts because there is a child with severe allergies in her room. It's a very small inconvenience on everyone else's part to ensure the safety of this child. Hmmmm... I wonder where they keep the epi pen?

Hillbilly Housewife replied: a friend of mine has a FOUR MINUTE window to get emergency services. She has 4 or 5 epipens at all times, just to live long enough to get medical attention. They HAVE to be with her, at all times. There's no place for bulls**t like having it locked up in a cabinet.

I'm sorry. But if MY child had a life threatening allergy, I'd fight tooth and nail to have that epipen within 10 feet of my child at all times. I wouldn't take the chance on having my child have a reaction and die. no friggin way.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: I have seen the need for an Epi-pen first hand one time after a friend got into a mound of fireants and was stung about 15 times. (If you have fireants you know that is not a big deal usually) This girl was from Michigan and did not know she needed her Epi for fireants. She couldn't even tell us what was going on with in about 30 seconds she was laying on the ground gasping for air. When someone finally figured out what was going on-she was blue. We were all lifeguards and we were ALL panicked. I would be very nervous about having the pen locked away and would NEVER agree to anyone but the teacher having a key to the cabinet and ONLY then if it was in her classroom. You never know when someone might just have to run a quick errand and forget they are the ones with the key.....

Brias3 replied: I have a friend who is a director at a day care center with similar rules. They do have a separate, locked cabinet for MEDICINES, like actual prescriptions, pills, liquids, etc., but for the epi pens, diaper cream, all that other stuff that you might need at the drop of a hat, or at least more frequently, they keep in cabinets that are magnetized. The magnets are kept way out of the reach of the child next to the magnetized door and in order to access the cabinet, the person has to swipe the magnet over the door to open it. I know it sounds just as time consuming as a lock, but I know the type of cabinets she is talking about and its really just as quick as a swipe and an open. Certainly no fiddling around with keys, etc.

These medicine and magnetized cabinets are in all rooms, so its accessible to that teacher for that particular class, etc. Seems at LEAST a bit more time-considerate than what you're describing. I wonder if this is a suggestion you could make? I certainly would be nervous if I were a parent of a child in need of immediate assistance from any medication or device.

My2Beauties replied: I honestly think this would really bother me if I had a child with a severe allergy whose life at any moment could depend on the promptness of injecting the epi pen. I would not want it locked up.