Read first time 01/10/12.   Referred to Committee on Health Care & Wellness.

     AN ACT Relating to expanding the types of medications that a public or private school employee may administer to include topical medication, eye drops, and ear drops; and amending RCW 28A.210.260 and 28A.210.270.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 28A.210.260 and 2000 c 63 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     Public school districts and private schools which conduct any of grades kindergarten through the twelfth grade may provide for the administration of oral medication, topical medication, eye drops, or ear drops of any nature to students who are in the custody of the school district or school at the time of administration, but are not required to do so by this section, subject to the following conditions:
     (1) The board of directors of the public school district or the governing board of the private school or, if none, the chief administrator of the private school shall adopt policies which address the designation of employees who may administer oral medications, topical medications, eye drops, or ear drops to students, the acquisition of parent requests and instructions, and the acquisition of requests from licensed health professionals prescribing within the scope of their prescriptive authority and instructions regarding students who require medication for more than fifteen consecutive school days, the identification of the medication to be administered, the means of safekeeping medications with special attention given to the safeguarding of legend drugs as defined in chapter 69.41 RCW, and the means of maintaining a record of the administration of such medication;
     (2) The board of directors shall seek advice from one or more licensed physicians or nurses in the course of developing the foregoing policies;
     (3) The public school district or private school is in receipt of a written, current and unexpired request from a parent, or a legal guardian, or other person having legal control over the student to administer the medication to the student;
     (4) The public school district or the private school is in receipt of (a) a written, current and unexpired request from a licensed health professional prescribing within the scope of his or her prescriptive authority for administration of the medication, as there exists a valid health reason which makes administration of such medication advisable during the hours when school is in session or the hours in which the student is under the supervision of school officials, and (b) written, current and unexpired instructions from such licensed health professional prescribing within the scope of his or her prescriptive authority regarding the administration of prescribed medication to students who require medication for more than fifteen consecutive workdays;
     (5) The medication is administered by an employee designated by or pursuant to the policies adopted pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and in substantial compliance with the prescription of a licensed health professional prescribing within the scope of his or her prescriptive authority or the written instructions provided pursuant to subsection (4) of this section;
     (6) The medication is first examined by the employee administering the same to determine in his or her judgment that it appears to be in the original container and to be properly labeled; and
     (7) The board of directors shall designate a professional person licensed pursuant to chapter 18.71 RCW or chapter 18.79 RCW as it applies to registered nurses and advanced registered nurse practitioners, to delegate to, train, and supervise the designated school district personnel in proper medication procedures.

Sec. 2   RCW 28A.210.270 and 2000 c 63 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) In the event a school employee administers oral medication, topical medication, eye drops, or ear drops to a student pursuant to RCW 28A.210.260 in substantial compliance with the prescription of the student's licensed health professional prescribing within the scope of the professional's prescriptive authority or the written instructions provided pursuant to RCW 28A.210.260(4), and the other conditions set forth in RCW 28A.210.260 have been substantially complied with, then the employee, the employee's school district or school of employment, and the members of the governing board and chief administrator thereof shall not be liable in any criminal action or for civil damages in their individual or marital or governmental or corporate or other capacities as a result of the administration of the medication.
     (2) The administration of oral medication, topical medication, eye drops, or ear drops to any student pursuant to RCW 28A.210.260 may be discontinued by a public school district or private school and the school district or school, its employees, its chief administrator, and members of its governing board shall not be liable in any criminal action or for civil damages in their governmental or corporate or individual or marital or other capacities as a result of the discontinuance of such administration: PROVIDED, That the chief administrator of the public school district or private school, or his or her designee, has first provided actual notice orally or in writing in advance of the date of discontinuance to a parent or legal guardian of the student or other person having legal control over the student.