Sunscreen ban in schools

pixiedust84 · June 2012

Well whether or not she should have known about it - it's a stupid ban and I'm glad she's fighting it.

annie912 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:2cc2ac74-45f6-4c7b-8e86-09baa63ff320">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : Read my ETA :) TBH, I don't think this would be an issue if people weren't so litigious. Like I said earlier, we've moved away from common sense out of fear that every little issue will become a major lawsuit.
Posted by ZombieNates[/QUOTE]

I did, see my last post.

AllAboutTheBenjamin · June 2012

Nebb- the school banned shade.

pixiedust84 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:813bf537-622d-419e-9c3d-3bf30f2d1659">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]Hes another question, where were the teachers during all this and why didnt they see the girls getting obviously quited burned. Why were they not pulled aside into the shade. Taking the whole sunscreen thing out of the equation, you can see quite plainly with your eyes when someone is getting a sunburn.
Posted by Nebb[/QUOTE]

Totally agree - these are pale kids getting bright red. PUT THEM IN THE SHADE. Surely you can't get sued for that!

chelseamb11 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:091faec3-ad22-4df3-a6e7-6e1243e6a04e">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]Well whether or not she should have known about it - it's a stupid ban and I'm glad she's fighting it.
Posted by pixiedust84[/QUOTE]

I agree wholeheartedly.
I'd be really curious to see if the mom made her daughters' conditions known to the school before this though.

Starqueg · June 2012

I do fieldwork at a preschool, and during the summer the students bring in their own sunscreen. We spend a lot of the day outside and they need it. The teachers help them put it on before going out to the sprinkers (in city parks). The students aren't allowed to share it with each other.

With older kids, obviously teachers aren't going to be applying it, except maybe those hard to reach spots that get missed (top of the back while wearing a tank top for example). If I was taught older kids, I'd probably ask the parents to send them in with spray on sunscreen, so a friend or teacher can spray those kinds of spots.

Question: does the ban apply to teachers using sunscreen at school as well?

chelseamb11 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:f23c32c4-5f06-46af-9c86-e17bb08e4a52">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : Totally agree - these are pale kids getting bright red. PUT THEM IN THE SHADE. Surely you can't get sued for that!
Posted by pixiedust84[/QUOTE]

They could probably claim emotional trauma because their child had to watch the other kids playing <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-undecided.gif" border="0" alt="Undecided" title="Undecided" /> (I sure hope not but I wouldn't put it past people)

ZombieNates · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:fdd07320-b395-4673-9731-dbc9d3ac3c30">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]Nebb- the school banned shade.
Posted by AllAboutTheBenjamin[/QUOTE]
Hehe, NO SHADE MUTHAFUCKAS!!

pixiedust84 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:f70982b4-cb80-4a76-b780-e7ee2b21afac">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : I agree wholeheartedly. I'd be really curious to see if the mom made her daughters' conditions known to the school before this though.
Posted by chelseamb11[/QUOTE]

But even without albinism or any conditions that make you more sensitive to sun EVERYONE should be wearing sunscreen and should be allowed to. Also since it never would occur to her that they couldn't why would she think she needs to? In her head she's thinking - I'll just send sunscreen with them and they know when to put it on.

AllAboutTheBenjamin · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:504c5eba-0fcf-43aa-9f81-acb70393ecac">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : Hehe, NO SHADE MUTHAFUCKAS!!
Posted by ZombieNates[/QUOTE]

BURN, BITCHES

ZombieNates · June 2012

I'm going to start carrying around a sign at the beach that says "NO SHADE MUTHAFUCKAS! BURN BITCHES!"

But seriously, like I said, I think sunscreen should be common sense and kids should be able to apply it, but I totally understand where the ban is coming from. Really, though, albinism should be disclosed to the school.

pillsburyaj · June 2012

My little niece is doing a karate summer camp and they had a pool day the other day. My brother applied sunscreen to her that morning. When he picked her up, she was terribly sunburnt. I wonder if that camp had the same policy? She is only 5, FFS, so to expect her to re-apply her own sunscreen in crazy. In that case, I think that the teacher/counseler whomever should re-apply but perhaps each child should bring their own sunscreen in case there are allergies, etc.

I agree with MilkDuds about having to be careful of frivolous lawsuits in this day and age. I feel like in that situation you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. There was a sad story here in VA a few months ago where a little girl died after having an allergic reaction to something she ate at school. She had a history of this allergy, yet had no EpiPen at school. The school system considered making EpiPens available (and could be administered without a Dr. note) in case something like that were to happen again. But, I just know there would be people who would sue if their child was administered an EpiPen without permission.

AATB mentioned banning sunscreen because one child couldn't use it. How do you feel about schools banning peanut butter because one or two children have an allergy? I have seen schools with "peanut-free" tables. But, some schools are banning it all-together.

pixiedust84 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:4cc7a035-60ee-4141-8784-17c3bcc938f9">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : They could probably claim emotional trauma because their child had to watch the other kids playing (I sure hope not but I wouldn't put it past people)
Posted by chelseamb11[/QUOTE]

I don't think there would be any way ever that they would win that one.

ZombieNates · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:01637184-0786-416f-8ef5-13b82ad5a924">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : I don't think there would be any way ever that they would win that one.
Posted by pixiedust84[/QUOTE]
Well, there have been A LOT of frivolous lawsuits against schools in the past (I am too hungover to look for them though :P). Even if they didn't win, the legal fees alone would be terrible for schools that already are struggling with budget cuts.

pixiedust84 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:a6a89278-2bd9-497b-92a6-09969353e2ad">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : Well, there have been A LOT of frivolous lawsuits against schools in the past (I am too hungover to look for them though :P). Even if they didn't win, the legal fees alone would be terrible for schools that already are struggling with budget cuts.
Posted by ZombieNates[/QUOTE]

People are CRAZY!

AllAboutTheBenjamin · June 2012

Pillsbury - I kinda think the peanut butter thing is legit. Peanut allergies can make you fucking die - which is why I think if the allergy to whatever is in sunscreen is severe enough, then I can understand why precautions would be made. When I would go to camp in the summer it was always when the "peanut kid" came and they had to get rid of all the peanut butter and candy bars and stuff with peanuts in it.

HOWEVER. With that said, if my kid had a deathly allergy to sunscreen, I might just opt out of sending him to school on an all-day outdoor activity thing, KWIM? I mean, not only would all the kids burn because my kid can't wear sunscreen but my kid would also burn. I just don't see the point.

I think it should be one of those common sense things - if a kid is allergic to peanuts it doesn't mean you ban peanuts from the school forever. You just can't have peanuts in school while that kid attends. Likewise if some kid is allergic to sunscreen, don't let people be passing that shiiit around while he attends the school. After he leaves the school then relax the policies.

Or is that to much to ask? Because I feel like our knee jerk reaction to anything these days is just to freak out and ban things forever.

AllAboutTheBenjamin · June 2012

Here's another example - a (former) co-worker of mine is a little allergic to an incredient in body sprays. Not perfumes, but body mists and sprays. I wore it to work one day and when we were sitting next to each other before I went on air, he asked if I was wearing a body spray. Then I said yes and he asked if I could refrain from wearing it to work. Obviously - of course. I don't need my co-worker wheezing to death during his radio show. He just asked me to not wear it and I can comply. We don't need to ban the stuff from the entire building.

Plus now since he's retired, I can wear it again, lol.

annie912 · June 2012

I agree with not wanting teachers to apply it. Although with younger kids, they really have to. In that case, there should be a form the parents can sign authorizing it. I know that was the case at my youngest soon to be step son's daycare last summer. I think it's different now that they're both in "school age" daycare. They can apply it themselves - we just need to provide it.

Older kids should be able to apply their own.

If the state, district or school is going to enforce a ban of any kind, it needs to be communicated. I still have not heard anything stating that the school or district was able to point out a source where parents could find information on this ban. That makes me question how accessible the information is and whether or not it was reasonable to expect the parent to know it.

Any medical condition should be communicated to the school and the kid's teacher. The article doesn't say if the staff knew about the kid's condition. If they didn't, yeah then part of this is on mom. If they did know and still did nothing, that is negligence on the school's part.

If a teach sees a kid getting burned and they can't let the kid apply sunscreen, then they should be sending the kid inside or into the shade. Not just sit by and let the kid burn. Regardless of policy. It's common sense.

I agree with ZombieNates that part of the problem is that everyone is too sue-happy, but we've countered that with so many policies and CYA moves that no one knows how to actually think for themselves anymore.

ZombieNates · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:d084d65d-67b9-47a0-b36c-b100d68e2454">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE] I agree with ZombieNates that part of the problem is that everyone is too sue-happy, but<strong> we've countered that with so many policies and CYA moves that no one knows how to actually think for themselves anymore.</strong>
Posted by annie912[/QUOTE]
ITA.

I actually heard that there was talk of making the plaintiffs pay the legal fees of the school districts they sue, to combat the wave of frivolous lawsuits against districts. Anyone know anything about that?

pillsburyaj · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:6433377d-dc6d-489d-9092-cc95937216e8">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]Pillsbury - I kinda think the peanut butter thing is legit. Peanut allergies can make you fucking die - which is why I think if the allergy to whatever is in sunscreen is severe enough, then I can understand why precautions would be made. When I would go to camp in the summer it was always when the "peanut kid" came and they had to get rid of all the peanut butter and candy bars and stuff with peanuts in it. HOWEVER. With that said, if my kid had a deathly allergy to sunscreen, I might just opt out of sending him to school on an all-day outdoor activity thing, KWIM? I mean, not only would all the kids burn because my kid can't wear sunscreen but my kid would also burn. I just don't see the point. I think it should be one of those common sense things - if a kid is allergic to peanuts it doesn't mean you ban peanuts from the school forever. You just can't have peanuts in school while that kid attends. Likewise if some kid is allergic to sunscreen, don't let people be passing that shiiit around while he attends the school. After he leaves the school then relax the policies. Or is that to much to ask? Because I feel like our knee jerk reaction to anything these days is just to freak out and ban things forever.
Posted by AllAboutTheBenjamin[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I agree the peanut thing is legit. But people are getting crazy over it. Remember this story; <a href="http://am.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/24/parents-picket-girl-with-peanut-allergy-ask-her-to-withdraw-from-school/" rel="nofollow">http://am.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/24/parents-picket-girl-with-peanut-allergy-ask-her-to-withdraw-from-school/</a> ? That was just sad.

IDK, I guess I feel like there are precautions that need to be made, such as each child brings their own sunscreen, etc, and in most cases schools/day cares need to do what is best for the majority. However, the omigosh-we-need-to-ban-everything thing is a little cray.

willywally5 · June 2012

I've had to fill out paperwork for meds at my kids' schools. It's annoying esp. for a 14-year-old who know when she needs ibuprofen or a puff from her inhaler. But I get it. We jump through the hoop, whatever.

However, I've never even considered sunscreen a 'medication.' Shoot, my daugher sometimes take a makeup bag to school and her foundation has SPF in it.

As far as the school not allowing these kids to apply (or re-apply as that is often needed even if mom saw to it they put it on at home) the sunscreen when they were obviously burning, total BS. Sometimes common sense needs to prevail. Unfortunately, common sense isn't all that 'common' anymore because it's been litigated out of us.

pirategal03 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:813bf537-622d-419e-9c3d-3bf30f2d1659">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]Hes another question, where were the teachers during all this and why didnt they see the girls getting obviously quited burned. Why were they not pulled aside into the shade. Taking the whole sunscreen thing out of the equation, <strong>you can see quite plainly with your eyes when someone is getting a sunburn.</strong>
Posted by Nebb[/QUOTE]

Haha, I got put in the shade all.the.time when I was little. I have a hyper pigmentation issue where I turn red almost immediately whenever my skin temp increases, it doesn't mean I'm burnt. But being put in the shade is a good idea anyway.

When I worked at a camp, we would sunscreen the kids. We'd do it outside, with other adults around, and (thankfully) never had a problem. It's a good samaritan good-faith effort to prevent/reduce a medical injury (the sunburn). Outside of the inappropriate touching issue, putting sunscreen on a kid is the right thing to do.

jemmini6 · June 2012

I'd think sending kids home burnt to a crisp would cause more outrage than a little skin irritation caused by an ingredient in sunscreen....

I just hate how sue-happy everyone is in general. This shouldn't even be an issue, but because of all the stupid lawsuits, everyone goes to extremes to cover their ass, and it ends up being a giant cluster like this case.

Mrs.B6302007 · June 2012

I read about this within the last week in a different article. The information is not the same between that article and this one. The previous article stated that it was FIELD DAY and the students were outside for 5 hours. Our field day has never been that long. The other article also stated that the oldest girl (the one with the more severe case of albinism) had a 504 plan for it. Depending on the wording of the 504, that's a legal document and the system can be held liable for failure to protect her again, depending on what exactly her 504 covers. The article also stated that teachers were commenting on the eldest girl's face because she was getting so red quickly. However, it appears that all the teachers were outside at field day so sending her inside to wait field day out was not an option. I think they should have been sent to the front office to call home and be picked up. I also think that regardless of the weather forecast, if mom knew that it was field day, maybe she should have opted to keep her child home for the day as a precaution.

whitsy · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:813bf537-622d-419e-9c3d-3bf30f2d1659">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]Hes another question, where were the teachers during all this and why didnt they see the girls getting obviously quited burned. Why were they not pulled aside into the shade. Taking the whole sunscreen thing out of the equation, you can see quite plainly with your eyes when someone is getting a sunburn.
Posted by Nebb[/QUOTE]

<div>This is a good question, and I'd like to know the answer. I'd really like to hear the teachers' point of views, because this really is common sense. Even if all the teachers were outside, which I find hard to believe, the girls could have been sent inside to sit in the office.</div><div>
</div><div>But I don't know. Every school is so different that even though I can think of what I would do if a student was getting sunburned, it may not have been an option.</div>

erbear84 · June 2012

Every school/childcare I've worked in has required parents to sign off on sunscreen and requires kids to bring it in themselves. As a teacher, I wouldn't dream of applying it to a kid in the current climate. As someone who burns easily, I can only remind them to reapply when I'm reapplying sunscreen myself.

When I taught 1st grade last year, parents would send their kids in with cough drops. They'd chew on them like candy. It was school policy to require a parent's note with the cough drops but I wasn't ever sure if they were supposed to keep them or the nurse. So I'd take them and give them out every so many hours. It got pretty annoying.

Bec20 · June 2012

FFS, it's sunscreen. Really, I don't know what else to say other than that. If your child is severely allergic to something, teach them not to accept things. It's worked for everybody since the invention of schools, so I don't see why people suddenly think kids are too stupid to handle non-life threatening allgergies on their own.

I also think banning high school kids from OTC meds is stupid though, especially considering that I don't know a school around here that has a nurse. I mean, if a high school kid really wanted to OD on medicine they could go buy their own pack of Tylenol or Benadryl or whatever. Better yet, they could probably find some form of medication at home if they were that desperate to OD or get high or do whatever unsavoury thing with it.

I'm so glad we haven't hit the point where we're banning either of these things. If you want kids to have any common sense and be able to live without Mommy and Daddy hovering over them, you can't just ban everything under the sun until university/college.

Cuss10 · July 2012

The idea of banning sunscreen because some kids have allergies to additives is crap.

I grew up with allergies. My mother taught me from a young age what I couldn't do or couldn't eat because I was allergic to it.

I couldn't eat Fruit Loops, Juicy Juice, Hawaiian Punch or anything else with certain food colorings. I had to go to the nurse during recess if they were mowing the grass or if the pollen/ozone count was high. I couldn't borrow a friends chap stick or lotion because of the perfumes. I couldn't eat cupcakes brought in for birthdays because I'm allergic to milk and eggs. I had to bring my own bottle of soap to wash my hands with because I couldn't be sure what was in the soap the school provided. Yes it sucked. But by the time I went to school I knew what I had to do to keep myself safe and out of the ER.

It seems no one wants to put in the effort to teach their kid how to keep themselves safe and healthy anymore, they want every other parent in the school to be inconvenienced becuase their child has an allergy. IF your child is so allergic to peanuts that sitting at the same table as a kid eating a PB&J is dangerous to them, maybe forcing them to eat in the nurses office is a better policy.

Should a teacher be applying sunscreen to students? Is the kid really going to hit every inch of skin that needs to be covered? Probably not. So the teacher needs to step in. It's not practical for a parent to chaperone every single sunny day/ outside field trip.

Simply Fated · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_sunscreen-ban-in-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:472dd9b8-3f5b-40bd-9665-654f9729ff75Post:8248c969-071c-40ee-b915-405959264f3f">Re: Sunscreen ban in schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Sunscreen ban in schools : But it would never even occur to me that there MIGHT be a ban! Why would I find out the policy on suncreen when CLEARLY it should be allowed? To me it would be like "Oh my kid needs water to survive - I should go look up the policy their school has on allowing them to drink water!" Crazy. ETA: Sorry - yes State Ban - so I should go look at all the State's Bans to see if there's one on water. Still crazy. This is getting me all riled up.
Posted by pixiedust84[/QUOTE]
But if your kid needs, isn't that something you would want to educate yourself on? Like, if your kid needed an epi pen for a peanut allergy, wouldn't you want to make sure there were no rules stating who could and couldn't use it? Same goes for sunscreen if your kid, according to the article, "suffers from a form of albinism, a genetic condition that makes her particularly sun-sensitive."

It was an all-day outdoor event, so I'm guessing sun isn't usually a big deal on regular days. But what if, on a regular day they had to stay out longer? What if they went outside for gym that day?
I'm surprised this issue is only coming up now for this family. Where were the teachers when her face was so red and had welts on it? Surely someone should have sent her inside to the nurse or something.

What about the other kids? They were outside all day... were none of them wearing sunscreen, either? Did they all get burnt, too?

I have a lot of obvious questions and this article doesnt' answer any of them.

Knittibell · July 2012

This whole post just makes me sad about the state of things today. That a teacher would be afraid to apply sunscreen, because it involves too much touching... that schools wouldn't apply it because of fear of lawsuits... I'm not talking about older kids- they can do their own sunscreen, but kindergarten through maybe third grade? If they're going to be outside all day, in the sun, not every parent can be a chaperone, and I still apply sunscreen to my 8 yo nephew, because I've seen him do it himself and it's not especially thorough. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with anything, I get the poilicies, I just find it kind of a shame that it's even an issue.

Sunscreen ban in schools

Re: Sunscreen ban in schools

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