Mom Jesse Michener of Tacoma, Washington, was stunned last Tuesday when her three daughters—Violet, 11, Zoe, 9, and Eleanor, 7—came home from their school field day so severely sunburned that the two older girls needed to go to the hospital. She admits that because it was raining that morning, she had not put sunscreen on them before they left for school, even knowing that they would be outside all afternoon for field day. However, given that it’s recommended for sunscreen to be reapplied every 2-3 hours, even if they had put it on first thing that morning, they would have needed more by the time the field day activities started.
They wouldn’t be the first kids to come home from school sunburned, but the REASON they were sunburned is shocking: the school board does not allow teachers to apply sunscreen to students, and students are only allowed to apply sunscreen themselves with a prescription from a doctor. Even though the school was aware that one of Michener’s daughters has a form of albinism (which causes extreme sensitivity to sun) they still did not allow her to put on her sunscreen, or to go inside even after they noticed the burn. In the end, the Michener girls were outside with no sun protection for over five hours.
Dan Voelpel, spokesperson for Tacoma District Schools, said that the policy follows state law which allows each district to set their own rules for the handling of both prescription and over-the-counter medications. “Our policy is that any of that medication requires a doctor’s order for kids to take it at school,” he said. According to the policy, sunscreen is considered an over-the-counter medication.
The district has since apologized to the Micheners, and said that the policy will be revised this coming October. Michener told the Huffington Post that she isn’t out to vilify the school. “I’m out to change a policy that ties their hands from making good decisions.”
In an age of sun awareness, should worries over sunscreen allergies take precedence over keeping kids safe from burns?
The Wonderful Cynthia Hill is filling in this week so our hard-working Mummy Buzz can take a much-needed break.
In between ballet lasses, Glee Club lessons, swimming lessons, and karate lessons (none of them hers), mom of four Cynthia Hill works full-time as an administrative assistant, does the occasional community theatre production, edits other people's stuff, and writes her own, like her novel, Idol Hands. Her new book should be available later this summer.
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