The Emmetsburg Community School District seeks to provide a safe environment for students, staff, and visitors who are at risk of severe allergic reactions. Therefore, it is the policy of the district to annually obtain a prescription for epinephrine auto-injectors from a licensed health care professional, in the name of the school district, for administration by a school nurse or personnel trained and authorized to a student or individual who may be experiencing an anaphylactic reaction.
Procurement and maintenance of supply: The district shall stock a minimum of one pediatric dose and one adult dose epinephrine auto-injector for each school building. The supply of such auto-injectors shall be maintained in a secure, dark, temperature-controlled location in each school building.
The School Nurse shall routinely check stock epinephrine auto-injectors and document in a log monthly:
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The expiration date;
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Any visualized particles; or
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Color change.
The employee shall be responsible for ensuring the district replaces, as soon as reasonably possible, any logged epinephrine auto-injector that is used, close to expiration, or discolored or has particles visible in the liquid.
Training: A school nurse or personnel trained and authorized may provide or administer an epinephrine auto-injector from a school supply to a student or individual if the authorized personnel or school nurse reasonably and in good faith believes the student or individual is having an anaphylactic reaction. Training to obtain a signed certificate to become personnel authorized to administer an epinephrine auto-injector shall consist of the requirements established by law.
Authorized personnel will be required to provide a procedural skills demonstration to the school nurse demonstrating competency in the administration of stock epinephrine auto-injectors to retain authorization to administer stock epinephrine auto-injectors if the following occur:
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Failure to administer an epinephrine auto-injector to a student or individual by proper route, failure to administer the correct dosage, or failure to administer an epinephrine auto-injector according to generally accepted standards of practice (“medication error”); or
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Accidental injection of an epinephrine auto-injector into a digit of the authorized personnel administering the medication (“medication incident”).
Reporting: The district will contact emergency medical services (911) immediately after a stock epinephrine auto-injector is administered to a student or individual. The school nurse or authorized personnel will remain with the student or individual until emergency medical services arrive.
Within 48 hours, the district will report to the Iowa Department of Education:
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Each medication incident with the administration of stock epinephrine;
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Each medication error with the administration of stock epinephrine; or
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The administration of a stock epinephrine auto-injector.
As provided by law, the district, board, authorized personnel or school nurse, and the prescriber shall not be liable for any injury arising from the provision, administration, failure to administer, or assistance in the administration of an epinephrine auto-injector provided they acted reasonably and in good faith.
The superintendent may develop an administrative process to implement this policy.
NOTE: Districts are not required by law to stock and maintain a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors. However, if a district decides to stock and maintain a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors, the board is required to establish a policy.
NOTE: For additional information and resources regarding epinephrine auto-injectors, please visit the “School Nurse Administrative Resources” section of the Iowa Department of Education’s website, located at https://www.educateiowa.gov/administrative-resources-school-nurses.
Legal Reference: Iowa Code §§ 135.185; 279.8.
281 I.A.C. 14.3.
Cross Reference: 507.2 Administration of Medication
Approved 3/16/16 Reviewed 7-19-17 Revised
