Author: Lozano Smith
Published December 10, 2022
“Current law allows for the administration of prescription medication to students at school, and specifically authorizes local educational agencies (LEAs) to use trained, non-medical school personnel to administer or assist with the administration of emergency epinephrine autoinjectors, emergency naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist, glucagon, and inhaled asthma medication. New law now adds anti-seizure medication to this growing list.
Seizure Safe Schools Act
On September 30, 2022, Governor Newson signed Assembly Bill 1810, the Seizure Safe Schools Act. The new law authorizes LEAs to allow school nurses and trained, non-medical employee volunteers to administer emergency anti-seizure medication for students diagnosed with seizures, a seizure disorder, or epilepsy, if the student is suffering from a seizure. School nurses are permitted to administer anti-seizure medication, and trained volunteers may do so when a nurse is unavailable.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction must establish minimum standards of training to recognize and respond to seizures, including training for the administration of anti-seizure medication, by July 1, 2023, and review minimum training standards at least once every five years. The California Department of Education must include on its website a clearinghouse for best practices in training.
The Seizure Safe Schools Act also:
- Requires LEAs to provide training to any employee volunteer at no cost to the volunteer and during the volunteer’ s working hours.
- Permits an employee volunteer to rescind his or her offer to volunteer at any time. LEAs may not retaliate against an employee for rescinding his or her offer.
- Requires the LEA to obtain from the student’s parent/guardian a seizure action plan, or to collaborate with the student’s parent/guardian to create a seizure action plan.
Subject to some limitations, trained employee volunteers will not be civilly or criminally liable or subject to professional review for injuries caused while administering emergency anti-seizure medication. An LEA will need to provide the volunteer with written assurance that it will provide volunteers with defense and indemnification for any civil liability.
Takeaways
The Seizure Safe Schools Act provides LEAs greater flexibility in who can administer emergency anti-seizure medication when a student is suffering from a seizure. LEAs should consider updating their board policies and administrative regulations on medication administration to address the administration of anti-seizure medication” (Smith, 2022).
This new law being put into effect in the last two years shows the advancements of epilepsy awareness. Communities are recognizing the threat, even in young children, that serious seizures can have on one’s health and safety. This new law excites me as we can help those with epilepsy as community but it does raise concerns of poor training and retention of protocols within the school volunteer population. Being ill-equipped and treating an individual in an active seizure situation can put that individual’s life in risk. The sole fact that communities are noticing how largely affected the population is by seizures and epilepsy is a big step. More exposure will bring more people to find new advancements in the area.
If concerns about the seizure are serious enough to bring into the education system, does more research and focus need to be put on improving this condition? Managing epilepsy is a full time commitment for an adult who has it, but children with epilepsy need others around them to be informed and educated on how to manage their condition as well.
Reference
Smith, L. (2022, December 10). New law authorizes school staff to administer emergency anti-seizure medication. ACSA Resource Hub -. https://content.acsa.org/new-law-authorizes-school-staff-to-administer-emergency-anti-seizure-medication/
