While working through an assignment for French, senior Abby Adkins flipped a page in her textbook and got a paper cut. She asked her teacher for a band-aid, and to her surprise, was told no. Instead, she had to walk across campus to see the school nurse. 

On Aug. 8th, SCPS announced that going forward, parents and guardians will be required to give consent to school staff in order to provide first-aid to students.This policy stems from the Parents Rights in Education Bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March. According to the district, consent will be required before clinic assistants and teachers can give students materials such as band-aids, ice packs and hygiene products. If a student does not have consent, parents and guardians will be contacted each time their child visits the clinic. 

On the first day of school, emergency contact forms were handed out for students to have their parents sign and bring back to their teachers. This form allows parents to opt their children into receiving basic medical care at school, such as band-aids and ice. Although there are procedures that staff must follow, administration is currently formulating new strategies and plans to make this policy more convenient for students and faculty. 

This causes a lot of changes in schools, especially in the classroom. There are many situations that would require teachers to figure out strategies to work through this policy and make sure that while following it, their students are getting the most of their education that they can. Like many teachers, English teacher Sarah Bearss is not a fan of the policy, but plans to make it as easy and effective as possible. 

 “I was shocked when we were informed about this policy as it is something so different from what we’ve done in previous years.” Bearss said.

Over the course of the year, many teachers will have to assist students that need to be sent to the clinic and catch up on anything they missed. 

“[The policy] will take some getting used to and I will definitely have to slow things down,” Bearss said.

All staff are required to follow this policy, but there are some exceptions. As stated by the district, if there is an emergency, calling 911 can be done by teachers regardless of parent or guardian consent. Along with this, athletes were required to turn in consent forms last year in order to participate in school sports. 

“Teachers are here to serve their students in any way they can and sometimes that means giving them a band-aid when they need it,” Bearss said. “Having to adjust to that will be kind of difficult, but the longer we do it, the easier it will be.”