School punishes student with Tylenol under 'Zero tolerance' policy for drugs

It happens with Midol too. And even with prescription meds (their own).

I took Elcie's bottle of Motrin to the school office after she called me with a bad headache. She couldn't take it herself; the school person couldn't give it to her. I had to stand there and put one pill into the mouth of a 14 year old.

Slightly related. My neighbor's son was arrested and then suspended for 5 days because he forgot about zero tolerance and hugged a fellow band member (female if it matters). He's around 12.

I hope that's the whole story and not a sanitized version. If it is, it's insane.

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You have got to be kidding me! I would not have made it through middle school or high school without Midol in my purse.

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We've had students suspended for having chapstick, and that wax the kids put in their braces after they've been tightened, to ease the rub.

Zero tolerance is but another administrative thing that looked good on paper but which is just stupid when stupid people carry it too far.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

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In my hometown school district, a nurse is the only person besides a parent who can dispense medicine. But it's a poor school district and the nurse was only at each school for a half day once every 3-4 weeks.

As someone who suffers from bad headaches every time the weather changes suddenly, I can certainly empathize her. You can't predict when you're going to get a headache that's going to prevent you from being able to give your classwork the appropriate attention. They need to work out something that allows students to take OTC meds for headaches and cramps, etc that doesn't get them sent to rehab.

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I get migraines starting 48 hrs before a weather change. I have my migraine pills with me at all times. For a while my dd was getting migranes she had medicne to take with her as well. We even ended up getting a catscan ( family history of anyrisms).
I can't beleive they are so stupid as to suspend for medicine presrcibed by a DR, or things like motrin. You would think as educators they would use thier brains!

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What about folks with severe, life threatening, allergies? Should they be forced to wait for an EMT to administer epinephrine, or pack their own epi-pen and risk getting suspended? What about those who wear contacts?

Ugh. I assume this creeps over and addresses things like water bottles. Stoooooopid!

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Students can ALWAYS carry epi pens and inhalers.

I agree with this though. I am in high school and it's unbelievable the amount of kids who will put other pills in a tylonel bottle. All you have to do is take a doctors note to the nurse and you can have your advil, tylonel, midol or whatever you need when you need it.

If it keeps kids safer, why wouldn't you want it done?

In this situation, the friend who gave the girl the pill should be the one in trouble.

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Things like contact solution are kept in the nurses office as well. It's not a big deal to visit the nurse.

She also has a ton of other things, Blistex, creams, ointments, whatever you need.

Nurses are in schools for a reason.

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A little common sense would have helped here. This is nothing new but it's still outrageous.

Teenagers are not animals or infants or criminals (usually). It's no wonder kids act immature in school - they are treated like retarded three-year-olds. A little respect for a teen with a headache or menstrual cramps isn't going to end the world.

Going to the nurse, assuming the nurse is full-time (ours never was), is a hassle - you have to get permission, take time out of your class, make a big deal in front of everyone (hey everyone, I have cramps!). You usually have to wait in line, wasting time doing nothing, and suffering. Then they still have to call your parents, who have better things to do at work than sit near the phone waiting to approve Tylenol doses.

All this does is make kids hide their pills from their teachers, and feel disdain for school rules.

Meanwhile, the same teens can get condoms (from school), the Pill, and often an abortion without their parents even being notified about it. Go figure.

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Cassie - not all school districts can afford a nurse full time at every school. We had zero tolerance in high school 10 years ago, and our nurse was there half a day once every 3 or so weeks. We just ended up walking across the street (and off campus) while the teachers looked the other way because weeks would literally go by until the nurse could see you.

Zero tolerance policies don't work when you can't make an exception for something as common and easily fixable as a headache. As SKL pointed out, kids are just going to hide the pills anyway.

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regarding the "Students can ALWAYS carry epi pens and inhalers" comment:

Not so. When I was in high school, my parents had to threaten a lawsuit in order for me to be able to carry my inhaler with me. Nobody could understand why it might be difficult to run to the nurses office when one is unable to breathe. But they sure understood the word "lawsuit".

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Even our middle schools don't have a full time nurse - the nurse rotates. I don't know about the high school.

The schools here make an exception for inhalers and epi as long as there's a medical report on file. Probably for something like insulin as well or anything else that's needed in a hurry.

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My daughter just turned 15,and on her high school softball team.They had played almost everyday the week before in tournements in Florida.Started the next week practice & games everyday.3/29/2007 just before school started she told her friends her arm & stomache was hurting bad and wanted to know if someone had an advil.One of her freinds gave her two pills and my daughter took both of them thinking they were advil.At 2:30 that afternoon she was called to the office of the assistant principle that had known her since the first grade,Told to write a statement of what happened.I was in the parking lot waiting to transport some of the players to a game when a coach told me my daughter was in the principals office.The principle told me she was so precious and made an innocent mistake.the suspended my daughter for one year.Now my daughter is considered dangerous and cannot go to the alternative school next to her home school.These are the rules and they could care less if they ruin a childs life or not.These are Tennessee rules

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