Sunscreen forbidden at schools and camps

This is what happens when we overreact to every incident and institute zero tolerance policies, the law of unintended consequences.   We think rules will make us perfectly safe and that conversely because we have rules we are safe so we don't have to think or use one iota of  common sense.

In my son's school, from the first day they suggest you put sunscreen at home, but tell you that you can leave the sunscreen at school and teachers will apply as long as you sign a form allowing it. Not that complicated. It covers their back from parents suing them due to any issue with sunscreens (allergies, etc). Its sad, but schools need to protect themselves from the litigious society we live in. I feel that as long as its communicated to the parents in advance, is not really an issue.

Now, if the kids in the story are "fair skin" and they are going to a field trip, wouldn't the parents put sunscreen? Very easy to blame the school, but the first (and main) party at fault here are the parents. 

X2. that was my point too, just not so eloquently presented

I cannot agree enough!  I am tired of hearing that the schools are at fault because the parents are too lazy to take care of their children at home and expect them to "raise" them during those hours.  

Aside from the bullying incident I posted that happened at my daughter's school, our school district is in a fight with several parents about the fact that the kids still say the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the State of Texas every morning.  

But sunscreen rules are common. They typically stem from state and local policies that stop kids from bringing any drug — including non-prescription drugs — to school, says Jeff Ashley, a California dermatologist who leads an advocacy group called Sun Safety for Kids.

Sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, so many districts treat them like aspirin, just to be safe, he says.

I am wondering if people have missed this in the story....

This is how it works at my daughter's daycare, too.  We leave a tube there in case they go outside different days than planned.  We actually have to fill out a form to allow them to put anything on her: sunscreen, diaper rash cream, teething gel, etc. 

There's another article reporting that one of the girls is an albino:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/26/tagblogsfindlawcom2012-injured-idUS78344297120120626

but if I were her parent, knowing that, I'd have her in long sleeves and a hat.

Ummmmm Wrong!:

Q. What is the protocol for applying sunscreen?

A. It should be applied one-half hour before going outside, giving the skin time to absorb it. Because sunscreen tends to be broken down over time by the sun, and rubbed or washed off with sweating and water exposure, it should be reapplied at least every two hours outdoors, and immediately after swimming or heavy sweating. At least one ounce (two tablespoons) is needed to cover the entire body surface.

And regardless of marketing there is no such thing as waterproof or sweat proof... resistant yes but proof no.

zed707 - 2012-06-28 12:59 PM Once again, California is ahead of the curve. For ten years now, they've had a law on the books allowing sun protection for the kiddos. Seems simple.

No not simple!  The fact that they would need a flippin law for sunscreen is one of the very thing that is going way wrong in this country.

trinnas - 2012-06-28 12:01 PM

zed707 - 2012-06-28 12:59 PM Once again, California is ahead of the curve. For ten years now, they've had a law on the books allowing sun protection for the kiddos. Seems simple.

No not simple!  The fact that they would need a flippin law for sunscreen is one of the very thing that is going way wrong in this country.

Yep, it is simple. It's a simple solution to a complex issue. We've got millions of kids in schools and thousands of over the counter drugs available. It's probably not a good idea to allow uncontrolled access or completely ban all of these drugs from schools--it's gotta be somewhere in the middle. So the devil's in the details.

It's a little over the top to say that this is what's "going way wrong in this country".

zed707 - 2012-06-28 1:23 PM

trinnas - 2012-06-28 12:01 PM

zed707 - 2012-06-28 12:59 PM Once again, California is ahead of the curve. For ten years now, they've had a law on the books allowing sun protection for the kiddos. Seems simple.

No not simple!  The fact that they would need a flippin law for sunscreen is one of the very thing that is going way wrong in this country.

Yep, it is simple. It's a simple solution to a complex issue. We've got millions of kids in schools and thousands of over the counter drugs available. It's probably not a good idea to allow uncontrolled access or completely ban all of these drugs from schools--it's gotta be somewhere in the middle. So the devil's in the details.

It's a little over the top to say that this is what's "going way wrong in this country".

I don't agree the fact that we make a rule about making a rule so that nobody might ever get hurt or inconvienenced or something bad never happens is what is going way wrong.  How about we treat the bad people like bad people and leave the rest alone.   No instead we make a rule that little johny can't do x,y, z cause somebody some where did that in a bad way so we have to make sure that that bad thing never happens again.  It is amazing how we adults managed to survive to be adults with all the things we used to do like go outside and play and take an asprin when we had a headache and put sunscreen on when we wanted to.

The more rules you have the more unintended consequences you get.

I find it so very ironic that the hippie generation was all about how the man was keeping them down with all their BS rules and such yet when they got to power the rules went off the charts.

It seems so many people want to make sure to make rules about the things you do that annoy them but the carp they do well that stuff's off limits it's their freedom you know.