Two Vermont senators are fighting to lift a ban on children bringing sunscreen to school.
Building S.187A bill that would allow students to use protective lotion without parental supervision was considered in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Friday.
“Who could be against wearing sunscreen?” testified Colin Robinson, political director of the Vermont National Education Association. VTDigger reported.
Sunscreens are highly regulated nationwide because the FDA classifies them as over-the-counter drugs.
It is considered a drug because it “claims medicinal properties in preventing sunburn and reducing the risk of sun-induced skin cancer and premature skin aging.” According to the federal agency.
In Vermont, if children want to use sunscreen, they are required to bring a doctor’s note to school and then have to go to the school nurse’s office to apply it.
The proposed bill would allow students to possess and use topical, non-aerosol sunscreen on school property without the need to provide a health care provider’s note or prescription with the written permission of a parent or guardian. “permit self-administration.”
The bill also states that schools may adopt their own policies to allow staff to assist students in applying sunscreen, but that staff would not be responsible for ensuring the action is completed.
This law provides immunity from civil liability for schools and employees related to the application of sunscreen.
“This seems simple,” the bill’s author, Sen. Ginny Lyons, told VTDigger.
If the bill passes, Vermont would follow in the footsteps of Washington, D.C., and 27 other states that have declared that students can use sunscreen in schools.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to vote on the bill next week.
