YOUNGSTOWN — Students in Youngstown City Schools may have access to basic medicines that make it easier for them to feel better and stay in class.

Head nurse Kenyetta Whipple proposed that plan at a recent Board of Education meeting. Whipple said she hopes the plan will be approved at the next board meeting, but she discussed it with The Vindicator.

“I think this will help our scholars out tremendously. We see this problem every day, from a different perspective than everyone else,” she said. “It will also be a huge convenience to our parents, and hopefully we will see improved health and less absenteeism.”

The plan calls for basic over-the-counter medications to be made available to students, with their parents’ permission. Whipple said all 14 city district schools would stock acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (such as Advil), Pepto Bismol, Tums antacids and Benadryl antihistamines. Child dosages will be kept in the elementary schools.

Whipple said she has received several bids from multiple suppliers, but has not yet had a chance to review them with district Treasurer Bryan Schiraldi.

However, Whipple said, as an example, a bottle of 500 tablets of Tylenol costs between $15 and $20. She said the cost of the medications would come out of the district’s nursing budget.

All medications will be stored in a locked cabinet — the same cabinet where students’ prescription medications are stored — to which only Whipple and the school nurses have access.

Whipple said she expects the plan to reduce the number of students who miss class or leave school for low-grade ailments that could be treated easily with these basic medications.

“A sick child cannot learn,” she said, “and most of the time the ailments they have can be treated and relieved within 30 minutes so they can return to class and keep learning.”

Whipple said that while most cases are honest, some students also use — or fake — illness as an excuse to leave school or avoid a class they don’t like.

“If they don’t like a particular subject, we see them come in at the same time every day, we do notice patterns,” she said. “Now that they know we can do something for them to feel better so they stay in school, they may not try to fool us so much.”

In other cases, Whipple said, students bring their own OTC meds and often give them to classmates.

She said that while they have not had any students develop adverse reactions, the potential is always there for a student to be allergic and not know it. She said they also have found students carrying bottles that have the wrong pills in them.

“It’ll reduce the risk of kids passing out meds to friends, especially among the older kids. So it’ll help with safety and supervision,” she said.

Whipple said all students who are given the medication will be observed in the nurse’s office for 15 to 30 minutes to be sure they do not have a bad reaction, before being sent back to class.

She said it will make things easier on parents, too.

“Some parents are working or may not have transportation,” she said. “If the child is lucky, their parents will come get them or bring them medicine, but if not, then they have to stay in school and feel lousy all day.”

Whipple said medications will only be given with parental consent.

If the district approves the plan, schools will send forms home with students for parents to fill out, noting which medications the student is allowed to receive and noting any allergies or other medical conditions the student has, and those forms will be kept with the students’ records.

Whipple said nurses will first call the parents of K-8 students to be sure the student was not already given medication before school.

“The high school kids, we will take their word for it, because they can tell us that they didn’t take anything, but younger kids might not know what they have taken or be as responsible about it,” she said.

Whipple said if nurses cannot reach parents or the child does not have a signed form, the schools will treat students the same way they have been for years.

“We’d handle it like normal, try to soothe them in every way we can,” she said. “We’ll allow them to rest — a lot of times rest will help — but they eventually have to go back to class.”

Whipple said the district can always provide Band-aids, give students water, a snack, or even apply ice, or heating pads for cramps.

“But those are not always the solutions,” she said.

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