Medical cannabis expected to be added to Somerset County Public Schools medication policy

Crisfield-Somerset County Times
Posted 10/18/21

WESTOVER — Somerset County Public Schools Policy 600-32 titled "Administration of Medication" is being amended by the Board of Education to include medical cannabis.

The vote on first reader …

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Medical cannabis expected to be added to Somerset County Public Schools medication policy

Posted

WESTOVER — Somerset County Public Schools Policy 600-32 titled "Administration of Medication" is being amended by the Board of Education to include medical cannabis.

The vote on first reader at the Sept. 28 virtual meeting was 4-1 with Caleb Shores opposed, and a second reading this week is expected to pass giving the changes final approval.

The policy is a guide for how school nurses and other licensed health professionals respond when students require prescription or other over-the-counter medications. However, if the drug is medical cannabis, there are additional protocols to follow, such as requiring the student’s parent or guardian to have a copy of the child’s Maryland Medical Cannabis Card, contact information on who referred the medical cannabis, and an authorization form signed by the provider as well as certification authorizing medical cannabis for a qualifying condition.

A Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) consent form to release the student’s health records and a HIPAA authorization form to allow school personnel to discuss the student’s condition with a certifying provider are also necessary.

Deputy Superintendent Tom Davis said the current policy remains in place but adds medical cannabis, which he said cannot be administered through vaping or smoking.

If changes are approved administrative procedures will be amended in "Student Discipline" Policy 600-17 adding medical cannabis in categories that currently discuss misuse, sale or solicitation of drugs. Mr. Davis said at this time there are no students requiring medical cannabis, "but we certainly should be prepared in the event that we do."

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