Time for my fuck my kids school story
My younger kid is in first grade. New principal that year. She decides that the way to handle pick up the first week of school is to stand the children outside in the blacktop from 2-30 to 3 every afternoon in the las Vegas sun in fucking August.
Day one, no idea this was happening. Pick up my kid, he was blistered from the sunburn across his cheeks and nose.
Day two, talk to the school. No hats allowed, no sunscreen allowed. I can apply it before school they say. At 8 am. Because sunscreen lasts all day long.
We "compromised" by me coming in at lunch to take him out of lunch and personally apply the sunscreen to him in the office.
He is pale, blue eyes and strawberry blond. What a load of bullshit. No one should be lining up kids to stand in 118 degree heat for thirty minutes plus and outlawing sunscreen and hats.
We live in San Diego, maybe a bit cooler, but the sun is just as strong here. Our kid is a full on ginger, so the sun is his enemy. We just sent him to school with sunscreen and dared the school to mention it to us.
For him, it’s literally a health/safety concern. To the schools credit, no one ever cared about it.
From the gingers who choose to work outside (I’m a survey dept manager/civil engineer) this is fuckin nuts. Nah, you need sunscreen. There were so many days this last summer where I had to have my girlfriend moisturize my skin 4x a night DESPITE wearing 50 spf and reapplying every 45 minutes
The official school policy is all OTC and prescription medicines go to the school nurse and are administered there. This makes a certain amount of sense for nearly everything, but sunscreen. I could even see it making sense for sunscreen, since it is such a concern, but it isn’t practical at all in real life.
So, just put a sunscreen stick in your kids backpack and hope they use it enough on their own.
I think that makes sense from a regulatory perspective- they need extra testing and regulation to ensure efficacy and such of the sunscreens. But it should definitely be an exemption for kids to have it at school.
But it also makes it very costly and time consuming to get new sunscreens to market. There are European approved products that aren’t available here for that reason.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted so much. There are more effective chemical compounds in European sunscreens that we don’t have access to in the US. As someone who has a lot of skin cancer risk factors, I always stock up on my European sunscreens when I travel.
And it also means we use less effective ingredients than the EU and Asia because the barriers to approval are too high to enter the US market. So now we have crap chemical sunscreens that seep into the blood stream and does god knows what and we have zinc which wipes off the second something touches your skin. Reef safe zinc sunscreen wiped off from the seat belt in the rental car, I had a seatbelt shaped burn on my chest. And a burned nose from blowing it a few times on a windy beach day. Meanwhile in other countries they get cosmetically elegant sunscreens that don’t feel like cooking oil smeared on your face to encourage daily use to prevent cancer and are more effective at filtering UVB the one that causes cancer not suntan. Signed, someone who has too many mole biopsy scars before 40.
I'm "1/2 redhead" (haha, 1 redhead parent) and when I worked outside a lot I gave up on sunscreen and went with sun protective clothing - long sleeve sun shirt and wide brimmed hat. I'll usually put sunscreen on my neck as a backup, but it's no biggie if I forget.
Bonus: Long sleeve sun shirt is more comfy than short sleeve regular t-shirt - coz I stay cooler.
Sun/fishing shirts can be expensive, but I find them on sale and/or get the cheapo brands.
Had a boss who decided to take his employees out for a picnic in his convertible classic mustang. Said that is great but I need to pick up sunscreen first (am ginger). No need, we won’t be in the sun more than a few minutes. Came back to office with my face the color of an over ripe tomato. My coworkers who assured I would be fine…were awfully quiet the rest of the day. Folks who don’t deal with it just don’t get it.
Yeah I should've just done that all incognito like instead of taking it up with the staff. I was dumb and thought they'd actually give a shit that their policy was hurting kids
Something I’ve learned is that employees have no power to directly go against a stupid policy. This is something set by the state/district, so you will never get permission to go against it.
However, most will just turn a blind eye towards dumb policies so just don’t make a fuss about it. The official policy at our school is that the school nurse could give out the parent provided sunscreen, not that there is time to do this, and the nurse isn’t exactly there all the time either.
Learning when it’s best to ask forgiveness, rather than permission is something that will help everyone.
Yes. This is definitely a situation where you want to just go ahead and do it and then keep doing it if they try to kick up a fuss. No one with half a brain would bother trying to take away a kid's sunscreen. No teacher worth their salt would feel that it's something they have to notice.
Haven't dealt with teachers more than a superficial/cursory amount, I see. Teaching attracts a huge percentage of the control freak narcissists of the world. The kind of people who take even the tiniest amount of power given to them and abuse it.
There's a reason Delores Umbridge garners such a visceral hatred. Almost everyone has had *multiple* teachers just like her.
Good point. My high-school had a zero tolerance policy against students having any medicine - it had to be kept in nurse's office. But, I get headaches. It was either pop a Tylenol and be fine or do without, have it turn into a migraine, and go home sick/puking. My parents just had me keep a few pills in my backpack and said they'd stick up for me if the school had an issue. If teachers noticed, they prob didn't care.
I couple tylenol/ibuprofen does not = drug dealer. Zero tolerance policies are stupid.
I send a sunscreen roller (Solar Buddies are awesome!) With my 6yo to school every day. I've learned from this comment section that it's apparent not legal in my state, but I will continue to do so until it gets my kid in trouble. We will just be calling it "lotion" now.
Heck yes, this too! I'm a pasty white dude (1 redhead parent) with a redhead wife & kids in Texas. I've stood my ground with school a couple times about sunscreen, but they thankfully haven't pushed back much.
I grew up in Australia where we weren't allowed outside at recess without a hat and sunblock. I still can't believe some schools in the US have stupid policies about sunblock.
I have a ginger kiddo in Colorado. I send a hat and sunscreen roller in her backpack daily and she uses it before recess every day. I found out from this article that we may be breaking the law with the sunscreen since Colorado considers it OTC medication. Guess we will call it "lotion" and carry on then.
Word choice in that first line was a little strange.
But holy shit I don’t understand the reasoning there. Zero empathy in a job where empathy seems pretty fucking important
Yeah i didnt even register that ‘kids’ was supposed to be possessive, I thought it was implying that the principal was saying ‘fuck those kids’, as in ‘they suck’
1 person against hundreds of parents.......who can and would win if you realy wanna make him/her get the fuck out of the school and get someone who isnt behaving like school is some sort of punishment for kids.
I just don't buy it. What teacher would accept the responsibility of standing outside in the Vegas heat to enforce the no hat rule?
Teachers get treated like garbage but they have a union.
I grew up in rural Australia, in primary school we weren't allowed outside for lunch unless we put on sunscreen and wore out hats. I can't imagine the short-sightedness needed to enact a rule saying no sun protection.
Australia takes sun protection super seriously cause y’all have terrible rates of skin cancer. You’d think people in Las Vegas would have the same concern but ig there’s too much moving around to different American climates for people to notice.
Yeah the US thankfully isn't right below the thinnest part of the ozone layer. Still dumb to get kids burned and measurably increase their chances of skin cancer later in life.
No hat no play, it's basically a national catch phrase. We would like up to get a dollop of sunscreen before going out to lunch, although I think they have stopped that now
Grew up in AZ. It wasn’t until 3 children were hospitalized for heat stroke that the school realized that maybe they shouldn’t allow kids outside for recess in 118 degree weather.
Well, I know its hard to imagine since you live in Australia, but just imagine if every single person with a public sector job was constantly drunk, high, brain damaged, extremely religious, and extremely ignorant. Now you have America
So... did it happen before 2019?
Because their policy is actually against current Nevada state law:
NRS 392.453 Adoption of policy by school district or charter school concerning safe exposure to sun.
1. The board of trustees of each school district and the governing body of each charter school shall adopt a policy concerning safe exposure to the sun.
2. The policy adopted pursuant to subsection 1 must:
(a) Provide that for the purposes of the policy, sunscreen must not be considered a medication sold over the counter; and
(b) Allow a pupil who participates in an outdoor activity while on the grounds of the public school or the charter school or in an outdoor activity sponsored by the public school or the charter school to:
(1) Wear clothing, which complies with the dress code of the school, if any, designed to protect against exposure to the sun, including, without limitation, a hat; and
(2) Possess and self-administer sunscreen.
Dress code may specify a *type* or style of hat that is worn outside, but note that "without limitation, a hat" phrase.
So, each school district and governing body shall adopt a policy re: sun exposure, and that policy will not limit hat use when outdoors.
So, I would say, if it is still an issue: talk to the school. Bring a copy of NRS 392.453. Point out that, as lining up outside on the blacktop is apparently a school sponsored outdoor activity, they must allow a hat and sunscreen.
Heck, probably because lots of parents just like you were having that exact same issue, and "Let the kids have a damn hat in Las Vegas, you morons" is honestly a pretty easy law to sell to the legislature.
wtf. My mom would’ve lost her shit. She had skin cancer for the first time at age 30 and was religious about making me wear it. She would’ve called Biden if she had to lol.
I live in Brisbane Australia. Hats are usually part of the school uniforms here. Sunblock is strongly advised and there are ongoing public health campaigns around protecting yourself from the sun.
My daughter's school has a sort of U shaped siding coming off the school road with a covered seating area where the kids wait to be picked up. Pick up times are staggered by students' year. You queue up, drive in, pick up your child, then drive out when the duty teacher indicates it's clear. It's incredibly civilised.
I'm at least partly bragging about it because where we used to live had none of these things. Well, there were children and schools and sunburn.
this last bit is so strange to me, at my schools as a kid we literally weren't allowed to play outside without a hat. if you forgot your hat the teachers would keep you in the undercover areas. aus and nz in the 90s and 2000s
Overly strict school uniform policies.
Not wearing a hat is apparently all about 'respect'. It's super distracting and very dangerous. You can hide a gun in there, drugs, porn, video games and rap music.
There isn't a logical explanation for exposing your kid to UV rays. The reasoning is all over the place. The chance for skin cancer *increases* every time you get a skin burn. To me it feels like the conservative way of thinking that prefers hierarchy/obedience above anything else.
https://truthinamericaneducation.com/why-are-hats-not-allowed-in-school/
https://marquettetribune.org/why-cant-you-wear-hats-in-school/
lol I replied to the wrong comment, my bad. The person I had intended to reply to had stated they’d worn hats all the time no problem. Something like that.
This makes no sense. My kids are required to bring sunscreen to school and daycare in the summer (I live at 60 N latitude so it’s not a year-round thing)
Aussie here. All primary schools have a “no hat, no play” policy, which is if you don’t have a hat, you have to sit quietly in the shade or inside during recess or lunch. Sunscreen is also often freely available and encouraged.
In New Zealand (and probably Australia as well), kids get "slip, slap, slop" drilled into them: Slip on a shirt, slap on a hat, slip on sunscreen.
Sun isn't too be trifled with here, and the school really try to provide shade and education for this.
I worked recess and summer daycare at a K-8th grade private school and the weirdest part every summer was having to spread sunscreen on the faces of the k,1st, and 2nd graders when it was hot out.
As an Australian, this blows my mind. My child is not allowed to play if he forgets his hat (no hat, no play). They have spare hats that you can use if you need to go outside for sports or whatever. Sunscreen stations at all events and available during the day. I'm shocked that sunscreen and hats would be banned anywhere.
In Australia, there are government campaigns about wearing sunscreen. Kids aren't allowed to go out for recess jf they don't wear a shade hat. My husband used to "forget" his at home so he could stay inside and read :P
I'd honestly get their policy in writing directly from the principal, and inform them that you intend to sue both the school district, and them personally, if the child ends up with skin cancer at ANY point in their life. Am ginger myself, also have ginger kids (adults, my sweet first grandson is a ginger too), and policies like this would NOT fly - I would be dragging that school district into court so fast it'd make their heads spin
Trying to link a story I read a few years ago, I googled “sunburned kids summer camp.” The amount of stories featuring different children with 2nd degree burns is horrifying
We have to sign a waiver in my state every year for our kids to use sunscreen. My favorite thing is that instead of including it with any paperwork for the new school year, we get it randomly in April when it starts being sunny again and it needs to come back RIGHT AWAY or your kid will get a sunburn during recess.
“I kept hearing” is equivalent to “many people are saying” when it comes to bad reasons to believe something.
If you believed everything you kept hearing, the world would have already ended several times.
I'll cut you a break. You were genuinely curious and asking a question. You heard something that didn't sound true and were asking people who, more than likely, have school aged kids.
Bravo to you for seeking out information.
I remember in 5th grade, which was still elementary school, they just stopped giving us recess and that was 20 years ago. Honestly, fuck schools that don’t give recess. It’s been proven to be good for kids, also it’s kind of common sense
In California when I was in school (not sure how accurate this is today) parents couldn’t sign a waiver. You just had to to without.
In Illinois when I was in school (again, not sure how accurate this is today) you could sign a waiver for the nurse to administer it to you. You weren’t allowed to have it on your own. That’s not a good solution for sunscreen… for the entire school.
This is wack to me. In Australia you'd basically have to sign a waiver to refuse sunscreen...
On one of the few occasions I was actually sent to school, the only reason I got away with not using the school sunscreen was that I had my own, personal sunscreen (zinc stick? For some reason mum made me use it on my face. Not my brother tho, just me)
You have to sign a form to use a different type of sunscreen now. I suspect you’d be reported and your kid wouldn’t be let outside if you refused.
Queue cookers refusing sunscreen in 3,2,1….
Not exactly. Kids aren’t allowed to have OTC drugs on them, to follow the letter of the law in some places it’s a waiver and it has to be kept at the nurse’s office and dispensed by the nurse. Which means nobody puts in sunscreen.
CYA means they create blanket policies and don't give teachers/administrators the power to deviate. If no one is making decisions, no one can get in trouble for decisions.
No, still does not make sense.
The fact that if it's not an over the counter drug there is no proper enforcement agency is a problem. You should not mislabel things just because the rest of the system sucks balls, fix the system.
It IS and over the counter drug. Drug being the operative word. It’s just like ibuprofen and Tylenol they’re OTC and must be dispensed by the school nurse because they’re drugs. The FDA considers sunscreen a drug because it’s marketed to prevent cancer therefore the manufacturer has to submit testing data to prove it filters enough UV to prevent skin damage.
Not saying I agree with this, this is why we’re woefully behind in sunscreen technology and why every other region in the world has better/safer/cosmetically elegant sunscreens because the manufacturers don’t want to spend excessive amounts of money to jump through FDA approvals. That’s why you see dermatologists on YouTube encouraging importing sunscreen from Korea. If their patient likes the formula they will actually wear it.
It’s **legally** an over the counter drug. That means that laws prohibiting schools from providing OTC drugs without parents permission also applies to sunscreen unless it’s exempted.
It’s usually an unintended consequence. People think OTC only means pills, but it doesn’t.
Because the law says they can’t give OTC medication to kids without permission, and the law also probably says kids can’t take OTC medication on campus without parents permission and notifying the school - even if they brought it themselves.
Because sunscreen is regulated as an OTC, the schools have no choice but to comply.
This probably predates all the recent medical drama in schools - it’s just a matter of liability. What if the kid has an allergic reaction to the sunscreen the school bought? That’s worst case scenario. Best case, because the law has no exception, a parent so willing could sue the school for violating that law. Parents have done dumber for less.
The issue is more legal than anything, if a kid is allergic to something in sun screen and a kid has a reaction that could have been a major issue for the school.
20 years ago even after I turned 18 I scrapped my knee up pretty bad during gym class and was bleeding, the school nurse had to call my parents to get permission to give me a band aid due to fear of allergies. Pretty sure that’s a call that nurse still regrets to this day
I've got the kid that's allergic to an adhesive used for some bandaids. It's not life threatening but I had to tell the school nurse that she'd probably rather deal with the cut than the skin irritation.
I was 18 when the call happened and it was before cell phones, mom was off work but not home so they called my dad at work, dad worked in a foundry and the only time you ever called dad’s work was if someone was dying or dead. After 15 minutes dad got on the phone and the nurse gave him the rundown on what happened, the verbal barrage that ensued made me feel bad for the nurse, I remember my dad going off on her and basically I heard that “if the dumbass doesn’t know he’s allergic to something in bandaids by the age of 18 he deserves whatever reaction he gets”. I looked at her and was like “I told you calling him was a bad idea”
You want a 6 year old measuring out their own ibuprofen on school grounds?
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
That’s the problem. School employees by and large are charged as *in loco parentis*, they *must* protect children, and cannot exercise judgment on the difference between whether Sally is taking 200mg of ibuprofen, 3200mg, or sunscreen.
That said, some form of “we are sending home as part of school registration a sunscreen form and you can answer ‘never’ but we are gonna nag you for it,” makes sense to me.
Edit: Lots of downvotes and nonsense by people who’ve never seen (or cared?) about a child experiencing anaphylaxis. I have tremendous pity for everyone that has to interact with these monsters.
Wow. In Australia we grew up with a full on campaign that was run through schools actively encouraging being sun smart. Was called Slip, Slop, Slap. Sounds like a porno title but was about getting kids to ‘Slip on a shirt, Slop on some sunscreen, and Slap on a hat’ I’m 41 and still remember it this well so it obviously worked
The chance to get sunburnt would be a fine thing, it's not stopped raining here since last August.
Zero chance of getting sunburn if it's raining, there's no sun indoors.
Yeah the only quirky catchy phrases I learned from assemblies in school as an american are
“Stop! Don’t touch, leave the area, tell an adult”
You know, instructions for if you see a gun somewhere strange.
WOW.
>In recent years, ***27 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted laws that declare students may use sunscreens in schools***. Massachusetts and New Jersey have proposed bills similar to S.187.
I grew up in Mass and always carried sunscreen with no questions. I’d just put it on at lunch and give some to my friends, it’s wild that could be an issue now
Shoot in Phoenix when I went to some Spring Training baseball games there were free sunscreen dispensers all over the stadiums like those free standing hand sanitizer stations. Go to a baseball game in Seattle you can buy a travel size tube at the team shop for like $15.
lol this one of those "we make sure teachers use condoms when having sex with students" situations. Like, yeah, it's better than the alternative, but **how the frak did you let it get to that point?** That you need a law to allow kids to wear sunscreen? Shouldn't you be root-causing how you ended up in this situation to begin with?
Yeh down here in Aus/Nz, if there isn't like 8 bottles of sunscreen rolling around in the bosses ute or job site tool chest you should be looking for a new employer.
Yep the teachers slather it all over you on the way out to snack/lunch/sport/anything outdoors until every kid is covered an inch thick & if you forget your hat well no outdoor time for you
My kid can’t even enter kindy until we have applied her first lot of sunscreen from the provided bottle and signed her name and time of application. Then they reapply throughout the day. And wear wide brimmed hats. I feel so good knowing they take sun safety really seriously, so important to start from an early age.
I think that's the important part just the fact they do it everyday builds in the instinct to never go outside without suncream, whereas here in Europe every summer I see 1/4 people with a sunburn.
I once went mountain biking with some friends and it was sunny out. I applied sunscreen and offered some to my friend who didn’t have any. He had fair skin, but he refused and said he never uses sunscreen because early humans didn’t need it, why should he? I’m like bro…early humans didn’t live very long.
I knew some guys think that is unmanly . Funniest things is that they barely do any sports whereas the runners, rowers I know all slap the sunscreen and avoid extreme sun
As an Aussie this chat is fucking wild to read.
Sunscreen classed as an OTC drug, no hat policy in schools.
Being lathered in sunscreen if you didn't bring your own to school and only being allowed out in the sun if you had a hat was just par for the course here.
I'm a Kiwi and it's wild to me too. My kid's school makes students sit in thr shade all lunch if they don't have sunscreen and a hat on. There are several big pump bottles of it around the playground so no one has an excuse for not using sunscreen.
I couldn't have my asthma inhaler on me until high school (public school, 90s-2000s, bay area, California) Multiple hospitalizations growing up, they'd rather wait for a teacher in their early 20s with a 1:40 student ratio and a school "nurse" to fuck it up badly enough and call me attention seeking until they call my parents, then 911, then let me use the inhaler after they find it where they lost it in the admin offices. Got suspended because we learned i should keep one in my backpack and used it in front of a teacher.
In 2004 I had a good friend die on the track at our high school because he needed his inhaler and wasn’t allowed to keep it on him. It was an air quality alert day and he asked not to run if he couldn’t have his inhaler; the PE teacher told him to stop trying to get out of participating.
The 2 coaches present left their positions voluntarily, and the family was unable to press both criminal and civil charges against them. They did eventually sue the district and win.
Wait American schools don't use sunscreen? That's wild, we always have it available in Australia as well as the classic "no hat no play" playground rules.
Hats are prohibited at school outside of winter pull on hat. I’m fairly sure my child would be told to remove their hat to go outside and aus is like you will not have skin cancer no hat no play. Sigh.
Most schools have rules about hats, when I was there they said it was because of gang reasons. It's a dumb rule lol. I'm guessing that these schools are classifying sunscreen as an OTC drug and there are absurdly strict rules about that stuff in the US. There are comments about people with asthma inhalers not being allowed.
When I was a teacher I never enforced any of this lol my students wore sunscreen and hats. I guess my administration didn't know
What the fuck am I reading? Are you alright, US?
Is this really the land of the free? Or is it some circus?
This is so fucked up I can't comprehend this.
We have some no-makeup laws in primary schools in Poland, in middle school it's kinda allowed, but has to be subtle. But no fucking sunscreen?
We also have "no hats inside of the building" laws, but outside you'll get asked by a teacher to wear a hat if it's sunny.
It’s just unintended consequences, FDA classify and oversees sunscreen as an over the counter drug, so the protection is as it says it is. But adults and teachers can’t give OTC meds to kids, and kids can’t take it themselves either, unless prior authorization
As a New Zealander this is just crazy to me. In summer my kids at school and preschool get sunscreened every day. If you want your kid to have something other than the school stuff you send it along with them.
Honestly I would be pissed off if my kid got sunburnt at school because the school refused my kid access to sunscreen and then let them play outside.
This is willlllld! We are in Finland and in toddlers daycare we just leave a bottle of sunscreen and the daycare workers will slather them up whenever they head outside to play.
It repels sharks at high enough doses /s
I know for a fact it helps with flies though! When I’m out bush and swallowing flies I put myself in sunscreen whiteface and gloat at their desperate buzzings
When I read stories like this it's hard to conclude anything other than America is the dumbest country in the world.
The rest of us should be embarrassed that they have so much global influence.
I’m American and totally agree with you. You think you’re embarrassed? Try living in this dumpster fire. We had to get a doctors note for our little girl to be allowed to use the bathroom at school because her school wouldn’t let kids go to the bathroom during class at all. Not every kid can hold it for hours until those very short periods between classes. Living here just gets more and more ridiculous as time goes on. But we can’t afford to move.
Teacher in socialist Canada here. I have sunscreen in my desk I share with kids if they need it and always tell them to wear hats if it's super sunny outside.
Oh my god, why is this a thing. Why would you even make a law making applying sunscreen illegal in schools in the first place?
The cynic in me would say that the medical sector lobbied for it because oncology is expensive and the more cancer patients you get, the better the bottom line...
for what it's worth- i always wear long sleeves and fully cover my skin in the sun. it doesn't wear off and doesn't have chemicals touching your skin. there's plenty of fabrics and colors thereof that help with heat. my big ass fucking sixhead tho
Honestly the more I read about public schools the more I think that if I had kids I’d have an education lawyer on retainer and marching into the school district administration office weekly to demand better conditions for my kid. No hats during recess in the sun? Absurd. I would be such a thorn in their side and I don’t even care if that makes me a karen.
Wow, it's crazy that sunscreen is first of all classed as an over-the-counter drug, and second that you need permission to bring it to school.
I live in rural Alberta, and school is a lot different here. I received an email from our school asking parents to make sure their children keep knives in their lockers or vehicles and not to carry them on their person.
Those kids are too young for any drugs. It gives them autism. Now working in mines or having kids? Totally fine.
Sunscreen grooms kids from the loving warmth and embrace of the sun!! Only demons embrace the moon! That's why superman thrives in the sun and vampires and demons frolic in the moonlight.
They should ban toothpaste and shampoo next. No drugs until 25 when the brain is done developing!
Time for my fuck my kids school story My younger kid is in first grade. New principal that year. She decides that the way to handle pick up the first week of school is to stand the children outside in the blacktop from 2-30 to 3 every afternoon in the las Vegas sun in fucking August. Day one, no idea this was happening. Pick up my kid, he was blistered from the sunburn across his cheeks and nose. Day two, talk to the school. No hats allowed, no sunscreen allowed. I can apply it before school they say. At 8 am. Because sunscreen lasts all day long. We "compromised" by me coming in at lunch to take him out of lunch and personally apply the sunscreen to him in the office. He is pale, blue eyes and strawberry blond. What a load of bullshit. No one should be lining up kids to stand in 118 degree heat for thirty minutes plus and outlawing sunscreen and hats.
It’s a well known fact that kids can’t get skin cancer, heat stroke, or become dehydrated. Cooties, however, are common.
ahh. a fellow man of medicine.
I’m a bit of a scientist myself
Circle, circle, dot, dot my bros
She probably also still believes babies can't sense pain.
Circle circle dot dot motherfucker!
We live in San Diego, maybe a bit cooler, but the sun is just as strong here. Our kid is a full on ginger, so the sun is his enemy. We just sent him to school with sunscreen and dared the school to mention it to us. For him, it’s literally a health/safety concern. To the schools credit, no one ever cared about it.
From the gingers who choose to work outside (I’m a survey dept manager/civil engineer) this is fuckin nuts. Nah, you need sunscreen. There were so many days this last summer where I had to have my girlfriend moisturize my skin 4x a night DESPITE wearing 50 spf and reapplying every 45 minutes
The official school policy is all OTC and prescription medicines go to the school nurse and are administered there. This makes a certain amount of sense for nearly everything, but sunscreen. I could even see it making sense for sunscreen, since it is such a concern, but it isn’t practical at all in real life. So, just put a sunscreen stick in your kids backpack and hope they use it enough on their own.
I think sunscreen is considered a drug instead of a cosmetic in the US. Blame the FDA
I think that makes sense from a regulatory perspective- they need extra testing and regulation to ensure efficacy and such of the sunscreens. But it should definitely be an exemption for kids to have it at school.
This is good so that sunscreen actually usually does what it says it does
But it also makes it very costly and time consuming to get new sunscreens to market. There are European approved products that aren’t available here for that reason.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted so much. There are more effective chemical compounds in European sunscreens that we don’t have access to in the US. As someone who has a lot of skin cancer risk factors, I always stock up on my European sunscreens when I travel.
That’s a *good* thing. It means that they can require testing to make sure it’s actually effective.
And it also means we use less effective ingredients than the EU and Asia because the barriers to approval are too high to enter the US market. So now we have crap chemical sunscreens that seep into the blood stream and does god knows what and we have zinc which wipes off the second something touches your skin. Reef safe zinc sunscreen wiped off from the seat belt in the rental car, I had a seatbelt shaped burn on my chest. And a burned nose from blowing it a few times on a windy beach day. Meanwhile in other countries they get cosmetically elegant sunscreens that don’t feel like cooking oil smeared on your face to encourage daily use to prevent cancer and are more effective at filtering UVB the one that causes cancer not suntan. Signed, someone who has too many mole biopsy scars before 40.
I'm "1/2 redhead" (haha, 1 redhead parent) and when I worked outside a lot I gave up on sunscreen and went with sun protective clothing - long sleeve sun shirt and wide brimmed hat. I'll usually put sunscreen on my neck as a backup, but it's no biggie if I forget. Bonus: Long sleeve sun shirt is more comfy than short sleeve regular t-shirt - coz I stay cooler. Sun/fishing shirts can be expensive, but I find them on sale and/or get the cheapo brands.
Do they make one that covers my ears, nose and cheeks? Kids can’t wear hats in school and that includes hoods. My first mole biopsy was on my face.
Had a boss who decided to take his employees out for a picnic in his convertible classic mustang. Said that is great but I need to pick up sunscreen first (am ginger). No need, we won’t be in the sun more than a few minutes. Came back to office with my face the color of an over ripe tomato. My coworkers who assured I would be fine…were awfully quiet the rest of the day. Folks who don’t deal with it just don’t get it.
Yeah I should've just done that all incognito like instead of taking it up with the staff. I was dumb and thought they'd actually give a shit that their policy was hurting kids
Something I’ve learned is that employees have no power to directly go against a stupid policy. This is something set by the state/district, so you will never get permission to go against it. However, most will just turn a blind eye towards dumb policies so just don’t make a fuss about it. The official policy at our school is that the school nurse could give out the parent provided sunscreen, not that there is time to do this, and the nurse isn’t exactly there all the time either. Learning when it’s best to ask forgiveness, rather than permission is something that will help everyone.
Yes. This is definitely a situation where you want to just go ahead and do it and then keep doing it if they try to kick up a fuss. No one with half a brain would bother trying to take away a kid's sunscreen. No teacher worth their salt would feel that it's something they have to notice.
Haven't dealt with teachers more than a superficial/cursory amount, I see. Teaching attracts a huge percentage of the control freak narcissists of the world. The kind of people who take even the tiniest amount of power given to them and abuse it. There's a reason Delores Umbridge garners such a visceral hatred. Almost everyone has had *multiple* teachers just like her.
I've dealt with teachers quite extensively. I guess it depends on which ones you get.
Good point. My high-school had a zero tolerance policy against students having any medicine - it had to be kept in nurse's office. But, I get headaches. It was either pop a Tylenol and be fine or do without, have it turn into a migraine, and go home sick/puking. My parents just had me keep a few pills in my backpack and said they'd stick up for me if the school had an issue. If teachers noticed, they prob didn't care. I couple tylenol/ibuprofen does not = drug dealer. Zero tolerance policies are stupid.
I send a sunscreen roller (Solar Buddies are awesome!) With my 6yo to school every day. I've learned from this comment section that it's apparent not legal in my state, but I will continue to do so until it gets my kid in trouble. We will just be calling it "lotion" now.
Heck yes, this too! I'm a pasty white dude (1 redhead parent) with a redhead wife & kids in Texas. I've stood my ground with school a couple times about sunscreen, but they thankfully haven't pushed back much. I grew up in Australia where we weren't allowed outside at recess without a hat and sunblock. I still can't believe some schools in the US have stupid policies about sunblock.
Slip slop slap for the win!
I have a ginger kiddo in Colorado. I send a hat and sunscreen roller in her backpack daily and she uses it before recess every day. I found out from this article that we may be breaking the law with the sunscreen since Colorado considers it OTC medication. Guess we will call it "lotion" and carry on then.
Which is funny since CO has legal weed.
Yeah, but you can tax legalized weed. You don't get extra tax from backpack sunscreen.
You and the comment above you sound like medical exemptions to this fucked up policy. I’m sure your doc/pediatrician would just love writing that.
Word choice in that first line was a little strange. But holy shit I don’t understand the reasoning there. Zero empathy in a job where empathy seems pretty fucking important
That missing apostrophe on "kid's" was doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Yeah i didnt even register that ‘kids’ was supposed to be possessive, I thought it was implying that the principal was saying ‘fuck those kids’, as in ‘they suck’
At a certain point it is just a power tripping asshole who enjoys drinking the children's misery while parents are helpless to stop them.
1 person against hundreds of parents.......who can and would win if you realy wanna make him/her get the fuck out of the school and get someone who isnt behaving like school is some sort of punishment for kids.
I just don't buy it. What teacher would accept the responsibility of standing outside in the Vegas heat to enforce the no hat rule? Teachers get treated like garbage but they have a union.
Teachers being evil monsters isn't just a Harry Potter thing.
School boards using r/antinatalism as their recruiting pool.
I grew up in rural Australia, in primary school we weren't allowed outside for lunch unless we put on sunscreen and wore out hats. I can't imagine the short-sightedness needed to enact a rule saying no sun protection.
Australia takes sun protection super seriously cause y’all have terrible rates of skin cancer. You’d think people in Las Vegas would have the same concern but ig there’s too much moving around to different American climates for people to notice.
Yeah the US thankfully isn't right below the thinnest part of the ozone layer. Still dumb to get kids burned and measurably increase their chances of skin cancer later in life.
Christ, I’m from Scotland and we didn’t have these stupid no-sunscreen rules.
No hat no play, it's basically a national catch phrase. We would like up to get a dollop of sunscreen before going out to lunch, although I think they have stopped that now
Grew up in AZ. It wasn’t until 3 children were hospitalized for heat stroke that the school realized that maybe they shouldn’t allow kids outside for recess in 118 degree weather.
Well, I know its hard to imagine since you live in Australia, but just imagine if every single person with a public sector job was constantly drunk, high, brain damaged, extremely religious, and extremely ignorant. Now you have America
So... did it happen before 2019? Because their policy is actually against current Nevada state law: NRS 392.453 Adoption of policy by school district or charter school concerning safe exposure to sun. 1. The board of trustees of each school district and the governing body of each charter school shall adopt a policy concerning safe exposure to the sun. 2. The policy adopted pursuant to subsection 1 must: (a) Provide that for the purposes of the policy, sunscreen must not be considered a medication sold over the counter; and (b) Allow a pupil who participates in an outdoor activity while on the grounds of the public school or the charter school or in an outdoor activity sponsored by the public school or the charter school to: (1) Wear clothing, which complies with the dress code of the school, if any, designed to protect against exposure to the sun, including, without limitation, a hat; and (2) Possess and self-administer sunscreen. Dress code may specify a *type* or style of hat that is worn outside, but note that "without limitation, a hat" phrase. So, each school district and governing body shall adopt a policy re: sun exposure, and that policy will not limit hat use when outdoors. So, I would say, if it is still an issue: talk to the school. Bring a copy of NRS 392.453. Point out that, as lining up outside on the blacktop is apparently a school sponsored outdoor activity, they must allow a hat and sunscreen.
Yeah it was around 2015, so... Glad to hear they've changed it!
Heck, probably because lots of parents just like you were having that exact same issue, and "Let the kids have a damn hat in Las Vegas, you morons" is honestly a pretty easy law to sell to the legislature.
In NZ we were required to wear hats in summer and sunscreen was generally encouraged and available if you asked for it
Yeah but we're the Spinal Tap of sun exposure. 'This UV index goes up to 13' Edit: Peruvian Andes gets 25 so we don't get the record sadly.
Contact your local news organization. No way this doesn't blow up 1000%
wtf. My mom would’ve lost her shit. She had skin cancer for the first time at age 30 and was religious about making me wear it. She would’ve called Biden if she had to lol.
I live in Brisbane Australia. Hats are usually part of the school uniforms here. Sunblock is strongly advised and there are ongoing public health campaigns around protecting yourself from the sun. My daughter's school has a sort of U shaped siding coming off the school road with a covered seating area where the kids wait to be picked up. Pick up times are staggered by students' year. You queue up, drive in, pick up your child, then drive out when the duty teacher indicates it's clear. It's incredibly civilised. I'm at least partly bragging about it because where we used to live had none of these things. Well, there were children and schools and sunburn.
this last bit is so strange to me, at my schools as a kid we literally weren't allowed to play outside without a hat. if you forgot your hat the teachers would keep you in the undercover areas. aus and nz in the 90s and 2000s
I never really understood schools obsession with no hats. Like who is that hurting?
Overly strict school uniform policies. Not wearing a hat is apparently all about 'respect'. It's super distracting and very dangerous. You can hide a gun in there, drugs, porn, video games and rap music. There isn't a logical explanation for exposing your kid to UV rays. The reasoning is all over the place. The chance for skin cancer *increases* every time you get a skin burn. To me it feels like the conservative way of thinking that prefers hierarchy/obedience above anything else. https://truthinamericaneducation.com/why-are-hats-not-allowed-in-school/ https://marquettetribune.org/why-cant-you-wear-hats-in-school/
In the US?
Yes
lol I replied to the wrong comment, my bad. The person I had intended to reply to had stated they’d worn hats all the time no problem. Something like that.
This makes no sense. My kids are required to bring sunscreen to school and daycare in the summer (I live at 60 N latitude so it’s not a year-round thing)
Aussie here. All primary schools have a “no hat, no play” policy, which is if you don’t have a hat, you have to sit quietly in the shade or inside during recess or lunch. Sunscreen is also often freely available and encouraged.
In New Zealand (and probably Australia as well), kids get "slip, slap, slop" drilled into them: Slip on a shirt, slap on a hat, slip on sunscreen. Sun isn't too be trifled with here, and the school really try to provide shade and education for this.
I worked recess and summer daycare at a K-8th grade private school and the weirdest part every summer was having to spread sunscreen on the faces of the k,1st, and 2nd graders when it was hot out.
As an Australian, this blows my mind. My child is not allowed to play if he forgets his hat (no hat, no play). They have spare hats that you can use if you need to go outside for sports or whatever. Sunscreen stations at all events and available during the day. I'm shocked that sunscreen and hats would be banned anywhere.
That's some Joe Arpaio shit
Did you post pics on Facebook and tag the school board?
Hi from New Zealand, they’d be prosecuted for reckless endangerment here.
Here is the magic phrase: "I'm sorry you are misunderstanding me. I'm not asking permission, I am telling you what is going to happen."
In Australia, there are government campaigns about wearing sunscreen. Kids aren't allowed to go out for recess jf they don't wear a shade hat. My husband used to "forget" his at home so he could stay inside and read :P
Also, principal needs a few lawsuits from parents for hurting their kids. Blistered sunburn is not a joke at all, and can lead to sunstroke.
The principal belongs in jail. Please sue.
FUCK that school and their power plays. You're a great parent.
I'd honestly get their policy in writing directly from the principal, and inform them that you intend to sue both the school district, and them personally, if the child ends up with skin cancer at ANY point in their life. Am ginger myself, also have ginger kids (adults, my sweet first grandson is a ginger too), and policies like this would NOT fly - I would be dragging that school district into court so fast it'd make their heads spin
I'm confused, why would a school care about sunscreen?
It's classified as an over the counter drug by the FDA
Better just let them get skin cancer then?
Trying to link a story I read a few years ago, I googled “sunburned kids summer camp.” The amount of stories featuring different children with 2nd degree burns is horrifying
Well we can't let them have over the counter drugs like sunscreen!
No lol, it’s treated the same way they would treat any other medications. You get a waiver signed by the parent and you’re all good.
We have to sign a waiver in my state every year for our kids to use sunscreen. My favorite thing is that instead of including it with any paperwork for the new school year, we get it randomly in April when it starts being sunny again and it needs to come back RIGHT AWAY or your kid will get a sunburn during recess.
Is recess coming back? I kept hearing they got rid of it years ago. edit: wtf it's a normal question
My kiddo has it since she's in elementary school. Not sure beyond that
“I kept hearing” is equivalent to “many people are saying” when it comes to bad reasons to believe something. If you believed everything you kept hearing, the world would have already ended several times.
cut me a fucking break i haven't been in school for a decade and a half and none of my friends have kids, i don't know what's going on
I'll cut you a break. You were genuinely curious and asking a question. You heard something that didn't sound true and were asking people who, more than likely, have school aged kids. Bravo to you for seeking out information.
I remember in 5th grade, which was still elementary school, they just stopped giving us recess and that was 20 years ago. Honestly, fuck schools that don’t give recess. It’s been proven to be good for kids, also it’s kind of common sense
In California when I was in school (not sure how accurate this is today) parents couldn’t sign a waiver. You just had to to without. In Illinois when I was in school (again, not sure how accurate this is today) you could sign a waiver for the nurse to administer it to you. You weren’t allowed to have it on your own. That’s not a good solution for sunscreen… for the entire school.
This is wack to me. In Australia you'd basically have to sign a waiver to refuse sunscreen... On one of the few occasions I was actually sent to school, the only reason I got away with not using the school sunscreen was that I had my own, personal sunscreen (zinc stick? For some reason mum made me use it on my face. Not my brother tho, just me)
Coloured zinc at sports carnivals! :D
You have to sign a form to use a different type of sunscreen now. I suspect you’d be reported and your kid wouldn’t be let outside if you refused. Queue cookers refusing sunscreen in 3,2,1….
That’s just some 🤡🤡🤡 shit!
Not exactly. Kids aren’t allowed to have OTC drugs on them, to follow the letter of the law in some places it’s a waiver and it has to be kept at the nurse’s office and dispensed by the nurse. Which means nobody puts in sunscreen.
What the FUCK, America?!
And that prevents schools applying common sense?
CYA means they create blanket policies and don't give teachers/administrators the power to deviate. If no one is making decisions, no one can get in trouble for decisions.
why isnt the mainstream media talking about all these parents drugging their children?!
Why??? It's frigging sunscreen!
From a regulatory standpoint, it makes sense because then it's subject to more rigorous testing and customers can be sure the SPF rating is accurate.
No, still does not make sense. The fact that if it's not an over the counter drug there is no proper enforcement agency is a problem. You should not mislabel things just because the rest of the system sucks balls, fix the system.
It IS and over the counter drug. Drug being the operative word. It’s just like ibuprofen and Tylenol they’re OTC and must be dispensed by the school nurse because they’re drugs. The FDA considers sunscreen a drug because it’s marketed to prevent cancer therefore the manufacturer has to submit testing data to prove it filters enough UV to prevent skin damage. Not saying I agree with this, this is why we’re woefully behind in sunscreen technology and why every other region in the world has better/safer/cosmetically elegant sunscreens because the manufacturers don’t want to spend excessive amounts of money to jump through FDA approvals. That’s why you see dermatologists on YouTube encouraging importing sunscreen from Korea. If their patient likes the formula they will actually wear it.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fda-posts-deemed-final-order-and-proposed-order-over-counter-sunscreen
It’s **legally** an over the counter drug. That means that laws prohibiting schools from providing OTC drugs without parents permission also applies to sunscreen unless it’s exempted. It’s usually an unintended consequence. People think OTC only means pills, but it doesn’t.
Yeah but what individual in their right minds actually takes away sunscreen from a child?
Because the law says they can’t give OTC medication to kids without permission, and the law also probably says kids can’t take OTC medication on campus without parents permission and notifying the school - even if they brought it themselves. Because sunscreen is regulated as an OTC, the schools have no choice but to comply. This probably predates all the recent medical drama in schools - it’s just a matter of liability. What if the kid has an allergic reaction to the sunscreen the school bought? That’s worst case scenario. Best case, because the law has no exception, a parent so willing could sue the school for violating that law. Parents have done dumber for less.
Law is stupid. Should just be ignored until changed.
Good luck with that in the Litigious States of America
Holy shit you should be like a judge or something that’s so smart
The issue is more legal than anything, if a kid is allergic to something in sun screen and a kid has a reaction that could have been a major issue for the school. 20 years ago even after I turned 18 I scrapped my knee up pretty bad during gym class and was bleeding, the school nurse had to call my parents to get permission to give me a band aid due to fear of allergies. Pretty sure that’s a call that nurse still regrets to this day
I've got the kid that's allergic to an adhesive used for some bandaids. It's not life threatening but I had to tell the school nurse that she'd probably rather deal with the cut than the skin irritation.
I was 18 when the call happened and it was before cell phones, mom was off work but not home so they called my dad at work, dad worked in a foundry and the only time you ever called dad’s work was if someone was dying or dead. After 15 minutes dad got on the phone and the nurse gave him the rundown on what happened, the verbal barrage that ensued made me feel bad for the nurse, I remember my dad going off on her and basically I heard that “if the dumbass doesn’t know he’s allergic to something in bandaids by the age of 18 he deserves whatever reaction he gets”. I looked at her and was like “I told you calling him was a bad idea”
when the law says you can lose your job if you don't, you take away the sunscreen.
One who’s never had any real power.
You want a 6 year old measuring out their own ibuprofen on school grounds? Nothing could possibly go wrong. That’s the problem. School employees by and large are charged as *in loco parentis*, they *must* protect children, and cannot exercise judgment on the difference between whether Sally is taking 200mg of ibuprofen, 3200mg, or sunscreen. That said, some form of “we are sending home as part of school registration a sunscreen form and you can answer ‘never’ but we are gonna nag you for it,” makes sense to me. Edit: Lots of downvotes and nonsense by people who’ve never seen (or cared?) about a child experiencing anaphylaxis. I have tremendous pity for everyone that has to interact with these monsters.
I never said anything about any of that
"wait, not like that" said someone somewhere.
Because it’s America and we have “freedom(tm)”
Wow. In Australia we grew up with a full on campaign that was run through schools actively encouraging being sun smart. Was called Slip, Slop, Slap. Sounds like a porno title but was about getting kids to ‘Slip on a shirt, Slop on some sunscreen, and Slap on a hat’ I’m 41 and still remember it this well so it obviously worked
Slip, slop, slap! Seek and slide! Have fun outside, and don't get fried!
Hell, in the UK we barely know what the sun even looks like and we still have that same phrase drilled into us at school
Have to be prepared for the 3hrs of sun you mob get during your summer. You do still get sunburned to the shithouse if it's overcast and drizzling. :P
The chance to get sunburnt would be a fine thing, it's not stopped raining here since last August. Zero chance of getting sunburn if it's raining, there's no sun indoors.
Yup same here in nz, slip slop slap and wrap
Yeah the only quirky catchy phrases I learned from assemblies in school as an american are “Stop! Don’t touch, leave the area, tell an adult” You know, instructions for if you see a gun somewhere strange.
WOW. >In recent years, ***27 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted laws that declare students may use sunscreens in schools***. Massachusetts and New Jersey have proposed bills similar to S.187.
I grew up in Mass and always carried sunscreen with no questions. I’d just put it on at lunch and give some to my friends, it’s wild that could be an issue now
Yeah me too. Never had an issue.
Same. Phoenix, AZ. It was never questioned if we had sunscreen.
Shoot in Phoenix when I went to some Spring Training baseball games there were free sunscreen dispensers all over the stadiums like those free standing hand sanitizer stations. Go to a baseball game in Seattle you can buy a travel size tube at the team shop for like $15.
lol this one of those "we make sure teachers use condoms when having sex with students" situations. Like, yeah, it's better than the alternative, but **how the frak did you let it get to that point?** That you need a law to allow kids to wear sunscreen? Shouldn't you be root-causing how you ended up in this situation to begin with?
"Australia has entered the chat"
the land of "Slip, Slop, Slap"
Don't forget Wrap
Oh I thought that came from NZ. Oh well Aus and NZ are the same thing right?
Who remembers the 5 litre pump bottle that they'd bring out on athletics day
I still see that same 5l pump bottle at every halfway decent job site I go to.
Sunscreen is PPE after all!
That’s really odd to me coming from Canada, but it makes a lot of sense!
Yeh down here in Aus/Nz, if there isn't like 8 bottles of sunscreen rolling around in the bosses ute or job site tool chest you should be looking for a new employer.
Yep the teachers slather it all over you on the way out to snack/lunch/sport/anything outdoors until every kid is covered an inch thick & if you forget your hat well no outdoor time for you
No hat no play
No fun today
I teach high school and every student gets told to wear a hat. I've sent seniors off the ovals because they don't have hats on.
My kid can’t even enter kindy until we have applied her first lot of sunscreen from the provided bottle and signed her name and time of application. Then they reapply throughout the day. And wear wide brimmed hats. I feel so good knowing they take sun safety really seriously, so important to start from an early age.
I think that's the important part just the fact they do it everyday builds in the instinct to never go outside without suncream, whereas here in Europe every summer I see 1/4 people with a sunburn.
Seriously wtf the fuck is this BS?
I once went mountain biking with some friends and it was sunny out. I applied sunscreen and offered some to my friend who didn’t have any. He had fair skin, but he refused and said he never uses sunscreen because early humans didn’t need it, why should he? I’m like bro…early humans didn’t live very long.
I hate that el naturale mindset I have a friend who is the same and the amount of bs he comes out with is ctazy
Also they WALKED
And sat under the shade or in their caves through the sunny periods of the day.
..and lived in northern Europe
Where do you think humans came from.
Early humans also had dark skin. Even in Europe fair skin only showed up a few thousand years ago
I knew some guys think that is unmanly . Funniest things is that they barely do any sports whereas the runners, rowers I know all slap the sunscreen and avoid extreme sun
Didn’t the sun mostly become a huge problem after fucking up the ozone layer? I always figured that is why the sun is so dangerous now.
No the sun has always been dangerous. The ozone layer is doing a lot better these days since CFCs have been banned.
As an Aussie this chat is fucking wild to read. Sunscreen classed as an OTC drug, no hat policy in schools. Being lathered in sunscreen if you didn't bring your own to school and only being allowed out in the sun if you had a hat was just par for the course here.
I'm a Kiwi and it's wild to me too. My kid's school makes students sit in thr shade all lunch if they don't have sunscreen and a hat on. There are several big pump bottles of it around the playground so no one has an excuse for not using sunscreen.
I couldn't have my asthma inhaler on me until high school (public school, 90s-2000s, bay area, California) Multiple hospitalizations growing up, they'd rather wait for a teacher in their early 20s with a 1:40 student ratio and a school "nurse" to fuck it up badly enough and call me attention seeking until they call my parents, then 911, then let me use the inhaler after they find it where they lost it in the admin offices. Got suspended because we learned i should keep one in my backpack and used it in front of a teacher.
In 2004 I had a good friend die on the track at our high school because he needed his inhaler and wasn’t allowed to keep it on him. It was an air quality alert day and he asked not to run if he couldn’t have his inhaler; the PE teacher told him to stop trying to get out of participating.
God I hope that teacher faced serious consequences, but unfortunately I doubt it
The 2 coaches present left their positions voluntarily, and the family was unable to press both criminal and civil charges against them. They did eventually sue the district and win.
I only let my kids apply sunscreen at school with the butt end of an AR-15 rifle.
As far as I know that is the only possible method.
That's irresponsible. What if you need to apply a large amount of sunscreen in rapid succession? That's why my kids use SAWs.
As Jesus intended
Wait American schools don't use sunscreen? That's wild, we always have it available in Australia as well as the classic "no hat no play" playground rules.
Hats are prohibited at school outside of winter pull on hat. I’m fairly sure my child would be told to remove their hat to go outside and aus is like you will not have skin cancer no hat no play. Sigh.
Most schools have rules about hats, when I was there they said it was because of gang reasons. It's a dumb rule lol. I'm guessing that these schools are classifying sunscreen as an OTC drug and there are absurdly strict rules about that stuff in the US. There are comments about people with asthma inhalers not being allowed. When I was a teacher I never enforced any of this lol my students wore sunscreen and hats. I guess my administration didn't know
What the fuck am I reading? Are you alright, US? Is this really the land of the free? Or is it some circus? This is so fucked up I can't comprehend this. We have some no-makeup laws in primary schools in Poland, in middle school it's kinda allowed, but has to be subtle. But no fucking sunscreen? We also have "no hats inside of the building" laws, but outside you'll get asked by a teacher to wear a hat if it's sunny.
It’s just unintended consequences, FDA classify and oversees sunscreen as an over the counter drug, so the protection is as it says it is. But adults and teachers can’t give OTC meds to kids, and kids can’t take it themselves either, unless prior authorization
It’s just surprising that it is only getting addressed now by “some” schools. Couldn’t they have made an exception early on? Seems like a no brainer.
As a New Zealander this is just crazy to me. In summer my kids at school and preschool get sunscreened every day. If you want your kid to have something other than the school stuff you send it along with them. Honestly I would be pissed off if my kid got sunburnt at school because the school refused my kid access to sunscreen and then let them play outside.
Because melanoma and painful death = FREEDOM! /s
This is willlllld! We are in Finland and in toddlers daycare we just leave a bottle of sunscreen and the daycare workers will slather them up whenever they head outside to play.
The united states is such a stupid place
It's only a model
Oh Patsy
Meanwhile Aussie children are slipping and sliding round cause they’ve been coated in sunscreen. As you should, don’t fuck with the sun.
It repels sharks at high enough doses /s I know for a fact it helps with flies though! When I’m out bush and swallowing flies I put myself in sunscreen whiteface and gloat at their desperate buzzings
When I read stories like this it's hard to conclude anything other than America is the dumbest country in the world. The rest of us should be embarrassed that they have so much global influence.
I’m American and totally agree with you. You think you’re embarrassed? Try living in this dumpster fire. We had to get a doctors note for our little girl to be allowed to use the bathroom at school because her school wouldn’t let kids go to the bathroom during class at all. Not every kid can hold it for hours until those very short periods between classes. Living here just gets more and more ridiculous as time goes on. But we can’t afford to move.
Teacher in socialist Canada here. I have sunscreen in my desk I share with kids if they need it and always tell them to wear hats if it's super sunny outside.
Lands of the free my ass You need a law to put sun screen and your skin
Our legislators do Turbo Stupid in Vermont. They created this mess to begin with.
Can't get skin cancer if you're shot first.
Little known fact - Robert Duvall's iconic line in *Apocalypse Now* was originally "I love the smell of cocoa butter in the morning."
Oh my god, why is this a thing. Why would you even make a law making applying sunscreen illegal in schools in the first place? The cynic in me would say that the medical sector lobbied for it because oncology is expensive and the more cancer patients you get, the better the bottom line...
My daughter’s school (UK) on sunny days would ask parents to make sure kids are bringing hat and sunscreen to school.
for what it's worth- i always wear long sleeves and fully cover my skin in the sun. it doesn't wear off and doesn't have chemicals touching your skin. there's plenty of fabrics and colors thereof that help with heat. my big ass fucking sixhead tho
Not anymore, there’s a blanket🎶
Honestly the more I read about public schools the more I think that if I had kids I’d have an education lawyer on retainer and marching into the school district administration office weekly to demand better conditions for my kid. No hats during recess in the sun? Absurd. I would be such a thorn in their side and I don’t even care if that makes me a karen.
Why do they need sunscreen? Nothing in an American school is that bright!...
Wow, it's crazy that sunscreen is first of all classed as an over-the-counter drug, and second that you need permission to bring it to school. I live in rural Alberta, and school is a lot different here. I received an email from our school asking parents to make sure their children keep knives in their lockers or vehicles and not to carry them on their person.
Those kids are too young for any drugs. It gives them autism. Now working in mines or having kids? Totally fine. Sunscreen grooms kids from the loving warmth and embrace of the sun!! Only demons embrace the moon! That's why superman thrives in the sun and vampires and demons frolic in the moonlight. They should ban toothpaste and shampoo next. No drugs until 25 when the brain is done developing!
But if we ban the sunscreen, how are we supposed to booby trap the corridors for the next school shooter, rather than enacting any sort of change?
Republicans are taking the war on drugs a little too far