Let’s Lift the Ban on Sunscreen in Schools
It’s a scorching day and your kids will soon be at school, running, jumping and sweating in a shadowless playground. So you ship them with a tube of sunscreen, instructions for frequent reapplications, and a hug goodbye, right?
Not so fast. The FDA considers sunscreen to be an over-the-counter drug . Therefore, in most schools it is treated in the same way as ibuprofen or cough medicine, and children need a doctor’s note to use it indoors. And even with a doctor’s note, students have to visit the school nurse to be applied, and indeed, what kind of kid wants to wait in line to apply sunscreen during her 20 minute break when there are classics calling her name? A lot of kids are left unprotected during the day and may come home looking like … well, Google “give up sunscreen” and shudder.
USA Today reports that state legislators are working to lift the sunscreen ban – Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington have already done so, and children there are free to apply sunscreen. … Democratic Rhode Island spokesman David Bennett wants to allow children to use sunscreen, but he faces opposition from the state school nursing association, which believes sunscreen should not be used in classrooms due to potential student allergies.
While some ingredients in sunscreen can cause allergies , doctors say a serious risk of allergies is unlikely, and the American Academy of Dermatology emphasizes that sunscreen remains a safe and effective form of sun protection . Sunscreen helps to prevent cancer , the appearance of blemishes and wrinkles from aging , as well as burns colored lobster, from which you want to dive into a pool of aloe vera and cry.
If your school hasn’t lifted the ban yet, make sure your kids are wearing a broad-spectrum, waterproof sunscreen – SPF 30 or higher – and remind them to look for shade more often. And yes, get a doctor’s note so they can bring the sunscreen to school even if they have to store it in the nurse’s office. For active sweaty bodies, reapplication is critical.