Arlington Heights School District 25 staff presented updates Aug. 19 to the district medication management procedures, adding parental consent for over‑the‑counter medications in the annual registration, clarifying verification steps for prescription modifications and formalizing controlled‑substance verification and disposal procedures.

Diane Kafka (title not specified in the transcript) summarized changes made after a year of implementation and stakeholder feedback from nurses, families and administrators. She said the district added a parental consent statement in the annual registration so nurses may administer approved over‑the‑counter medicines and document their use; an opt‑out mechanism remains available in the handbook. "This statement was included in the registration. It's also included in our handbook," Diane said.

For prescription medications that require dose splitting or nonstandard formats, the district will require parents to bring the medication to the health office by appointment so nurses can verify labels and, if needed, use district pill‑cutting equipment to prepare doses and confirm identity. Diane said the district also created a multi‑page Medication Administration Record (MAR) with a verification page and a weekly controlled‑substance count procedure requiring a nurse and a witness to sign the record. The district added guidance that controlled medications held for more than 30 days should be picked up by a parent; end‑of‑year disposal will be preceded by at least one week’s notice to families.

District staff characterized the updates as responsive modifications to improve safety, documentation and operational clarity. Board members thanked the nursing team for making the procedures a “living system” and noted the district will continue to update the process as needed.