Beloit School District committee advances updates to emergency nursing and medication policies

The Beloit School District Policy Committee voted Wednesday to send revisions to three related school-health policies to a second reading, including a plan to add stock short-acting bronchodilators (albuterol) to school buildings.

Ms. Papilias, director of school health for the Beloit School District, told the committee the package of edits is driven in part by recent changes in state law and in part by district experience handling overnight trips, field trips and on-site emergencies.

The revisions would: add short-acting bronchodilators (albuterol) to the district's inventory of stock emergency medications; confirm existing stock epinephrine and naloxone (Narcan) protocols; require training and annual drills for the district's Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT); set notification timelines for field trips and overnight activities; and require a five-business-day standard for submitting orders for first-aid supplies.

Why it matters: the updates explicitly affect students with asthma, diabetes and severe allergies and clarify when staff may administer life-saving medications during school activities and events. The proposals also align district practice with Wisconsin statute 118.296 and with professional nursing standards cited in the draft.

Key changes and clarifications - Stock…