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Cole County EMS says school district refused standard patient waiver, prompting operational strain
Summary
Cole County EMS officials told the commission that a local school district—on advice of outside counsel—refused to sign the agency’s standard patient waiver after bus incidents, forcing EMS to alter procedures and, in some cases, transport students to hospitals.
Cole County EMS officials told the Cole County Commission that a local school district has refused to sign the agency’s routine patient waiver after incidents on school buses, a refusal that EMS leaders say may force them to transport students they would otherwise release to school custody.
An EMS speaker described the waiver as “a waiver that everyone signs,” saying the form documents that a patient declines transport or further treatment. The speaker told commissioners the waiver is used whenever EMS responds and provides less than the full scope of services so staff know the patient does not want to be transported.
The discussion centered on who holds custody and medical-decision authority when students are under school supervision. An EMS official used the legal term loco parentis to describe the school’s role during school hours and said the agency is asking the school to accept responsibility by signing the waiver so EMS can legally hand students back to school staff without transporting them.
County EMS officials said they were told the district’s attorney in Independence, Missouri, advised district representatives not to sign the waiver and also advised student transportation staff not to sign. The EMS official said that advice would leave EMS crews with groups of students—19 juveniles on one bus was cited as an example—who could not be turned back to the school without the signed form, forcing EMS to transport students and place operational and parental-notification burdens on the agency.
Commissioners were told the practice of schools signing the waiver is longstanding. An EMS official said former Chief Mike Schurz told them the form was a standard practice when incidents involved school districts during his tenure beginning in 2009. The EMS official characterized the current district refusal as a novel development for the region.
EMS staff said they have offered to meet with the school superintendent, Brian LaCrosse, to discuss the matter; she said staff had been told the superintendent’s office was to arrange a meeting but no meeting had been scheduled. The EMS official urged parents with concerns to raise them with the school district and said the agency will always act within its legal guidelines and “in the child’s best interest” when deciding whether to transport.
No formal action by the commission was recorded on the waiver issue during the meeting; commissioners and county staff discussed options for follow-up, including further outreach to the district.
Ending: The commission meeting record shows the EMS concern was raised so commissioners would be informed; EMS requested but had not received a face-to-face meeting with the school district superintendent at the time of the discussion. The county will await any scheduled meeting and continue to apply state law and agency procedures when responding to incidents involving students.
