District adds adrenal insufficiency to medication procedures; implementation awaits state trainer availability

Health Services Director Jen Van (introduced during the meeting) presented a new Policy 3425 and accompanying procedure updates to ensure students with adrenal insufficiency have individualized health plans and access to life-saving injectable cortisone when needed.

Van explained that House Bill 1709 allows a parent-designated adult (PDA) to administer injectable medication for adrenal insufficiency after completing training "selected by the parent." She cautioned, however, that "right now, though, unfortunately, there's no trainings available in our state," and therefore districts cannot yet implement the PDA pathway. "We are not as registered nurses, we can't delegate... injections," Van said, adding that until trainers and training programs exist, only licensed nurses may perform injectable administration.

Under the proposed policy and procedure change the district would: • Require individualized health plans for every student with adrenal insufficiency and review them annually. • Allow parents to designate a volunteer staff member as a PDA and require PDA-specific training selected by the parent and delivered by an expert in adrenal insufficiency. • Maintain legal protections consistent with state law while aligning the policy with existing student medication administration practices (currently used for diabetes and epilepsy PDAs).

Van and board members discussed logistics, including medication storage (district keeps the medication on hand) and how PDAs might be identified in schools (1:1 staff, coaches or other staff depending on student needs). The district will monitor state progress on training availability and only implement PDAs once approved training providers and curriculum are available.

Next steps: Health Services will follow state guidance on trainer availability, finalize the procedure text and provide follow-up information to the board.