Putting EpiPens in Kentucky schools just makes sense. It’s not something people in their right mind would oppose.
Jefferson County Public Schools says they’re neutral on requiring Epi-Pens in Kentucky schools:
JCPS is taking a neutral stance concerning House bill 172. If it passes, JCPS schools and its staff will adjust accordingly.”
What the hell does neutral even mean? How can the wealthiest school district in the state be “neutral” when it comes to something cheap that could keep some of the most vulnerable kids in rural Kentucky alive in an emergency?
The “neutral” bit is bogus because JCTA officials have been all up our rears calling us bought and paid for because we dare have an opinion about this important issue. How dare Jake share his own experience. SHAME!
Another union is also going crazy in Frankfort as they burn phones up on the issue. Because that union also opposes saving kids who could otherwise die in an instant. The argument? It costs too much in the first year.
But, uh, here’s the deal: THEY’RE FREE FOR SCHOOLS THE FIRST YEAR.
CLICK TO VISIT
Specifically:
The EpiPen4Schools program was created to allow qualified schools to obtain EpiPen Auto-Injectors at no-cost.
So, uh, about that talking point.
It’s a shame that two educational unions would fight something so important.
15 responses so far ↓
1 The Highlander // Feb 20, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Jake: What can you expect — when the union members probably went to school in Kentucky!!!!!??????? We’ve been our own worst enemy for decades. Somebody once asked Don Rickles on television — “Where was the toothbrush invented?” Rickles responded “In Kentucky.” The questioner said “How do you know that?” Rickles said — “If it was invented anywhere else, it would have been called a TEETHBRUSH”!!!
2 Karl Keeling // Feb 20, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Any movement on this issue is welcome, but other impediments are more concerning for me as a parent with a child that has food allergies. I already provide an Epi pen. What concerns me is how available the medicine is to my child and whether or not it will get injected when/if needed.
3 blowin' in the wind // Feb 20, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Neutral??? On something that could save a life–child or adult? I would expect the epi pen to be a normal part of an adequate first-aid resource in a school. Neutral in this instance is the moral equivalent of opposed without the courage to say it.
4 Cavemouse // Feb 20, 2013 at 9:46 pm
As much as I hate to say it, the JCTA is opposed to their members giving ANY medication to students. They say it is “not their job”. They fight against any teacher helping a child take prescription meds. Since most schools no longer have a school nurse, what adult is supposed to do it?
Karl Keeling – you should be concerned, I have been in schools in a professional capacity where the teacher refused to give Epi (provided as you do) when needed because they were afraid of the “liability”.
blowin’ in the wind – EpiPens still require a prescription, by a physician. As for First Aid resources, a lot of schools do not have much more than bandaids.
5 jake // Feb 20, 2013 at 10:26 pm
In many cases (outside Jefferson County), a nurse would administer the epinepherine. When there’s no nurse, there’d obviously be someone familiar with the emergency kit and how to use it. If you can train someone to answer a phone, you can jab a pin into a kid’s thigh.
Liability is just an excuse. When a kid is in danger, you help the kid.
Have you been in a school lately? There’s a lot more than bandaids. Some schools have shit that would blow your mind.
All that said? You’re just making excuses that fall on deaf ears, unfortunately.
6 Debbie Linnig Michals // Feb 20, 2013 at 10:33 pm
We are better than this……epi pens are a life saver in an emergency and need to be in every classroom and on every bus that children ride on. I do have a question does an epi pen need refridgeration or can it be stored at room temperature? I’m wondering if I need to get one in case I personally encounter this situation.
Come on Frankfort, be the leaders you were chosen to be!
7 Debbie Linnig Michals // Feb 20, 2013 at 10:55 pm
I researched and found that epi pens need to be at 59 to 86 degrees. I read the heart wrenching story about the young first grader who died even though the school had epi pens on site that were being held for other children, they wouldn’t use one on her because she didn’t supply one by prescription. What???? All epi pens are the same, why wouldn’t you save the little girls life and deal with the small stuff later?
8 jtt // Feb 21, 2013 at 7:08 am
Schools are failing our kids with respect to “emergencies” in many ways, unfortunately. Most have far less than adequate emergency plans overall, as well. They are SUPPOSED to have them, but they produce a cookie cutter plan and fail to educate anyone on the details of the plan. With respect to medical needs, it is a crime that every single school doesn’t have a school nurse, at the least.
9 Debbie Linnig Michals // Feb 21, 2013 at 8:23 am
A smart legislator in Frankfort would realize that the epi pen issue is one that could make them look like a hero in the publics eyes. Having a pictture taken surrounded by a group of little children in a school class room with them holding an epi pen sure would look great on their campaign material with an explaination of how they supported saving childrens lives in schools. Hometown newspapers would love to cover a story like that as well. Be a hero in the communities eyes, support epi pens and saving childrens lives.
10 Jeff // Feb 21, 2013 at 8:36 am
I still don’t understand. WHY would a teacher’s union be opposed to this?
11 blowin' in the wind // Feb 21, 2013 at 9:08 am
Jeff, you have probably not been watching JCTA over the last decade. The only thing they are interested in is “protecting” teachers. JCTA was once an honorable and open union; no more.
12 Cavemouse // Feb 21, 2013 at 11:05 am
Jake – I will admit my experience with schools is a bit dated. If they have extensive first aid supplies, they did not bring them out. I have friends still active and still hear the same things, they stand there and do nothing until EMS arrives. There are a few schools in JCPS that have nurses, but usually shared between several schools and their primary job is checking for home and health issues ( a good thing!), not providing care.
I WANT the EpiPens in the schools, I have seen multiple lives saved with them. I have already contacted my Legislators to show my support.
13 Pollyanna // Feb 21, 2013 at 11:30 am
Don’t most schools have an AED (automatic external defibrillator)? If so, what would be the difference, except mindset? Anyone can use an Epipen. And, I would bet the amount of money spent on busing, if one of the administration’s children needed it, this wouldn’t be a “neutral” issue.
14 The Highlander // Feb 21, 2013 at 11:42 am
Like I said in the first post on this issue — Dumb and Dumber are alive and well and prospering at the JCPS administration and in the teachers’ union that supports it. The Mission Statement to educate children is found in the “one-holer out back.”
15 jake // Feb 21, 2013 at 11:48 am
The bill passed unanimously out of the House Ed. committee. Looks like a common sense discussion worked for the most part.
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