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It apparently is going to take a change in state law to give kids the right to use sunscreen at schools in Washington state
Senate Bill (SB) 5404 would allow children to possess and use over-the-counter sunscreen on school property, AP reported. Under the current state law, it is illegal to have sunscreen at school without a note from a licensed healthcare professional.
Sadly, though, the law was not proposed until two children were badly burned at a school function.
“Two of my three children experienced significant sunburns,” Jesse Michener, the Tacoma mother credited with inspiring SB 5404, wrote on her blog in 2015. “Like, hurts-to-look-at burns.”
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Michener’s daughters, Violet and Zoe, experienced the sunburns at field day because officials with the Tacoma Public Schools would not allow them to use sunscreen. Disturbingly, one of the teachers who refused to let the girls use sunscreen was using it in front of the girls as they burned.
Zoe Michener suffers from albinism, a condition that makes her white vulnerable to sunburn. But school officials said they could not allow the girl to use sunscreen.
After she posted the story on her blog, Michener heard from parents across the country whose schools have a similar policy that treats sunscreen as a drug.
The Washington State House of Representatives passed the bill unanimously, Reason reported. Legislatures in California, Texas and Oregon have passed similar legislation.
The Tacoma Schools banned sunscreen use because some chemicals in the lotions might cause allergic reactions in children, District spokesman Dan Voelpel told ABC News in 2015.
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