Handling a Prescription Drug Incident
Prescription drug incidents may vary in severity and type. Examples include:
- The school counselor identifies a student with a legitimate prescription who carries her medication in school but does not have proper authorization to do so under the school’s medication management plan [less severe].
- The school nurse suspects a student who does not have a legitimate prescription on file may be under the influence of a prescription drug.
- A teacher discovers a student giving prescription drugs to another student [most severe].
This Crisis Management Plan provides step-by-step guidance to handle a prescription drug incident in your school.
This video describes the immediate steps a school should take following a prescription drug incident.
Crisis Management Plan Phases
- Phase 1: Prepare before a prescription drug incident occurs in your school.
- Phase 2: Take immediate action when a prescription drug incident occurs.
- Phase 3: Communicate with school community members after a prescription drug incident.
- Phase 4: Follow up after a prescription drug incident.
- Phase 5: Implement disciplinary actions for student(s) involved in a prescription drug incident.
- Phase 6: Support and monitor student(s) involved in a prescription drug incident.
