(Newser)
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This week, a Washington state mom made headlines when she blogged about her kids' terrible sunburns after school; the girls hadn't been offered sunscreen during a field trip. Turns out that anti-sunscreen policies are everywhere, USA Today reports. That's in large part because of regulations barring children from bringing drugs into school, prescription or otherwise. Sunscreen counts as an over-the-counter drug.
Some schools "treat sunscreen as they would any other fragrance-type product, and forbid their use to avoid allergic reactions," notes a dermatologist. But "sunscreen allergies are no more common than allergies to soap. Are schools going to take soap out of their bathrooms?" There are also potential issues with adults' contact with kids while applying sunscreen. In the Washington state case, the blogger's two daughters couldn't bring hats with them either, because, of course, those might be signs of gang affiliation.
