PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Children in Rhode Island public schools would no longer need a doctor’s note to bring in sunscreen under a bill moving through the state legislature.
Warwick Democratic Rep. David Bennett tells the Providence Journal (https://bit.ly/2kRGjdq ) he introduced the bill after hearing about a student who came home from a field trip sunburned because she wasn’t allowed to have sunscreen.
The legislation would allow students to possess and use topical sunscreen at school and school-related events. It would stop sunscreen from being considered as an over-the-counter medication requiring a written doctor’s order.
Bennett says the current rules are outdated because of what’s been learned about the dangers of sun exposure and skin cancer.
The bill is scheduled for a House committee hearing Wednesday. A companion Senate bill was also introduced Wednesday.
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