CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — UPDATE, 10/7/19: An Action News Jax Investigation gets results more than three months after we exposed that, despite Florida law, most local school districts have not developed written policies to administer medical marijuana on campus.
In a letter sent by the Florida Department of Education to all Florida District Superintendents, reminding districts of the law passed 27 months ago, it says "Although the area of law is relatively new, ample time has passed for districts to adopt compliant access policies."
Districts without policies have until December 1 to submit a draft to the DOE.
Original story by Jenna Bourne from 6/6/19:
Only one school district in our area has a written policy that allows students to take medical marijuana on campus.
Clay County School District Assistant Superintendent of Climate and Culture Michael McAuley said the district has had no problems since it implemented the policy last school year.
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"So far, so good," said McAuley.
The policy allows parents to give their child medical marijuana in a designated spot at school.
The parent must keep the prescription medication with them because it can't be stored on campus and the school nurses aren't allowed to handle it.Since the district began allowing it in the fall, only one student -- an elementary schooler -- has gotten approval.
"We set up a spot in the clinic where the parent just simply comes every day, away from any other kids that are in the clinic, and administers the dosing, and the student goes back to class," said McAuley.
McAuley said the goal of the policy is to keep kids who need medical marijuana in the classroom learning with as little disruption as possible.
Related: Jacksonville mom wants daughter to be allowed to take medical marijuana at school
"We didn't want them to miss any instruction. So to minimize that absence, the development of our policy was really around keeping kids engaged as much as possible on campus," said McAuley.
Action News Jax reported Tuesday the mother of a 14-year-old with complex regional pain syndrome is asking Duval County Public Schools to implement a similar policy.
"She just wants to go to school and make a full day of school and be with her friends and get her education like everybody else," said her mother Kyla Gayles.
A DCPS spokesperson told Action News Jax it doesn't have a policy right now because Florida law allowing medical marijuana possession conflicts with federal law.
St. Johns County's policy requires parents to check their child out of school and take them off campus to give them medical marijuana.
Nassau County and Baker County School Districts don't have policies.
A Putnam County School District legal memo shows the district decided not to create a policy because Florida law allowing medical marijuana possession conflicts with federal law.
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