About the Indicator:

School disciplinary incidents involving over-the-counter medications were obtained by school district, then aggregated to the county level.  Percentages are found by totaling each county's over-the-counter medication-related incidents and dividing them by the total amount of disciplinary incidents for that county. Each incident is counted only once; if multiple reasons per incident were reported, only the most serious reason is counted.

Under state law, secondary students may possess and use nonprescription pain relievers at school, on school grounds, or at a school sponsored function, if the parent provides annual prior written authorization, the product is properly labeled, and the student is not abusing the privilege. This incident type is used when a student violates the district’s discipline policy, which must be consistent with state law.

 

Possession and Use of Pain Reliever Medication: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=121A.222

Data Source: Minnesota Department of Education Data Center

Description: The Minnesota Department of Education's Data Center provides reports and data on students, schools, districts, teachers, and education-related organizations.

Sponsored by: MN Department of Education

Geographic Level: School district, County, State, Region

Frequency: Data collected and reported annually

Characteristics:  Each year districts report all disciplinary incidents that result in an out-of-school suspension/removal of one day or longer and expulsions/exclusions.