Legislation filed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday would allow students to take sunscreen to school without a written note of permission from a parent or doctor.
House Bill 1167, by state Reps. Lee Johnson, R-Greenwood, and Justin Boyd, R-Fort Smith, cites American Cancer Society estimates that 670 Arkansans were diagnosed with skin melanomas in 2018.
Their bill would allow students to take any over-the-counter sunscreen that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to school without a note. The bill also would allow school personnel to help a student apply sunscreen, but it does not require staff members to do so.
According to the Public Broadcasting Service, similar legislation has already been passed in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Utah and Washington.
The Senate sponsor of the bill is Sen. David Wallace, R-Leachville.
-- John Moritz