I’m a teacher and and I’m not working now, but I advise my students to wear sunscreen. The sun is the main culprit that causes aging of skin. More than half the wrinkles we get later on in our life are due to sun exposure without sunscreen. It builds up over the years, kind of like plaque clogging arteries.
So whose job is it? In my opinion the issue should be covered by both parents and teachers. And often times, students will only learn about sunscreen in a health class conducted by a P.E. teacher or if they are learning about skin when they cover the human anatomy during a science lesson. Whether or not a teacher or the school administration discuss sun protection…(there’s no guarantee)…however parents are OBLIGATED to take steps to ensure the safety of their children.
Keep in mind that when kids apply sunscreen, advise them not to rub their eyes, because SS can sting and irritate the eyes. I like to use Aveeno, which is not that harsh.
Does sunscreen need to be applied every 20 minutes? No. Look at the SPF number on your sunscreen bottle and multiply it by ten. For example if you are using SPF 30…multiply that by 10 and you will 350. Divide 350 by 60 and you will get 5. This means that you will get 5 hours of sun protection by applying an SPF sunscreen. As long as sunscreen is applied 15-30 minutes prior to going out in the sun, you’ll be fine.
Parental precautions: Parents can give their children a sun hat or cap to wear outside during recess. Hats are generally not allowed to be worn in the classroom. And have your child dress lightly for the summer. Black colored shirts are troublesome because black absorbs heat. Lighter colors (especially white) are cooler because they reflect heat. Equip your child with a water bottle. Some teachers allow students to have water bottles. And advise your children on particularly hot days to play in the shade.
***Lunch takes place inside the cafeteria. And PE teachers will often times conduct activities in shaded area. Sometimes teachers let students have recess in the classroom depending on the weather. Usually recess is not that long to begin with. And a certain amount of sun exposure is healthy for the skin 