Arkansas has joined 18 other states in adopting legislation to allow children to possess and apply sunscreen at school.

Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law HB 1167, which was co-sponsored by Representative Lee Johnson, MD, and carried through the Senate by Senator David Wallace.

The legislation is based on ASDSA’s model bill known as SUNucate, which removes barriers that prohibit students from bringing and applying over-the-counter sunscreen at school or during school-related activities. Under the new law, students will no longer require written authorization from a parent, legal guardian or health care professional to possess or use sunscreen at school or school-related activities. 

“Sunscreen is one of the best tools we have to protect ourselves from skin cancer,” says ASDSA President Murad Alam, MD, MBA, in a news release. “Commonsense solutions like SUNucate are one of our strongest defenses against harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. We need to encourage children to use sunscreen whenever they are outdoors and practice sun-safe behavior throughout their life.” 

ASDSA worked with its coalition partners to advocate for the passage of this law.