Does Your Child's School Allow Sunscreen?

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- In many states, carrying sunscreen to school is not allowed. But what about in the tri-state area?

Dr. Hooman Khorasani, chief of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, said studies show getting sunburned as a child increases your chance of getting melanoma as an adult.

"If you have lots of kids running around on the playground, if they're really at high risk, they're Skin Type 1 -- which is really, really fair skin -- they really need to be protected because that one sunburn as a child can really change their life," he told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock.

Khorasani said parents have to be smart and protect their kids from the sun, not just in summer, but during the school year, too.

Elizabeth Cunningham, of the Upper East Side, says going without suncreen is not an option for her 4-year-old daughter, Claire.

"Even in the time that you're talking to me, she'll probably become very flush, even just in the hot," Cunningham told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock. "It's just so important. We pretty much have it on most days."

Protecting her kids from dangerous UV rays is a priority for Suhey Cabrera, a mother of three.

"I always make sure I fight with them in the morning," she said.

Cabrera doesn't think sending them to school with sunscreen would be an issue.

"You're protecting your kids, right?" she said.

CBS2 News looked into it.

In New York, students can bring sunscreen to school with a note from home, and the screen must be FDA approved. But each district has the right to define their own rules, and they do.

In Connecticut, sunscreen is considered medicinal because the ingredients might cause an allergic reaction, so not only is a note from home required, but a note from the doctor, too.

"If that's what they're going to require, I mean it seems a little bit overboard," Cunningham said.

New Jersey has no statewide guidelines. But some New Jersey schools only allow application in the nurse's office.

Khorasani said if you're going to send sunscreen to school, a stick is best. It's much simpler for little hands to apply. He added to dress your kids in protective clothing and a hat -- one that covers their ears and nose.