BellaOnline Forums Family Special Needs Children Insulin at School by Nurses Only - California

Families of California children with insulin dependent diabetes whose neighborhood school does not employ a full-time nurse are protesting a recent ruling that eliminates a 2007 provision allowing non-medical school staff to give students insulin injections.

From a link at PatriciaEBauer.com:

CA ruling: only nurses can give students insulin
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This seems just crazy!

What happens when a child starts to go into an insulin dependant seizeure and need that shot immediately?

It is far safer to manage diabetes ahead than to control the aftermath - especially in kids who are reluctant to make themselves seem any more "different" than other kids, so try to ignore warning signs for fear of embarrassment. (Of course, that's a whole discussion in itself.)

Yes. Good questions. Thank you for understanding. There are so many issues and challenges already for students who require insulin to manage their health every day.

The glucagon emergency kit that delivers life-saving glucagon to an unconscious student with diabetes is meant to raise their blood sugar to a level compatible with life; insulin is for bringing down dangerously high blood sugar or balancing the carbs in a meal or snack to avoid high blood sugar that over time causes so much damage. Students with low blood sugar can often be brought back fairly quickly with a can of apple juice followed by a snack - and frequent blood sugar tests can help avoid emergencies by treating a rising or falling blood sugar before it becomes a crisis. Testing after P.E., vigorous exercise or exertion, and before leaving school can help avoid those dangerous lows, and testing before meals is necessary to figure out how much insulin is needed to balance food intake.

Having a school nurse at every school would not only benefit children with diabetes - school nurses are kept busy with dozens of other students wherever they are available. But a school nurse alone is insufficient even when one is available full time. Having staff trained to help avoid or to respond to diabetes emergencies, including administering insulin (and glucagon) would be much more practical than relying even on a full time nurse. When a nurse is busy with other students, on a break or at home during an extracurricular activity, other trained staff do more than fill the gap.

Unusual situations arise at school and extracurricular events regularly - also more traumatic events related to school violence, weather or other natural disaster, accidents and neighborhood threats. Expecting parents to be continuously available, especially in our struggling economy, is out of the question.

I'm sure that families felt long awaited progress had been made when it was established last year that responsible trained adults other than nurses could give insulin. In 2008 surely practical reasoning as well as civil rights issues demand that accommodations be made. Where will California school districts find funds to provide nurses for every school with a student who is dependent on insulin? I just don't see that happening.

Pam W
SE of Seattle

California School Nurses and Diabetes Care
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Wonderful article. this is the thread, actually I was looking for.

I'm glad you could find it here. When my son was in elementary school, I discovered there was only a half page of information at his school on support and treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes ~ and a two inch binder with information about support for students with asthma. The immediate, short-term dangers of low blood sugar was off the radar, and both short-term and long-term effects of high blood sugar was very difficult to teach.

[quote][quote=SNC_Editor_Pam]Families of California children with insulin dependent diabetes whose neighborhood school does not employ a full-time nurse are protesting a recent ruling that eliminates a 2007 provision allowing non-medical school staff to give students insulin injections.

From a link at PatriciaEBauer.com:

CA ruling: only nurses can give students insulin
BellaOnline ALERT: For anti-spam reasons, we restrict the number of URLs allowed in a given post. You have exceeded our maximum number of URLs.

There is a strong opinion piece on the recent ruling in California that eliminated a 2007 provision allowing trained school staff to give students insulin injections - school nurse organizations argued that only a nurse should be allowed to administer insulin injections at school, and the provision was overturned. This was quite a blow to families of children with insulin dependent diabetes, pediatric endocrinologists who advocate for appropriate support and training, and everyone else who is aware of the challenges that face our sons and daughters.

See:
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Good news! Read more about it:

Stay of California Court Ruling on Insulin in Public Schools
DREDF and Reed Smith LLP Earn Victory



Pam W
SE of Seattle

California Nurses and Diabetes Care at School




Diabetes Information for Classmates