California School Nurse Associations Jeopardize Diabetes Care Ruling

California School Nurse Associations Jeopardize Diabetes Care Ruling
September 30, 2007

Children with Diabetes applauds the American Diabetes Association, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, parents of children with diabetes, diabetes health care professionals, and other diabetes advocates for their dedication and commitment to ensuring a safe school environment for students with diabetes as was recently demonstrated by the settlement of the lawsuit filed against the California Department of Education and two California school districts by ADA and California families of children with diabetes.

While the California Department of Education Advisory Opinion issued as part of the settlement terms requires that trained personnel (and these trained personnel need not be licensed health care professionals) be available at all times to administer insulin and provide other needed diabetes care in the school settlement, Children with Diabetes parents are deeply concerned by recent actions of some California nurse organizations that will needlessly jeopardize the medical safety of California students with diabetes. Some California nurse organizations have indicated that they will not honor the settlement agreement, but rather have advised school nurses that their professional licenses will be at risk if they train non-medical school personnel, which is not only in direct conflict not only with the advisory opinion, but is also inconsistent with the best practice model of school diabetes care supported by the diabetes health care community.

Children with Diabetes strongly urges these organizations to take actions that are in the best interest of children with diabetes -- that is, the training of non-medical school personnel to provide care, including insulin administration, when a school nurse is not available -- and to put concerns about turf and job security aside.

As parents, we want our children to have access to a school nurse, but we also recognize the reality that school nurses cannot be in all places at all times and that most schools in the U.S. do not have a full-time school nurse and probably never will. It is time that the school nurse organizations implement protocols that support today's new diabetes therapies and technologies and acknowledge that diabetes educators train thousands of parents, grandparents, caregivers, friends, siblings, and teachers each year to provide safe care to children. It is time that the school nurse organizations acknowledge the reality of today's school limitations, set their self-interest aside, and concentrate on providing the best possible care to students with diabetes that must include training others to provide care.

Â© Children with Diabetes, Inc. 1995-2009.