H. B. 2548 - Diabetes and School Care in West Virginia

H. B. 2548
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §18-2K-1, §18-2K-2, §18-2K-3 and §18-2K-4, all relating to establishment of individual diabetes care plans for students with diabetes by county boards of education; requiring the State Board of Education to adopt guidelines for the development and implementation of individual diabetes care plans on or before the first day of January, two thousand seven; requiring each county board of education to adopt a diabetes care plan meeting the guidelines for diabetes care plans adopted by the State Board of Education; requiring the State Board of Education to report to the Legislature regarding adoption of the guidelines and the establishment and implementation of diabetes care plans by county boards of education.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §18-2K-1, §18-2K-2, §18-2K-3 and §18-2K-4, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2K. THE DIABETES CARE PLAN ACT.
§18-2K-1. Title of article.

This article shall be known as "The Diabetes Care Plan Act."

§18-2K-2. Adoption of guidelines for individual diabetes care plans.

(a) The State Board of Education shall adopt guidelines for the development and implementation of individual diabetes care plans on or before the first day of January, two thousand seven. The guidelines for information and allowable actions in a diabetes care plan shall meet or exceed the American Diabetes Association's recommendations for the management of children with diabetes in the school and day care setting. The State Board of Education shall consult with the Bureau for Public Health and the Department of Health and Human Resources in the development of these guidelines. The State Board of Education also shall consult with county board of education employees who have been designated as responsible for coordinating their individual county's efforts to comply with federal regulations adopted under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794. In its development of these guidelines, the State Board of Education shall consider recent resolutions by the Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education regarding investigation of complaints alleging discrimination against students with diabetes.
The guidelines adopted by the state board shall include:
(1) Procedures for school nurses to develop an individual diabetes care plan for any student diagnosed with diabetes, which shall involve the parent or guardian, the student's health care provider, the student's classroom teacher, the student if appropriate, and other appropriate school personnel;
(2) Procedures for regular review of an individual care plan.
(3) Information to be included in a diabetes care plan, including the responsibilities and appropriate staff development for teachers and other school personnel, an emergency care plan, the identification of allowable actions to be taken, the extent to which the student is able to participate in the student's diabetes care and management and other information necessary for teachers and other school personnel in order to offer appropriate assistance and support to the student; and
(4) Procedures for information and staff development to be made available to teachers and other school personnel in order to appropriately support and assist students with diabetes.
(b) The State Board of Education shall provide that the guidelines and any subsequent changes are published and disseminated to county boards of education.

§18-2K-3. Establishment and implementation of diabetes care plans by county boards to support and assist students with diabetes.

Each county board of education shall establish and adopt a diabetes care plan which shall be implemented in schools in which students diagnosed with diabetes are enrolled. The plan shall be adopted not later than six months after the State Board of Education adopts guidelines for the plans pursuant to section two of this article. The plan shall meet all of the guidelines for diabetes care plans adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to section two of this article. In particular, the boards shall require the implementation of the procedures set forth in those guidelines for the development and implementation of individual diabetes care plans. County boards also shall make available necessary information and staff development to teachers and school personnel in order to appropriately support and assist students with diabetes in accordance with their individual diabetes care plans.
§18-2K-4. Progress report to the Legislature.
The State Board of Education shall report no later than the first day of September, two thousand seven, to the Legislature on the board's progress regarding the adoption and dissemination of the guidelines pursuant to section two of this article and the establishment and implementation of diabetes care plans by county boards of education pursuant to section three of this article.

Article 2K is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.

Charlene Glagola - Director
Phone: (304) 347-4836
Email: cglagola@mail.wvnet.edu