THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION
SAFE AT SCHOOL CAMPAIGN
~ Campaign Addresses
Barriers to Diabetes Care at School ~
August 2011
California - The Safe
at School campaign is dedicated to protecting the rights
of children who face discrimination at school because
of diabetes and provides parents and educators with
guidance on how to help children with diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease that
must be managed 24/7, 365 days a year. Children with
diabetes sometimes need help with the insulin they take
daily to stay healthy. At home, these children have
parents, baby sitters and others to assist them, but
many schoolchildren with diabetes are being placed in
a dangerous situation because they may be denied their
insulin if a school nurse is not available to help.
These students also need access
to a life-saving hormone called glucagon in response
to severe low blood sugar levels. Some nurse groups
claim that only a school nurse can assist a child with
insulin and glucagon, yet many schools do not have a
full-time nurse on staff. Without diabetes medications,
students become dangerously ill and face serious, long-term
health issues including blindness, heart disease, amputation
and even death.
Diabetes experts agree that
trained, volunteer school personnel can - and should
- help children with insulin when a school nurse is
not available, just as family and friends of children
with diabetes are trained to do. The Safe at School
campaign works with schools and families to ensure that
students with diabetes are not segregated, that there
are trained individuals in schools to help children
with diabetes, and that students who are capable of
doing so are allowed to self-manage their diabetes.
The campaign trains parents,
health care professionals and school personnel to make
sure children with diabetes have the care they need
and are not placed in life-threatening situations. The
campaign has helped thousands of families and established
statewide policies on diabetes care in many states.
Yet, serious problems remain.
There are nearly 16,000 children
in California living with diabetes who need insulin
multiple times every day to survive. Yet, there is currently
a lawsuit pending before the state Supreme Court about
who is allowed to administer insulin when a student
with diabetes is in need. With only about 5% of California
schools having a full-time school nurse and an average
of one school nurse for every 2,200 students in California,
nurses cannot provide the care these children need.
Relying solely on nurses would not only require a full-time
nurse in every school, but also extra nurses for field
trips and extracurricular activities. This is not a
viable solution.
It's time to protect the
rights of all children. The Safe at School campaign
fights everyday to make sure that children with diabetes
are never abandoned at school, are not discriminated
against and have the same educational opportunities
as their peers.
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