Caring for Diabetic Children in the Classroom
Jun 5, 2007 10:56 AM
About 151,000 of the 17 million people with diabetes in the United States are children. That means one in 400 school-age children has diabetes.
Children with diabetes often must take daily insulin injections, and their blood sugar (blood glucose) levels must be regularly monitored—sometimes several times a day—in order to avoid life-threatening complications from blood glucose levels that are too high or too low. Most frequently a child who has diabetes and is showing signs of hypoglycemia can be treated with juice, candy or placing glucose gel on the inside of the cheek. On the rare occasion when a child's blood glucose level is so low that the child is unconscious and cannot swallow, a hormone—glucagon—must be mixed, dosed and injected.
The American Diabetes Association has promoted and lobbied for legislation in states that would require each school with one or more diabetic students to train three school employees to assume responsibility for assessing, diagnosing and treating those students.
The AFT strongly supports training teachers and other school personnel to recognize the special needs of children with diabetes and to respond appropriately. In states where the law permits nurses to delegate certain nursing tasks to nonmedical personnel, the AFT supports the training of volunteer teachers and support staff to perform those tasks — but only if the selection, training, mentoring and ongoing supervision of those volunteers is done by the school nurse. Simply because someone volunteers to learn how to perform medical tasks does not mean he or she is capable of actually performing the tasks. That evaluation should be made by a school nurse, not a school principal or other staff. And a once-a-year training session is not sufficient to keep skills up to date. The simple two- to eight-hour training modules typically offered to other school personnel cannot replace the years of training a school nurse receives.
Many states do not permit the performance of potentially dangerous medical tasks by anyone other than a licensed medical professional. In states that have chosen to protect their citizens in this way, we believe those laws should be respected. Violation of those laws could lead to the school district and school staff being liable for any adverse outcomes. Violations could also lead to teachers or other school personnel being charged with practicing nursing without a license.
Finally, no child with diabetes should be subjected to substandard care simply because he or she is in school. All children with special healthcare needs should have the services of a full-time school nurse. Anything less is dangerous for the student, the employee and the school district. The best solution to the health needs of schoolchildren is to have a nurse in every school.
To learn more about the AFT's position or how you can help advocate for a nurse in every school, see the information in the right-hand column.
