Diabetes within education

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Permalink Reply by nel peach on January 17, 2009 at 12:45pm

I hope this is usefull : The Canadian Diabetes Association asks their members and general public to contact their Provincial Ministers of Education on the " Kids with diabetes in Schools " topic . Visit www.diabetes.ca and link to " get involved, advocacy , kids with diabetes in schools " .I cannot presently locate the letter I sent to our Minister in BC ; The CDA has a form letter available , in which you can add your own story . Please call 1-800-Banting , if you need help and like to get this letter off to your politician .I did a copy to our Health Minister as well .
Present treatment is quite different from 10 years 2 shots ( am /pm ...at home ) daily to 4-5 ( some during school hours ) or insulin pumping ...but the rules in the school system seem antiquated. Please MOM : ADVOCATE , ADVOCATE , ADVOCATE

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Permalink Reply by PowerPumper on January 22, 2009 at 9:38am

Can you post all your references to this claim? What do you mean by "get rid of"? How is New Brunswick different?

Keep in mind that both school and health policies are provincial matters, not national. It's no easy task to standardize anything across this country. Virually impossible.

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Permalink Reply by Lesley on February 12, 2009 at 9:49pm

Help is coming. Advocate! Go to the school with the information package from CDA on Kids with Diabetes in your Care (they'll mail you a copy), offer whatever training you can and take it to all levels in the school district. Last year was a terrible year school wise for my daughter. Her support worker didn't have a clue and couldn't follow the care plan and her teacher thought I was exaggerating the severity - making her inject while her blood sugars were low! So, support worker, teacher, principal, superintendant. Also, a simple question to the special needs person in the district can really help. Ï'm wondering why my child is forced to test her blood sugars in the dark closet. It's not her fault but the other kids think she's in trouble" Not blaming, just asking. Start simply because if you don't you can alienate those who care for your child. Closets, bathrooms and humiliation are not acceptable. But, a phone call or meeting with the superintendant of the district can have a huge impact. Write a letter to the school board, newspapers, whatever. It can be done. This year is MUCH better for us. The pump really helped as did some staffing changes at the school. But, after a phone call to the superintendant's office, changes happened at the school level.

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Permalink Reply by Chris'smom on February 13, 2009 at 11:06am

The Canadian school boards need to get with the program. As usual, we are slow in developing decent policies. My son's school board is JUST reviewing the policies now. We were lucky enough to be invited to have some say. What bothers me most is that children with peanut allergies or eplilepsy are secured with a written policy but there is nothing in writing regards to Diabetic children. Some administrative individuals on the school board only say, "but we are not medical people". Well, neither am I and I have to care for my son's Diabetes. I get sick of hearing that. What about the child with Diabetes right to an education without a threat to his life? How about that? Some of these administrators are only concerned with the legal implications that they think could occur if they do something to help a Diabetic child. What about if they DON'T do something?

The Canadian school systems need to smarten up with their attitudes and make it fair and safe for a Diabetic child in the schools. Enough is enough.

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Permalink Reply by Tracy on March 9, 2009 at 9:01pm

Hi there,

I'm not sure where this information is coming from re: Kathryn's posts and some similar comments. It would help if each person stated in which province or provinces these comments/rules apply.

I am a teacher (and a Type 1 diabetic) teaching in British Columbia and I have not heard of any such treatment here and the rules regarding care are that people (special education assistants/first aid attendants) DO have to be medically trained to assist whichever child they are assisting who need the assistance. I have two children with diabetes at my school and, although I am not their teacher, I know that they are not testing themselves in toilets or in cupboards.

I'd be curious to find out which school districts would treat a child with diabetes the way described.

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Permalink Reply by nel peach on March 14, 2009 at 11:56am

Hello Tracy ,I live in BC ...I am not personally connected or ever was with the education system ; well into my retirement years . Neither have I heard of stories in my area about testing in washrooms( toilets ) etc. I have heard teachers say , that they will not administer insulin , however the good news for at least one student here in my town , living with down syndrome and type 1 diabetes ...he is blessed with having a teacher , who is a pumper . She has expressed to me , that she may well be the only teacher in BC having received permission from parent and her school board to apply "correct " amounts of insulin during school hours , including finger poking and other related procedures for the benefit and good health of her student .I will be attending an advocacy work shop in April with CDA Pacific Region and try to get an update on this topic .Private schools or home schooling not an option for everyone .

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Permalink Reply by Lesley on March 14, 2009 at 12:29pm

My daughter goes to school in Vancouver, B.C. and I teach in the district as well. It's not an issue of policy so much as lack of understanding. People involved with kids need to be medically trained (and they are to some extent), but they also need to understand that the care plan is there for a reason and not following it is extremely dangerous.

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Permalink Reply by Cheryl Gravelle on April 19, 2009 at 7:30am

Kathryn,

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has a written policy in place. Unfortunately many of the school principals, who have the obligation of educating themselves and their staff, are not aware that a policy even exists. The school board policy, would have to be brought to the principals attention in a parent/principal meeting. If a school principal in the Ottawa board is made aware that a type 1 diabetic is attending his/her school, that principal has a specific obligation to inform themselves of that particular childs diabetic needs and to educate staff.

I would start by looking up your school board policy on the school board website. The Ottawa board had diabetes policies in place under life threatening illnesses.

My son is in grade nine, attending high school now, and while we note each year on the questionnaire that comes home to provide standard family contact info, health info, etc, that my son is diabetic and wears an insulin pump, I don't think that one single person out of all the school administration or teachers that he sees each day have a clue what to do in an emergency. Makes you wonder why the schools asks for medical information on their standardized form each year if they do nothing with the data input.

I insist that my son wear his medic alert bracelet as I feel that this will be his only source of help in an extreme emergency.

I understand from meetings that I attended with JDRF in Ottawa that they recognize a need to become more involved in advocacy and diabetes awareness, particularly in schools at a grade school level. Something needs to be done for the younger child. There are a lot of parents with very valid concerns about the safety of their diabetic child when that child is at school. I was fortunate during the younger years that my son and my husband (an education assistant) were at the same school. In Ottawa JDRF expressed a willingness to approach school administration to offer education on diabetes awareness. Parents of young children might try contacting JDRF in their area and if your school, is a rural school, you might harness the assistance of your local health department.

Last year, in grade eight, my son was one of two, type 1 diabetic children in the same class. He had a terrific teacher. The same teacher that he'd had in grade 7. At the start of grade 7, his teacher told me that she did not know a thing about diabetes but would accomodate him in any way that she could. The students had open lockers at the back of class and my son knew if he needed to test his blood, drink a juice, eat, whatever that he simply needed to get up from his desk and head to the back of class. A lot can be accomplished between parent and teacher.

Cheryl

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