I have one question about legally and school policies. The nurse told me in our district they dont use or wont use the glucagon because it is not a routine thing. She cant train others on something that might never be used. Now legally can they do that? If so no big deal I can be down there faster than they could call 911 but if they are legally required to use it and teach the staff how to I will not let it slide.
I'm sure a parent whose child has T1 will have a better answer here, but all I can say is, That makes NOOO sense!!! Children at the school where I work have emergency medicine for allergies, asthma, etc. Like glucagon, it's not something to be used everyday, but we have the doctor's form to administer the meds to SAVE a child in an emergency. It seems like they'd just need the same dr's permission as any other med. It's so easy to administer, maybe showing them how simple the instructions are would help??? In these situations, my only advice is to be polite but DON'T give in. (;
yeah from what I am reading they HAVE to be trained in giving it to her. Honestly it protects them in the long run. If she NEEDS it and doesnt get it in time because of their stupidity well they wont be happy to say the least.
My sister is an elementary school teacher and has had a T1D child in her class each of the last few years. She was trained on how to use the glucagon. Don't know why that is different than an epi-pen. That is how I would ask them to explain this - "Why is this different than an epi-pen for a child with allergies?"
yeah I am a little irked at this and wont put up with it. I am going to ask the principle if district 60 makes a habit of going against federal laws. I am also going to talk to our case manager about it tonight its in her orders to the school. I am sorry but when it comes down to it if she is seizing on their floor someone best give it to her or there will be heck to pay.
This is rediculous. They should absolutely be prepared to use the glucagon. However, there are other options when dealing with those emergencies. If no one is comfortable using the glucagon, there is a special kind of gell that someone can put in the pocket of her cheek (I dont have a better way of describing that) and the glucose is absorbed through the skin. If you don't have any success fighting this (rediculous) policy, look into the gell and see if the administration is more comfortable with it.
[quote user="Ariana"]
This is rediculous. They should absolutely be prepared to use the glucagon. However, there are other options when dealing with those emergencies. If no one is comfortable using the glucagon, there is a special kind of gell that someone can put in the pocket of her cheek (I dont have a better way of describing that) and the glucose is absorbed through the skin. If you don't have any success fighting this (rediculous) policy, look into the gell and see if the administration is more comfortable with it.
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She said she likes to use smarties!! That is for a mild low! A moderate low they told us to use cake gel frosting stuff but for a severe low when having a seizure nothing should be in the mouth at all and the glucagon is needed to save her life. They wont be fighting me for long if at all. With the info I found online and once I ask our diabetes case manager about this there will be no fighting. They will be trained on how to do this. Now more than likely she will never need it at school but if she does and they dont use it seriously I cant use the words on this forum to describe what I would do to them.
You actually can use glucose gel. You put it in the downward facing pocket of the cheek. As a general rule, nothing should be put in the mouth of someone who is passed out. That rule is to prevent chocking, but talk to your endo about using glucose gel when someone is passed out. They make a reference to it on the site below (under emergencies):
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/parents-and-kids/planet-d/new-to-diabetes/hypoglycemia.html
We dont have a endo yet but our case manager told us those things. Still if the school legally has to follow federal laws regarding this they should without me having to change how I was taught to take care of her. Its in her health care plan from the hospital.
I completely agree! I wish you all the best luck, I just wanted to make sure you knew about other options.
Thanks I do appreciate it.
I just talked to our case manager not only is the school nurse breaking federal laws but also state laws. Glucagon is a routine medication for diabetics. So she cant even argue that stupidity. I need to see if I can find a diabetes nurse practitioner here as well because if the school nurse cant/wont do it then they will have to have someone else come in to do it at there expense.
My District told me the same thing. they also told me i could leagally not Carry my Tester Or my Pen(when I was on the Pen). That seems sooooo okay doesnt it? Im with you. Fight it as hard as you can.
Yeah they make them keep their meters in the office. I dont mind for a couple of reason as of right now. One she is 9 and her classmates are as well. I only have the one meter so nothing can happen to it. Two she is so dang shy and this is hard on her with all the attention she is getting with it. So she doesnt mind not testing around others. As she gets older and in Jr/high schools she will be carrying it on her at all times.
[quote user="Jessica "]
I have one question about legally and school policies. The nurse told me in our district they dont use or wont use the glucagon because it is not a routine thing. She cant train others on something that might never be used. Now legally can they do that? If so no big deal I can be down there faster than they could call 911 but if they are legally required to use it and teach the staff how to I will not let it slide.
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NO IT IS NOT OK!!!!!!! It is MORE than a reasonable accommodation. That is like saying to a parent that you cannot train the staff in CPR or clearing an airway because it is not routine treatme for a child with a heart murmur or swollowing issues!!! Talk to the district's special education director or superintendent. There may even be a 504 coordinator depending on the size of your district. Start with the special education director (in most districts, the special education director also manages 504 issues). If you don't get an answer you are comfortable with, call the state. There should be a number you can find on your state department of education website. You don't have to make a big deal about it, just keep going up the chain of command. Sped director, superintendent, state department. You may get a different answer, but I believe that you will not. If you need help figuring out to contact next, ask, surely someone can help guide you. Also there should be a state parent assistance program that helps with situations like this and can explain your rights. I can help you locate them, but I need to know where you live. Please feel free to email me if you want more help!
Thanks, I am going to start with the principle first tomorrow he is very accommodating to me. I think I can get a lot accomplished just talking to him. If not I will move on. They call themselves exceptional student services here but yeah I can get a hold of them easily my boys are in the autism program and they have all their numbers if I need to go that far. I really dont think I will but have no problems going all the way to the press if need be. If I get stuck I will message you for more help. So far I have not been able to locate anything for type 1 diabetes in my city which isnt small its the 3rd largest in Colorado. We only have one endo who deals with type one and you just cant get in to see her. So we have to travel to see one. No advocacy people or parent support groups nothing.
Just some advice. I am a T1 Diabetic and am now becoming a school psychologist.
A 504 plan is basically an anti-discrimination measure meant to provide equitable supports. There is a lot of misinformation about 504 plans out there, so be careful who you listen to (even school employees really don't know).
You might have more success just talking to the teacher(s) or the principal and arranging things with them. A more short-term pragmatic solution might be to have your kid carry around extra snacks to eat at a certain time. It depends on how old they are, but the behavioral symptoms can be pretty clear to teachers if a child is experiencing low blood sugar.
Is it common that your child has low blood sugars? If so, consider the amount and type of insulin they are taking. I took NPH and regular back in the day, which always resulted in a crash. Nowadays, Lantus works much better because there are no peaks, especially combined with Novalog.
She is on nph and novolog right now so yeah she has been getting lows pretty often. She just got dxed 12-15-09. She doesnt really know her lows from highs and a few times didnt feel them at all. She is very shy and very hard to read at school. She doesnt show much emotion at all there. So its up to her to test and figure out when she is low. Her teacher is great but has no experience with this at all. Its hard for me to tell at times.
She has her snack for the day at school in her class room, She is on a fixed carb plan. She can only eat at certain times as of right now. The only real problem was the glucagon.
I'm no physician, but I'd recommend changing from NPH. It has a huge peak that can be fairly unpredictable.
Lantus lasts 24 hours. I feel like a drug rep, but seriously this stuff changed my life for the better. I was on NPH, then Ultralente, then Lantus for the long-lasting types. The problem is that the combination of the NPH peak and the peak from the Novalog are additive and can really lower a blood sugar to unsafe levels. Lantus won't do that because it's always consistent. Then all you have to do is adjust the Novalog intake after meals and you're all good.
The new version of the American with Disabilities Act, 2008 Amendment Act sites diabetes as a disability the must be accommodated in a school district who receives fed money, and the 504 is the federal standard tool that is used to specify what accommodation are agreed on. Otherwise, it the district cannot provide the accommodation, the district my provide an environment or resources that enable the student to learn w/o obstacles. The idea that they will not enable access to glucagon is in direct violation of the ADA. What to they do for their Epileptic or Asthma students?
Meters are available for free, if you do not have backups, let us know and someone an send you one of the type you need. They seem to be on thin legal ice...keep pushing! Riley deserves better support in school.
Here is a link to the ADA information: http://www.ada.gov/pubs/ada.htm
If you are in the Denver area give JDRF a call. Support groups may be found there.
JDRF Rocky Mountain Chapter
8055 E. Tufts Ave Suite 770
Denver, Colorado 80237
t: 303.770.2873
f: 303.721.6130