Communicating With Educators
The school staff should be made aware of your child's diagnosis and current health status. It's also good to clarify:
- your responsibilities
- the school's responsibilities
- any accommodations that the school might need to make
To keep the school staff informed, consider reviewing your child's diabetes management plan with the school annually — or whenever it is updated or changed.
You might also want to meet with school staff, such as the principal, your child's teachers (including the gym teacher), the school nurse, and any coaches. They will tell you if they need anything else from you. Be sure to ask about their experience and preparedness for dealing with diabetes. Ask questions and let them know if you feel they need to learn more. For example, a staff member who seems unfamiliar with diabetes or is anxious about dealing with it might be too restrictive or make kids with diabetes feel different. You want to build an open exchange with the staff and meet or talk with them regularly to ensure a healthy educational environment for your child.
Diabetes, School, and the Law
Certain laws protect the rights of students with diabetes. Under these laws, diabetes is considered a disability, so it is illegal for schools or childcare centers to discriminate against kids who have it.
In addition, any school that receives federal funding or any facility considered open to the public must reasonably accommodate the special needs of children with diabetes. Teachers and school nurses assess kids individually to determine the best ways to ensure their education while managing the diabetes. The school may be required to create a legal document called a 504 plan that describes how it will meet a child's needs. You might also get an individualized education plan (IEP) for your child that outlines educational goals and how the school will achieve them.
The school needs to meet your child's needs within the usual school or classroom setting with as little disruption as possible. This helps prevent kids from feeling different from their peers. The school also must accommodate your child's needs during activities outside the classroom, such as sports teams or extracurricular clubs.
Some schools have all the staff that's needed to ensure proper care for kids with diabetes, but others might not. For example, many schools share a nurse with other schools in the district rather than having one available all the time. Be sure that your school addresses how the staff will meet your child's needs in the classroom and during activities such as field trips.
Finally, your child (and everyone else) has a right to private health information, according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). But to meet a student's special needs, school officials and the diabetes health care team might need to share medical information.
Ask the diabetes health care team and school officials if they will share information and how to ensure your child's privacy. Your doctor and the school might need written permission from you to exchange this information. This is important because if a problem happens, the school staff may need to get information about your child's health quickly.