Live in PA - Little Help?

Pennsylvanians, it is that time again.

Time to let our elected officials know that among the things we expect them to do is to keep kids with diabetes safe at school.

Find your representatives and feel free to copy and adapt what I sent my Rep, the Honorable Mr. Thomas Murt:

The Honorable Thomas Murt
19 South York Rd.
Hatboro, PA 19040

Dear Representative Murt,

As a parent of two children with type 1 diabetes, I want to thank you for your sponsorship of safe at school legislation in previous sessions.  I know you have supported this since at least 2008 and I have proudly shared my appreciation on my blog. I hope you will continue that support of kids by co-sponsoring the house version of Senator Browne’s upcoming bill that allows local school officials and parents to cooperate to provide safe school environments for children with diabetes. 

I know there are many issues in the Commonwealth. I appreciate that you have show nuanced appreciation for this approach to facilitating parents and schools to work together to keep children safe, in class without a de facto mandate from the capital to micromanage and inflate local school board budgets. I appreciate that you have shown leadership on this issue as a sponsor in the past.

It is time to get this bill out of committee and passed. 

Your renewed sponsorship is an important step in the process. Type 1 diabetes requires ongoing vigilance. Diabetes management does not wait for legislative sessions. Unfortunately not all school budgets can expand to provide full time nursing. Local officials and parents should have the flexibility to agree to train a responsible adult to provide the needed diabetes support to help kids stay safe in schools.

Safe includes medically safe. Most of the daily tasks for children with diabetes care now are provided or supervised by parents and other adults who have be trained by diabetes educators. This standard of care can work in schools where there is not full time nursing coverage. Senator Browne’s bill anticipates that and is supported by the Pennsylvania Medical Society. This clearly demonstrated the processes this bill proposes are medically sound.  

It bill is exactly this kind of considered approach to unique issues that can combine to provide the needed diabetes support in schools.

Thank you for your efforts to keep children safe in school.

Bennet Dunlap

#TwoBits Getting Diabetes Types Right / DC School Do Right

So often we see news coverage that does not get diabetes types right. This one does and my friend K2 is right in there helping them get it right. Members of the online community often complain about bad coverage, here is an opportunity to leave a comment where they did good. How about slicking over and giving the paper an attaboy.

The most recent Diabetes Forecast has a story about the DC school system failing a family with diabetes. Scott Johnson wrote about it on his blog and I mentioned it on Diabetes Mine. Good news there is a settlement. 

YDMV at the 'Mine

I am happy to say the team at Diabetes Mine asked me to share a guest post on Safe at School. That post just went up today and I am proud to stand with them, Scott Johnson and others in the DOC to support safe schools.

If you have not read this month's diabetes forecast, the cover story is about a family form DC that has had more than their fair share of school struggles.

I probably should have asked in that piece at Diabetes Mine for school success stories but as usual I ran long. I think success stories can be a source of coachable best practices so if you have a great story about diabetes school success please share it.

Free Safe At School Webinar - Limited Seats Still Open

If you have  Child With Diabetes in School

A Few Registration Slots are Still Open

Free Parent Advocacy, Back to School Webinar - August 14th

 [ Edited ]

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07-11-2012 01:36 PM - last edited on 07-12-2012 04:34 PM by  ADA_AnnaB

American Diabetes Association: Safe at Schools                              

Have You Wondered------  What are my Child’s Rights? How Can I Negotiate?                                

Attend the FREE Back to School Parent Advocacy Webinar                                                     

     

Date:  Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Time:  8:00 PM Eastern (7 Central, 6 Mountain, 5 Pacific)

Space is limited. Register today!

Participants Will Learn About:

• Resources that address issues of  adequate care and access
• How to negotiate and secure accommodations
• Federal laws related to children with diabetes in schools
• What to include in individualized health plans regarding diabetes management
• What to include in 504 plans to address necessary accommodations

Succeed in Safe Schools - PA HB 1338

Kids should be safe at school.

Including kids with diabetes. Some kids may need support to be safe.  Legitimate budget, scheduling and other reasons may keep a school from having nursing coverage. Safe at school means the kids can go to school and be safe if the nurse has a family issue, traffic problem, heaven forbid needs to escort another kid to the hospital in an emergency or if the school doesn't have a nurse.

There are best practices recommended for diabetes and schools created by the leading health and education professionals. They are in a document called Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel. It was written by the NDEP, a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 200 public and private organizations.

Not exactly bums.

"Helping" anticipate that, while not ideal, some schools without a nurse may still need to help a child with diabetes succeed. Succeed what a great word.

Let's focus on succeeding.

Legislation is pending in Pennsylvania to try to help kids succeed in safe schools. There is a op/ed piece in @PhillyInquire on the topic and it is well worth reading. One commenter at the paper asks if proponents would send their diabetic child to a school without a nurse.

I have and would.

While we currently have the World Greatest School Nurse, we have never insisted upon a school nurse. I recognize that safe at school can be accomplished with non medical professionals who are open, communicative and trained. That said even a great nurse will be constrained by narrow minded and uncommunicative people in power who refuse to consider best practices for their own ends.

To help kids succeed in safe schools, I support PA HB 1338. I encourage you to learn about best practaces and support it, or similar legislation in your state, too.