House Bill 879
Care of Students with Diabetes while at School
Effective date: July 1, 2012
This bill requires the Department of Education to develop guidelines by August 1, 2012, on the training of school employees in the care needed for students with diabetes. Such guidelines must include instruction on the recognition and treatment of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, the performance of certain blood glucose level monitoring tests and basic insulin pump functions, and recommended food intake, among other issues. Each local school board and state-chartered special school must ensure that at least two employees of schools attended by a diabetic student undergo such training to become trained diabetes personnel. Schools must provide information on the recognition of diabetes-related emergency situations to school bus drivers responsible for transporting diabetic students.
The parent or guardian of a diabetic student who seeks diabetes care while at school must submit to the school a diabetes medical management plan. In accordance with such a plan, the school nurse, or in the absence of a school nurse, trained diabetes personnel are to perform functions related to diabetes care. A school nurse or at least one trained diabetes personnel must be on site at school and available during school hours to provide care to students with a diabetes medical management plan, and a parent or guardian may accompany such a student on field trips. If authorized by the student’s diabetes medical management plan, a diabetic student may perform activities related to the monitoring and treatment of his or her diabetes in any area of the school or school grounds and at any school-related activity, and he or she must be permitted to possess, on his or her person, necessary supplies and equipment.
A student’s school choice may not be restricted because the student has diabetes.
The bill provides immunity from civil damages or from professional disciplinary action to health care providers, school employees, local school systems, and state-chartered special schools who carry out these provisions with reasonable prudence. A private school that complies with these provisions will also have such limited liability.
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