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Managing Diabetes at School
A key part of caring for your diabetes at school is knowing who will be responsible for each task. You are responsible for providing all diabetes equipment and snacks. You also should take an active role in educating and training school personnel in diabetes care. Your diabetes educator or doctor can help you train key school personnel to perform the necessary diabetes tasks.
Also, make sure that the school is able to reach you, your spouse, or other responsible adult quickly in case of emergency. Carrying a beeper or a cellular phone can give both you and school officials a little more peace of mind. The school should be willing and able to do the following:
- An adult and a back-up adult should be trained to test blood sugar, know what to do if the blood sugar is out of the target range, know when and how to test for ketones, and know what to do if your child's ketone level is abnormal.
- An adult and a back-up adult should know how to recognize and treat hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. If your diabetic child is mature enough to treat herself, she should be allowed to do so -- but she should remain under the supervision of an adult at all times during a hypoglycemic reaction and should not be required to walk alone to another part of the school to test blood glucose or get treatment.
- If your diabetic child needs an insulin injection(s) during school hours, an adult and back-up adult should be trained to give her insulin injections (and/or supervise her as she administers her own injection).
- An adult and back-up adult should be trained to give a glucagon injection.
- If you and/or your child desire it, the school should provide a location in which she can check her blood glucose or take insulin privately (but still with adult supervision, if needed).
- An adult and back-up adult should know your child's meal plan and work with you to coordinate it with the schedule of the other children in the class, if possible. This person should also notify you whenever special events come up that would affect the meal plan.
- All adults who have responsibility for the immediate custodial supervision or care of your child at school should be trained to recognize hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia and know emergency procedures.
- Allow your diabetic child to see the school nurse or other school medical personnel whenever needed.
- Allow her to eat a snack anywhere and to use the restroom and drink water at any time.
- Allow her to miss school for doctor's appointments to monitor diabetes without negative consequences.
- Provide a safe location for storage of insulin and glucagon, and allow your child immediate access to her diabetes supplies at any time.
- Ensure her full participation in all sports, extracurricular activities, and field trips, with any necessary supervision provided.
- Provide aids to help your child academically, if needed. Examples of situations in which this might be necessary include making up for class time missed due to diabetes care or academic problems that can be traced to frequent hypo- or hyperglycemia.
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