[spike]

Originally Posted by Erin

Hi right2fight,

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with your son's school. What types of problems are you experiencing? My experiences in the school system have lead me to believe that most problems are caused by ignorance and / or legal red tape.

Educating your son's teachers is the first step. When I was young my mom would give my teachers tons of info in a parent/teacher conference she always arranged for before school started.

Also, try to work with the system. There are some things teachers are just NOT ALLOWED to do. I was diagnosed with type 1 over 16 years ago, but I am legally and contractually prohibited from administering insulin to any of my students, if they needed it during school. And honestly, I would not feel comfortable doing so. With 27 other kids to keep an eye on, the chance of me making a mistake would be too great. The school nurse, or an administrator would be much more able to focus on that child's needs.

I would butt heads with the administration and the union if I fought to allow a child to test their bg in my classroom, and I would probably lose. Legally having sharps and even small amounts of blood in the classroom on a regular basis leaves the school vulnerable to countless idiotic law suits. Keeping this stuff in the nurses office or principals office lets the child test when they need to, but protects the school as well.

Things I AM able to do:
* keep food in the classroom (provided by the parent)
* Allow the student to eat or drink whenever they feel they need it
* Schedule class "snack time" to coincide with snacks the child needs every day.
* Allow the student unlimited water / bathroom / nurses office visits, and to contact the PARENT if I feel the child is abusing these privileges. (not question or yell at the child).

Things I'd probably get sued and / or fired for, but would do anyway:
* administer glucagon in an emergency situation.

Sounds like an accurate CGMS would resolve one of the issues you mentioned--children checking their bg's in class. By "accurate", I mean one that is approved by the FDA for therapeutic changes to be made based on the readings w/o having to follow them up with a handheld meter.