Posted: | January 31, 2013 02:54 PM |
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From: | Senator Patrick M. Browne |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Diabetes Care and Management in Schools |
I plan to re-introduce legislation amending the Public School Code of 1949, to provide for the management of diabetes while students are in school. This legislation would add a section to the Public School Code relating to training of school employees in Diabetes Care and Management. Specifically, the legislation would require training modules and guidelines for instruction of school employees in diabetes care and treatment, require school administrators to identify a school employee, who is not a school nurse, in each school building attended by a student with diabetes to obtain the training. The legislation also allows a parent or guardian who wishes for the student to possess and self-administer diabetes medication and monitoring equipment on their own in a school setting to provide the following: 1) a written statement from the students health care provider; 2) a written request from the parent or guardian; 3) demonstration of the competency of the student to satisfy the school nurse; 4) a written acknowledgment by the student that they understand the proper safety procedures. At any time a school may revoke or restrict a student’s privilege to self administer due to noncompliance of school rules. This legislation will allow students with this chronic disease to administer insulin, monitor blood glucose levels throughout the day instead of depending on the school nurse to administer these things. Individuals with Type 1 Diabetes, and sometimes Type 2 are required to monitor their blood glucose level several times a day, and administer insulin after they have eaten. These students have this responsibility 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and most are responsible for this monitoring when they are not in the school setting; therefore I see no reason why these students should not be able to administer these things while in the school setting. Co-sponsors of Senate Bill 1604 from last session include: Scarnati, Farnese, Solobay, Rafferty, Tartaglione, White, Leach, Folmer and Vulakovich. If you have any questions regarding this legislation please contact Vicki Wilken, Esq. at 787-1349 or by email at vwilken@pasen.gov. |
Introduced as SB871