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<p>I agree, which is why I asked about a container for sharps. I suspect the school has a policy in place and the kid has been abiding by it all along, and for some reason, decided not to this time. I can’t believe that if he’s been in high school since September (and assuming he’s not even a freshman), and has been doing this everyday that this is the first time someone saw him.</p>
<p>I’m having trouble taking the OP at face value. If the OP has parents who are the least bit involved in his life, and is a 13-14 year old… I find it impossible to believe that the school system is not aware that he is a Type I diabetic. Simple ordinary precautions would dictate that school authorities be aware of this… in the event of insulin shock, certainly, if not due to the daily need for injections or use of a pump.</p>
<p>If the OP parents are not in the picture, I still think an insulin-dependent student would alert school officials prior to the school year of his medical needs.</p>
<p>In which case they would not be suspending such a student. </p>
<p>So either the OP is trying out an “it was insulin” story on us… for size, to see if it goes over. Or just ■■■■■■■■.</p>
<p>Sorry if I’m wrong, but that’s how it reads to me.</p>
<p>JMMom - I tend to agree with you. The school should know about his medical history, and they are required to accomodate his needs. My guess is that he had instructions that included keeping the syringe (sharp object…remember a few years ago when some kids in a school were attacked with a syringe?) in a particular location, and a plan that required him to inject himself at a particular location like the Principal’s office if they don’t have a nurse’s office. I’m guessing that this isn’t about a drug test but about not following the school’s instructions. Otherwise, he would have been expelled not just suspended.</p>
<p>As far as having someone jump to the wrong conclusions, that happens all the time – including on CC (LOL). One of my parents coughed up a little blood in a hospital (a symptom of that parent’s terminal disease). A nurse reported it as probable TB. Despite my parent’s doctor’s effort to explain, my dying parent was put in isolation while TB tests were run.</p>
<p>I would echo Mamenyu’s amazement at this whole thread. My daughter has type 1, is now 19. The school does not “get” to dictate policy, policy should be defined by teh Americans with Disabilities Act. Read Mamenyu’s explanation of insulin use before eating and for highs, but also consider that a kid with diabetes would miss out on his or her education if it was necessary to leave the classroom every time insulin or a snack were needed.</p>
<p>This would be grounds for a lawsuit, but first, tell your friend to call the Federal Dept. of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, The American Diabetes Association legal department, or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
And the school should have a nurse. We advocated years ago, and the school had to go to the town for extra money to hire a second nurse, not just one. The school should realize they are liable if anything happens, like a serious low or high blood sugar.</p>
<p>The ignorance is staggering, and this kind of lack of understanding is a huge problem with the disease. A person with type 1 may test blood sugar 10 times a day and have 5 shots, if not on a pump. Diabetes care has to be integrated into a student’s ordinary life: it cannot be segregated in a nurse’s office and it certainly has to be managed by the student himself. Waiting for a nurse to come could result in death, seriously.</p>
<p>My S is a type-1 diabetic. From the time he was very small, he was responsible for testing himself and giving himself injections, if needed. He did not have to go to the nurses office to do so. He’d do it at his desk (very discretely). He also was allowed to have snacks as needed. His schools were always very cooperative. He had a needle cutter (I know there’s an actual name for it) to deal with the used syringes.</p>
<p>He’s now in college and, of course, manages his insulin. When we’re out to dinner, he tests himself and, if necessary, injects himself at the table. No one notices. </p>
<p>I hope there’s more to OP’s story than we’ve been told.</p>
<p>A college student with diabetes does not need a note from a doctor or a prescription for insulin as any kind of prerequisite to treat his/her diabetes. And colleges receiving federal money cannot discriminate against them (and don’t). (In fact, regular insulin is not even a prescription drug – it antedates the requirement for a prescription. The new designer insulins are all prescription drugs, though, and very expensive.) It is a smart idea, though, for the college student to tell their roommates about it, and the RA, as appropriate, and to show someone how to use glucagon. And if the student is ill, he/she should inform the health service provider, because there are additional medical considerations when a person with diabetes gets the flu or other illness.
As others have said, it is potentially dangerous, and a possible source of social stigma, to require a high school student with diabetes to go to an office to test blood sugar (which is necessary before eating and whenever the student is feeling “low” or “high”) or take insulin, or treat for a low with glucose tablets or food. The SAT folks, though, will not, at least officially, allow students to test their blood sugar or take sugar tablets during the exam without an accommodation (which means letters from MD’s, etc.) - which is a terrible policy.</p>
<p>I’m a school nurse and am amazed at some of the comments here. Mamenyu and the parents of kids with DM have it right.</p>
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<p>Ditto. I have a friend with Type 1 diabetes, and I can’t believe that people think that a student with that condition should have to go to the nurse’s office for it. If the story as told by the OP is true, the student and his family ought to sue the school.</p>
<p>Admittedly, folks are generally unfamiliar w/ type-1 diabetes, but I think the references to the school nurse are just shorthand for there-must-have-been-some-protocol-in-place. I think Teriwtt (post 21 above) hit the nail on the head.</p>
<p>(Mamenyu, why shouldn’t a diabetic student have to apply for accommodations? why is this a problem if the student is receiving regular treatment?)</p>
<p>Yes, fp, that’s what I meant.</p>
<p>At the beginning of the year at our school, students have to turn in an information card to the front office that includes names, addresses, medical conditions, etc. No card, no can register.</p>
<p>I know that some kids don’t like to put anything down in the spot for medical conditions because they don’t want to be “different.” But I would hope that someone with DM would fill out the survey completely.</p>
<p>re SAT accommodations for kids with diabetes: it is no big deal to test or eat a sugar tablet, so why the rigamarole? Not just the paperwork (though of course the MD will write the letter to the SAT) but also the SAT testing site, and finding a proctor who knows what’s going on. On the other hand, simply testing or eating a sugar tablet is not disruptive, because it can be accomplished without anyone even seeing what is going on. And the whole process of seeking an accommodation when it is unnecessary creates embarrassment and even resentment by kids who feel they are perfectly normal. Unless the kid needs or wants extra time, which they can get with the accommodation. In that case, it makes sense - though you might argue that it could create an unfair advantage when all the kid really needs to do is maybe test or eat a sugar tablet.</p>
<p>It does make it easier and protects the kids from ignorant proctors who tell them not to eat anything. Also, situations arise that take a little bit more time (like a pump problem, which actually happened to my daughter), and the minutes lost doing a blood test or opening a juice box are minutes they deserve. Noone else knew about it, and there was no embarrassment. Also, the kid could get low and someone would know what was happening, unlikely, but possible.</p>
<p>I agree the OP may be ■■■■■■■■ or testing out a “story.” It doesn’t make 100% sense.</p>
<p>And the reason for accomodations at SATs is to keep some proctor from accusing the student of unobtrusively cheating when he is actually unobtrusively testing BS or administering a shot.</p>
<p>We’ve had a long history of dealing with this issue as my son, now 26, was diagnosed with Type 1 in 2nd grade. At that time, his diabetes team at the hospital met with the elementary school staff at a staff meeting. The school nurse was terrific and we left snacks in his 3 classrooms. We also worked out that if he felt low another student would accompany him to the nurse so he or she could test his blood. These same procedures with some modifications were insitituted in middle school. However, my son only took insulin in the morning, before dinner, and I think before bedtime – he did not take shots before each meal at that time. In high school, he was allowed to keep his blood meter in his back pack and test as needed plus in the lunch room. However, not all teachers were aware of his diabetes – a letter was sent out in the beginning of each year listing students and their medical conditions – and sometimes was yelled at for testing or eating a snack. We found that most schools are willing to work with parents and their kids with diabetes. We never filed a special accommodation plan.</p>