Diabetes Information For Schools And Day Care Facilities

School and day care providers personnel must be aware if a child attending their school or day care has diabetes in order to be prepared to provide emergency care in the case of a diabetes-related medical emergency. Following the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 , the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a law in July 2008 pertaining to the Health and Safety of Pupils that allows non-medical school personnel to administer glucagon to a child who is experiencing a diabetes-related emergency (glucagon is a medication administered to people with diabetes when they are experiencing symptoms of dangerously low blood sugar levels). The Departments of Education and Health worked together to develop the policies, procedures and training required to implement this law.

What you should do

Know the Parental Responsibilities

Any parent of a child with diabetes should ask their child’s pediatrician to complete the Physician Orders for Students with Diabetes form. This form will provide a comprehensive diabetes medical management plan for your child to be used by your child’s School Nurse Teacher to develop the school care plan.

Know the School/Day Care Personnel Responsibilities

Be sure parents of children with diabetes have provided full information, including:

Train appropriate staff to administer glucagon in case the school nurse is not available:

Glucagon injector demonstration kits are also available from the pharmaceutical companies Lilly and Novo Nordisk. To obtain kits, contact the company directly.

  • Lilly Glucagon Training Kit – 1-800-545-5979
  • Novo Nordisk Glucagen Training Kit 1-800-727-06500

School Physicians can assist schools to provide glucagon administration training or help to identify other qualified personnel.

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