A State Senator is proposing a bill that would allow school districts to train their faculty members to provide treatment to diabetic students.
State Senator Scott Rupp (R-Wentzville) is sposoring the bill SB211 that would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop guidelines on how to train school employees to care for students dealing with diabetes.
Rupp says the American Diabetes Association approached him about the issue, which prompted him to sponsor the bill in Missouri. “There’s some national guidelines out there from the American Diabetes Association, but this is how you can administer some guidelines on administering glucagon and all the different things when you have a child with diabetes,” he said. “This would also allow local school districts who have individuals that want to volunteer for training, such as a coach that has someone on their team that’s diabetic, they could be trained by the school nurse.”
He says many times, school nurses administer insulin shots to students but if they’re away, Rupp says if a student it out at an away game (if they play a sport for instance), or on a class field trip, it would allow schools to have interested teachers, coaches and volunteers for training to administer insulin to a student if and when they should need it.
Rupp says it would also allow faculty members to have a “care plan” with the diabetic student’s doctor and the school. The “care plan” would allow students who are old enough and mature enough to administer their own blood testing; and they can do so without having to see a school nurse for treatment.
AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:01)