Let schools help with insulin, B.C. family says
Click HERE for original post on CBC NewsSchool children with Type 1 diabetes in British Columbia should be able to turn to educational assistants for insulin injections, says a Victoria family that is petitioning the province for the rule change.
Brandon Ribic, 5, has an insulin pump that is programmed to inject the correct amount of insulin around mealtime.
Currently, Brandon's parents have to take time off every day to go to their son's school three times a day to adjust the pump themselves, then rush back to work.
The cellphone-sized pump is crucial for managing the condition, said his mother, Suzanne Ribic.
Since teacher's assistants tube-feed children and handle EpiPens and other medications at school, Ribic said it should be straightforward for them to adjust Brandon's insulin pumps when he starts Grade 1 this fall.
The Ribics are pushing for a provincewide policy that will offer parents like them some relief.
But B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Family Development, the Education Ministry and health authorities say it's too dangerous. They are reluctant to ask staff to inject insulin without parental involvement.
The province's health plan picks up part of the cost of insulin pumps for children. Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and Ontario also fund the pumps.
In the spring, some Ontario parents of young children with Type 1 diabetes called for similar changes in that province. In April, Bill 5 on the rights of pupils with diabetes passed second reading in Ontario.
In New Brunswick, schools can help children with diabetes manage their disease, including testing and providing insulin shots. Teachers there are allowed to assist if they choose, and doing so is covered under their liability insurance.
Now for the comments...take a deep breath!
JJ1234 wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 10:23 PM ET
at 10:23 PM ET
Yet another parent trying to offload their responsibilities on the taxpayers. This is NOT what educational assistants are for. What is the answer? To give EVERYONE an EA and have 1:1 ratios in the classrooms because the parents don't want to take on any responsibility? Meanwhile, the EAs would have to all be registered nurses. And you thnk that taxes are high now? Just wait...
Defeated wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 10:04 PM ET
Teachers are NOT babysitters and nanny's/nurses!
Their job is to teach,not administer insulin to kids!
My god..does anyone actually raise their own kids anymore?
Or do they think it is someone else's job, simply because they figure they have to go to work?
If your child has a problem that requires attention on a frequent basis...stay home and look after them yourself, like parents used to do!
This is NOT the taxpayers problem, and not a dime should be directed to this!
Unbelievable!
Hassel99 wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 7:54 PM ET
Why do some parents feel so entitled?
island_girl27 wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 6:35 PM ET
Get a school nurse! But seriously, if anything happened, those parents would be more than happy to sue and make money off their own initial laziness. I understand it's hard being a parent, but no one else pushes their kids off on someone else. We all choose to have them, so we all choose to give up some part of our life that was easy before them. Deal with it!
Angler wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 6:13 PM ET
The school system is not a substitute for parenthood. Period. Yes, I fully understand that a child's chronic illness can be a burden for the family, but guess what - chronic illnesses were ALWAYS a burden for the family. In the "olden days", we dealt with it. In "modern times", we want the state to deal with it. Enough already. One of these parents needs to give up a job and stay home to care for the child. If that means giving up a mortgage or a lifestyle that they obviously can't afford, that's life.
wiirnotamused wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 6:00 PM ET
"Currently, Brandon's parents have to take time off every day to go to their son's school three times a day to adjust the pump themselves, then rush back to work." (from the article)
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Too bad. You chose to have children, it's your responsibility. What the hell is wrong with parents in the province? People who use the tv and video games as babysitters dump all over teachers and the BC gov when 'Johnny can't read', yet expect the same system to handle all the social and medical issues they don't want to deal with on their own. Responsibility. It's become a lost concept in BC.
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Too bad. You chose to have children, it's your responsibility. What the hell is wrong with parents in the province? People who use the tv and video games as babysitters dump all over teachers and the BC gov when 'Johnny can't read', yet expect the same system to handle all the social and medical issues they don't want to deal with on their own. Responsibility. It's become a lost concept in BC.
Below is my question exactly....
Stitchwitch wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 5:25 PM ET
Deloria wrote:Posted 2010/08/25
at 4:58 PM ETIf i were a teacher's assistant there is not enough money in the world to make me give a 6 year old insulin. If there is a school nurse who understands the correlations between sugar/exercise/food and insulin..then MAYBE. These parents trying to make life easier for themselves are putting their 5 year old at risk by trying to insist on this. Fools.
I will be composing my letter tomorrow afternoon unfortunately my brain does not work past 11:30 and I have appointments all morning.
Please feel free to post your comments on the CBC article HERE
16 comments:
I'm too mad to comment! I just want to track down those people and slap them silly!!!
OMGsh.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOLY MAC...
Wow as a Parent of a Type 1 diabetic in the god ole US of A some of these people ignorant comments make me just ill. Calling those parents Lazy? Tough you had a kid now deal with it. Do these uneducated morons think these parents gave their child diabetes also?!?! This is ludicrist. I delt with my own fight with the school board we we now have a registered nurse for the district and retired RN's in the schools.
Did these people miss the part about administering epipens for severe allergic reactions and changing feeding tubes? Sounds to me like the school already has staff with medical knowledge. It takes like 30 seconds to test sugar and administer insulin via insulin pump.
The ignorance of some people is disgusting. I had to sign a form that in the event that something happened to my child do to a miss calculation I could not hold the school responsible.
Right after my son was born The one school nurse who does not work anymore for the district took it upon herself to administer a correction and then a second correction shot right after my son was dx'd. Needless to say because of the way his treatment plan was written we had a loophole. I didn't sue but she sure as heck doesn't have a job anymore. My son spent 3 days in the hospital because she gave him a total of 28 units of insulin in a 4 hour period. At that time he was only taking 12 units total a day!
Will also comment, later, when I can compose my thoughts!
W. O. W.! CRAZY!
I am sooo angered by this. Clearly the respondents are not fully educated on type 1, our lives, and seriously....HOW ABOUT A LITTLE COMPASSION people??? Many families need 2 (NOT 1, but 2) incomes to survive. Not only are they dealing with "normal" expenses, but they also have additional expenses in managing type 1. I am one of the "fortunate" one's. I was able to STOP working when my son Joe was diagnosed and I did go to preschool and inject him with insulin daily...however, what if "NOT WORKING" meant my family would "NOT EAT" or "NOT HAVE SHELTER" or "NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE OUR SON WITH THE BEST TECHNOLOGY" available to treat this beast of a disease called "TYPE 1 DIABETES". I am flabbergasted that these responses were shared by these individuals. HOW ABOUT EMPATHY... for a moment pull yourselves out of your own life and place yourself in my shoes. Let's show "HUMANITY" and care about our fellow man.
What I don't understand is the article said, "Since teacher's assistants tube-feed children and handle EpiPens and other medications at school, Ribic said it should be straightforward for them to adjust Brandon's insulin pumps..." Sooo and insulin pump isn't going to be that much more to add. This crazy.
My other thought is...I wonder if any of these parents have kids out of the "norm" of learning. Maybe they have had to have special help in math or reading and they don't fit perfectly with their age requirements...there are programs and teachers that put in special time to help them catch up. In our school it's called Title 1 or something like that. Anyway...should we just ban all those kids and say, "your child isn't 'normal' so you stay home and teach them instead."
I am the mother of a 3 year old diabetic toddler who is at nursery school within the British military school system in Germany. I have had to give up the thought of going back to work as I have to do the same thing for my daughter. The comments posted make me sick. How ignorant are these people? I mean really!!!!!! I don't think any D mum asks for anything other than support. You try testing blood sugar every 2hrs which in my case I do throughout the night. I spend most of my life since diagnosis in a stupor because I'm so tired but like any other I do it with little complaint. You ignorant people should first of all inform yourselves as to exactly what Type 1 diabetes is and what the treatment entails before passing judgement on these parents!
Tears. Just tears.
If these people had a child with T1 they would change their tune in a heartbeat. They have no idea. Ignorance apparently makes you worthy to judge others. Sickening.
boy Im apauled Im actually glad i got diabetes when I was 16 and not 6 My god , this floors me and makes me mad . Perhaps these morons would be happier if their tax dollars went to buy bombs to kill millions of people instead of helping to put a school nurse in a school . Which btw the tax dollars probably are going to buy bombs but some ppl are just too ignorant to understand that . Okay Im mad now and have a headache.
I don't even know what to say. I think I became more pissy with each comment.
1. Having a child with special needs does not mean you should have to stop working and supporting your family.
2. (More importantly) These children would DIE without thier insulin injections. What other health issues would be ignored in this way? Are schools and society saying "Oh, my student is having a cardiac arrest, can you call the parent so they can come do CPR?? I'm too busy to help this kid survive thier health condition. I have better things to do".
3. I believe these families basic human rights are being violated. The very parents who have a child with T1 are most likely also the ones paying taxes and contributing to society.
4. All kids (in the USA anyway) have a right to a free and appropriate public education. It is not appropriate for a child with T1 to go without energy, starve their body and thier brain cells, and possibly go into a coma because they cannot get insulin during the school day.
5. It is not safe for an unlicenced (non medical) person to assist with insulin injections. The school nurse no longer exits in most school districts, or serves thousands YES THOUSANDS of students daily. School nurses are a myth in these times. I know, I am a school nurse serving 700 students in 10 hours per week in three schools. I have three diabetics. They do not get insulin injections by unlicensed staff. Two are older and on pumps, one's parent works in the district. I will resign the day we have a new diabetic that needs daily injections and I am expected to put my license on the line to oversee someone else giving a student his or her dosage. Giving the shot is not the hard part, getting the right dose is.
Well that is enough ranting. I hope this poor child will get the help they deserve to get a proper education and stay safe during the school day.
This is an outrage! How dare these people talk such ignorance! They completely have no idea what it is like to be living with type 1 diabetes. So easy to pass judgment when they have no clue...no brains...no education on the topic of diabetes! IGNORANCE...just plain IGNORANCE!
Out of control. Pure ignorance! They sure can talk out the side of their a@@ behind a computer. Not one shred of compassion. I cannot believe these yahoos feel that these parents are trying to pass the buck!? I'd rather dose insulin than an epi-pen any day!
Oh, and what about the families that have two or more diabetic children? I have learned there are many. Are they to split themselves into tiny little pieces to go around dosing their kids at different schools all day long? Hmmm, which kid should I let eat today?
Well, this is waaayyy off topic, but I really wanted to let you know that I appreciate your support for Diabetes Art Day, and posting the badge in your sidebar!
Thanks :)
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