Student Diabetes Law Takes Effect

A law requiring public schools to take measures in ensuring the management of students with diabetes within the school went into effect on Jan. 29.

One requirement of the law, enacted by the state Legislature in October, is that schools maintain an Individual Healthcare Plan as well as an Emergency Healthcare Plan in order to maintain the necessary balance of food, medication and physical activity for each student with diabetes.

The law also requires school nurses to educate all personnel about the signs and symptoms of diabetes so that they may be observed while in the classroom and at other activities throughout the day while in school. To aid in this requirement, the New Jersey Department of Education has sent a presentation and a DVD supplied by the American Diabetes Association to all schools. The kit is an instructional tutorial for school nurses to use in educating school staff.

According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, more than 15, 000 children in the United States are diagnosed with Type I diabetes each year. Since these children are in the care of public schools for much of the week, it is essential that school district personnel are educated in the signs and symptoms of diabetes.

NJSBA recently updated its model Health Policy, 5141, to meet the new requirements. The model policy can be found online in the Critical Policy Reference Manual by accessing the “Members Only” area of the Policy page of the NJSBA Web site.

For more information or to obtain a sample individual health care diabetes plan, contact Lou Schimenti of NJSBA’s Legal and Policy Services Department via e-mail or by calling (609) 278-5271. The state Department of Education also has a resource page on its Web site with additional information, such as frequently asked questions, presentations and quick reference guides.

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