School Nurse nightmare!

Sally - posted on 11/17/2012

I'm going through the worst possible experiance with the nurse at my sons school I knew I should have kept him in his last school ... I can't be 100% sure but I think the nurse at my sons school called child welfare on me question the care of my sons diabetes... First of all this is a false accusation all I do is take care of my son and his diabetes.... People seriously need to be educated on type 1 diabetes.... Having my life turned upside for no reason was seriously not okay with me and this nurse knows nothing about diabetes she thinks she can look through his meter and judge me she is wrong

Tania - posted on 06/16/2010

I've had lots of absences w/ school nurse as well and go in on those days. Often the subs don't really understand the medical intervention for highs and lows. I rather they call me directly before treating or immediately after to confirm. I once had a prob. that I emailed the supt. and principal about.

Heidi - posted on 06/15/2010

Speak with the Principal and even go above their head if need be becuz that is BS! Find out who trained her, and what qualifications does she have? If that happened to my daughter I would be raising hell till it was fixed to my happiness. You are your childs advocate and you need to take action.

Jennifer - posted on 01/13/2010

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. I'm in California and we do have American with Disabilties laws... Even though there hasn't been a huge issue with my son's care at school, I will fight hard for him when I need to. Currently we have 1 traveling nurse, who comes to my son's school 1 day a week (which is fine because I don't like her anyway!), but we have a Full-Time Health Tech on-site everyday. My son goes into the office 3 times a day (at recess) to be checked and they call me or his dad every time so we can do corrections through his pump. The Health Tech cannot push the "OK" button on his pump to dispense the insulin, so she dials it up, then my son pushes the "OK" button to release the insulin. We also got a 504 Plan in effect just recently, to be sure that my son can go to the office or bathroom when he needs to - without question, and he can carry a water bottle around with him, if needed... plus I also added that the Health Tech or someone who we've trained has to go on field trips with him (less than 4 hrs long), and hey can't not let him go on field trips just because he has diabetes. I love the Health Tech and if they ever cut her hours or removed her from the school, I'd be calling the School Board ASAP. Good luck!!



As soon as I finished typing this, the Health Tech called... "He's feeling low"... So glad the teachers let him go to the office anytime he says he feels low. =) I can't imagine not having the Health Tech there. I don't know how I could possibly have a job out of the home.

Stacie - posted on 01/09/2010

I had some on the same trouble with my school nurse, And some of the teachers. One day when my son ask to go to the office , Because his blood sugar felt low and he was told no , He was faking it to get out of class I had enough. I went to the super.of the school and a meeting was held with all who had any contact with my child I informed them that I had a 504 in place and If this was to ever happen again I had the right to file a law suite. They were puting my sons life in danger. From then on I did not have a problem with that school ,I set it up that the office was to call me, Nuse there or not when ever my son came in to the office, So I was always in control of the goings on with my son through out his day. I also bought my son a cell phone to keep with him at all time on vibrate so he would not get caught having it and if any thing like this was to happen again , He was to ask to go to the restroom and call me.

Angelia - posted on 04/14/2009

I live in the US and when my son was diagnosed we had a school system nurse. She had 5 different schools that she worked. Each school had a medication nurse but that details only getting your child a bandaid for a scraped knee. She was not allowed to administer glucagon if needed. they told me that if my son went down with a low all they could do was call 911. WELL that was not good enough for me, my son was out of school for 3 weeks, while my husband and I was fighting to get the city to get  a school RN for my son and other diabetics in the school. Now 5 years later everytime my son has to move schools so does the nurse. Fight for what is right for you and your child. Demands will be met if you stay persistant and know what to threaten the school with if they don't.  Another fight that we battled was my son was told that he was not allowed to participate in certain things due to the nurse not being able to go with him. WRONG They can not descriminate against him and he is capable of doing what all non=diabetic children can do. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

Catherine - posted on 04/11/2009

just curious.....are many of you from the US? ......only because in the uk each school does not have its own nurse.......here the school nurse is based in an office and covers many schools......i wish Uk schools did have individual nurses as they used to...

Katherine - posted on 04/01/2009

Just drop the words "Child Advocat" and any school will give you there full attention. Diabetic Education is the key. Each child is different so you or a diabetic educator has to teach the scool empoyees including the nurse. Every year I had to teach Diabetic 101 to the school staff. Our daughter was the first diabetic to go through our school system. Fight for your son. Good Luck!

Kim - posted on 03/26/2009

I'm not sure where you live but here in MI there is law about your childs rights to competent health care in school. Our school does not have a nurse but the school's assistants were willing to have me train them to care for our daughter. The 2 principals have also been onboard with the training. We have a system worked out that I recieve her daily counts via email, if her levels are extreme -we have a printed form giving a scale of where her BS should fall in a binder in the nurses office- I get a phone call to adjust her insulin. It's all about a diabetic school health plan. Fight for your childs right to have a school plan. Make them account for his care to you each and every day. Yes this is time consuming for them but that is what they have trained for and get paid to do from your school district.

Kathy - posted on 03/15/2009

Last week I attended a meeting organized with the new middle school nurse by a fellow mom of a type 1 child to educate the nurse. I think both of our hearts sank when she said, "oh, Im so impressed by that pump. it looks like an Ipod. I don't even know how to work an Ipod." fresh out of school and completely lacking in assertiveness. I feel your pain. Would love to hear what you did and how it turned out.

Laura - posted on 02/13/2009

It is amazing all the myths and lack of understanding in the nursing world in general.One of the reasons i retrained as a nurse was the experiences i had had when my daughter was diagnosed at 3(she is now 12).i did not do paediatrics but come across a lot of nurses with a lack of knowledge about treating low sugars/hypos in general adult nursing.good idea to get your school nurses on a diabetes update course!

Heather - posted on 02/07/2009

Our school nurse and the team of teachers who care for my daughter are fantastic. When Taryn was first diagnosed we had a group meeting the day she went back to school. They call me anytime she is low or high and what they did for treatment. They also call to let me know when something unexpected happens like a party. We figure out the carb count and amount of insulin to be given together. They are extremely diligent and are in contact with our endocrinologist whenever they are unsure about something. We were diagnosed last November and I was extremely anxious about sending her back to school. The school team has been so attentive and thorough that all anxiety has disappeared. When she is taking a timed test, she is given whatever time she needs and can break for snacks whenever she needs one. The school totally works with us and Taryn's diabetes and not against it. We could not be happier. We are still using syringes, but will be transitioning to a pump sometime in the next few months, which I understand brings it's own set of new challenges. I am completely confident that the school with be there for us.
It is completely unsatisfactory that any school disregard Dr.'s orders. If we were experiencing the difficulties you describe, I would turn to our doctor for backup, schedule a meeting w/ the nurse, principal and anyone else involved. Get a small tape recorder and place it on the table when the meeting commences. Make it very clear that if you are not satisfied you will take the tape to the Superintendent. That should get their attention. ( My husband did that when we had an issue w/ our son & he left the principal's office very satisfied!)
As parents we are our childrens best, and sometimes only, advocate. Don't give up!
Good luck!

Rana - posted on 01/29/2009

Even though they are school nurses and should know these things..they don't! Check your state laws, I was able to demand that a diabetic educator come in and re-teach the school nurse and her teachers ( thank goodness the adminstration actually had it on a school improvement day and the entire staff had to go). Natalie checks it in the classroom and lets her teacher know her numbers to log, her teacher is on it 100%! And I have to written down that they are to call me with any numbers out of her range and tell/ask me what should be done about it. All states by law include diabetes as a disability and with the fact all diabetic students are able to have a Diabetic Plan put in place, something your Dr fills out, and also if you want a 504 plan, in which you are able to add anything you feel is apporiate for your childs care and learning enviroment. For instance in my daughters I had added that if she is running above a certain number or is running low and testing is being done, she is allowed to test another day. If she is out sick due to complications with her diabetes she is allwoed 2 days to turn homework in instead of the school policy of 1.



If you state exactly the care you demand from them in these pages and they are ignored the state can pull their funding from a school..and believe me the adminstration will not have that and they will push any sub to make sure they are doing their job!



I had to fight to have a full time nurse in our district, she was only there from 11 til 1 previously!



If I were you I would fight that he be able to check at his desk, and to keep his supplies including snacks or water if he is high in the class room and be able to treat him with out leaving the classroom and missing that valuable time.

Helena - posted on 01/25/2009

I know exactly what you mean, we have had our fair share of problems from the school nurse. Luckily we have a fantastic head teacher at my daughters school who is 100% behind us. The way we started to solve our 'school nurse who thinks she knows it all' problem was we contacted our specialist diabetes nurse at the clinic and she and myself made a visit to the school and we had a meeting with all the staff who have contact with my daughter. Between myself and the speacialist nurse we covered every aspect of diabetes, the consequences of not acting on a hypo, the severity of the condition etc. We also had a poster made and displayed in the school nurses room outlining the main points and we wrote a list of instructions which every member of staff had a copy of.  This has proved to be very helpful to us. We still have the occasional problem but nothing as severe. What spurred us to take this action was a similar incident to what u experienced yourself. In our case my daughter was refused a snack when she felt low as it was during a maths test and subsequently collapsed to the floor with a blood sugar level of 1.4. Diabetes is too often thought of as a trivial or minor illness, and this ignorance costs our childrens health and education. I hope some of this helps. xx

Jené - posted on 01/24/2009

I experienced similar things with my son when he was younger. There was a school nurse who thought she knew everything, and would refuse to give him a snack as well. I got into it with her let me tell you! As a Type I myself, I have no patience with people who think that because they have a set of initials behind their name, they can act like that.



Stand your ground. Make notes of everything that happens. Take names! And, when necessary take it up the chain of command. You can check out the ADA and JDF for advice as well.

Heidi - posted on 01/12/2009

ABSOLUTELY fight for your son!!!  I happen to have a great school nurse at our school, but I have friends that have had situations like that.  And they had to fight.  I do not know what the laws are in your state, but often they are in your favor.  I would make an unbelievable fuss if my son was sent back to class low with no snack.  Do they not understand that they could kill him?