FU on my nieces' 504 situation

[Deleted]

Several of you were nice enough to chime in the other day. So my sister went ahead and sent them without the 504 plan in place (school wouldn't budge on having the meeting any sooner than this Thursday, the 4th day of school).

First day of school my sister did get called in once to deal with a low on 2nd grader with diabetes, 4th grader with allergies did fine.

But then there's this -- during music class 2nd grader niece walks up to music teacher and says "I feel dizzy, I have diabetes and I think I'm low and need to see the nurse."

The music teacher said, "No. You'll just need to wait until music is over and your other teacher comes back."

:-|

And since the nurse is going to be gone Wednesday and no one else has been trained yet (since they refuse to meet with her before 504 meeting and she's not even allowed to walk into the kids' rooms to talk to teachers in person), my sister plans to keep daughter with diabetes home that day. The principal said "well, can't we just call you or 911 if there's an emergency?" If she has a seizure, an ambulance won't come soon enough and someone on site needs to give her a glucosan shot immediately.

It's just frustrating that no one would give her the damn meeting she needed. She went above the school to the district and had the JDRF and a lawyer supporting her, and still no one could make it happen.

How is she supposed to get a job when she's expected to just hang around to handle an emergency?

Grrr.

[mominatrix]

That's bad.

Sorry it's such a mess...

[charminglife]

Wow. That's pretty ballsy of the teacher to tell the kid he couldn't go to the nurse. What state is this happening in?

[Deleted]

Since I'm talking about my niece's anyway, I'll include a CEP-related brag and say that when youngest was 6, she was selected as delegate to JDRF Children's Congress and was totally buddies with Justice Sotomayor (who also has T1 diabetes). She's also been to visit all of her senators and congressmen to lobby for JDRF as part of the "Remember Me" campaign. She's a hard working kid.

[Deleted]

charminglife, it's Florida. Orlando area.

[teflep]

She is allowed to carry her care items, including low I am sure, per 2010 law. www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/parents-and-kids/diabetes-care-at-school/legal-protections/state-laws-and-policies-display.html?state=FL

[Deleted]

Oh, and my sister offered to shadow quietly in the back of the class until the 504 meeting. Principal said legally, she can't. There were security guards at the front doors to keep parents from escorting their kids to class on first day. Their school supply lists were huge (including several reams of copy paper per child) and she said it was almost comical watching all these little kids trying to carry it on their own.

[Deleted]

Aug 21, 2012 9:18:40 GMT -5 teflep said:

She is allowed to carry her care items, including low I am sure, per 2010 law. www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/parents-and-kids/diabetes-care-at-school/legal-protections/state-laws-and-policies-display.html?state=FL

Tef, thank you, I'll forward to make sure she's read this. They may have let her take just that daughter, I can't remember exactly. But I know they wouldn't let her carry the epi-pen supplies for middle daughter.

[ringstrue]

WTF I hope your sis talked to the music teacher.

[Deleted]

Aug 21, 2012 9:21:10 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

WTF I hope your sis talked to the music teacher.

I'm sure she'll try to call her today. She only learned about it after school, and she called the principal immediately. Principal sounded horrified, too, so at least she agreed it was a problem.

I think little one might need her own cell phone well before her time if they can afford it. That would probably give everyone peace of mind when there are adults ignoring her medical requests.

[teflep]

I would check the county's policy, which is posted in PDF file, but I can't "find" from my iPad as Florida statue allows for them to create policy to allow to carry.

www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1006/Sections/1006.062.html

[aw]

I'm so frustrated and scared for your sister. I'm praying that school gets their act together soon. And I would for sure be having a talk with that music teacher!!