November is Diabetes Awareness Month

The school nurse is usually the main staff member in charge of student’s diabetes care. Many non-emergency diabetes care tasks can be handled by the child. Other situations, due to age, inexperience, or developmental level of the child will require help from school staff to recognize and treat.

Below are some tips you can share with classroom teachers to help keep students safe and healthy.

6 Tips for Classroom Teachers to Keep Students with Diabetes Safe and Healthy

• Sometimes I Need to Have A Snack in Class - If you see me eating a snack in class, it means that I am low and even a trip to the nurse’s office could be too risky without fast-acting sugar. You can help by keeping a supply of snacks in the classroom in case I run out (juice, fruit roll-up, jelly beans, glucose tabs).

• I Need to Use the Restroom Frequently When My Blood Sugar Is High - Please be patient if I need to use the restroom many times throughout the day. This happens when my blood sugar is high, and my body is trying to flush out the extra glucose.

• If I Am Not Paying Attention or Focused, I May Need To Check My Blood Sugar - If you notice that I am acting unusual, gently ask me to check my blood sugar. It’s not easy to speak up when I need to take care of myself. Some symptoms I may have include sweating, shaking, weakness, fatigue, irritability, excessive hunger/thirst and rapid heart rate.

• My Insulin Pump Helps Keep Me Alive - But it isn’t a cure. My blood sugar will fluctuate every day. Please be patient while I deal with low and high blood sugar. And please don’t take it away from me thinking it is something else.

• Educate Yourself - Talk to my parents or the school nurse to learn the specifics of my diabetes care plan. Also, consider completing a training program so you can perform essential diabetes care tasks such as blood glucose monitoring.

• Thank You for Being Patient - I may need to check and manage my blood sugar many times a day. I will be drinking water, eating snacks and/or taking bathroom breaks periodically. Your support during these interruptions will make school easier for me so I don’t feel like I am a burden to the classroom.

Having the right tools to educate, maintain and respond quickly to blood glucose levels is an important part of the student’s diabetes management program. View products>>>