School Discrimination

The American Diabetes Association's goal is for children with diabetes to be medically safe while at school and at day care, and to have the same access to educational opportunities as other children. The Association meets this goal by providing educational materials to help parents/guardians and school personnel understand how to best meet the medical and academic needs of a student with diabetes; by helping families negotiate favorable resolutions to school problems; and, when necessary, by helping families use litigation to stop discrimination; and by working to change state laws, regulations, or policies that stand in the way of safe diabetes care at school.  The Association does this through the umbrella of its Safe at School Campaign. Learn more about other ADA school efforts.

The information provided in the links below are tools to make sure students, parents/guardians, and school personnel understand their responsibilities and have the knowledge to work out potential problems or misunderstandings ahead of time.  They can also be used to resolve ongoing discrimination.

Your School & Your Rights
Overview of how to protect students with diabetes against discrimination by schools and day care centers.

Education Discrimination Materials
Collection of school advocacy materials to assist families in securing appropriate diabetes care at school.

NDEP's "Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel" (PDF)
A comprehensive guide developed by key federal government agencies and diabetes and educational organizations to educate school personnel about diabetes management at school.

Diabetes Care Tasks At School: What Key Personnel Need To Know
Training modules to be used by health care professionals to train school nurses and other school personnel in diabetes care tasks.

School Legislative Efforts
State school diabetes care laws to protect students with diabetes.

ADA Lawsuit Involving Care of Students with Diabetes in California Schools
In 2007, the ADA settled a lawsuit against the California Department of Education (CDE) and two California school districts. The lawsuit claimed that the defendants had failed to provide adequate diabetes care services, including insulin administration, to students with diabetes in California public schools. The settlement with the CDE required it to take several important steps to better protect the rights of students with diabetes. The American Nurses Association and other nursing groups later filed suit to overturn part of the settlement which instructs districts that trained, non-medical school personnel may administer insulin to students when no nurse in available, and a California trial court ruled in favor of the nurse groups in November 2008.

School Discrimination Resources
Organizations and agencies that can provide assistance to families in securing appropriate school diabetes care.