Has California Become the Nanny State?

Calif. schools required to give medical help to kids with diabetes

By Anita Manning, USA TODAY
Schools in California will be required to have someone available who is trained to assist diabetic children under a legal settlement announced Wednesday in Oakland.

The agreement sets a policy requiring children who have diabetes to be provided services under federal laws that guarantee equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities.

"The importance of this settlement is it's applying those laws to children with diabetes," says Arlene Mayerson, an attorney with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, which represented four families in the lawsuit filed in 2004. "This will be a model for states across the country."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in 523 people under 20 have diabetes.

A few states, including Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas, already have legislation that allows schools' non-medical staff members to be trained to administer insulin and help children monitor blood-sugar levels.

USA Today