State officials have affirmed the obligation of school districts to administer insulin to diabetic students who need such services, under a settlement reached with the California education department last week.
The agreement brings to an end a lawsuit filed by four families and the American Diabetes Association in federal district court in San Francisco, charging that some California school districts were not providing insulin shots to students who were legally entitled to them under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Jack O’ Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, said a lack of school nurses often made it difficult to assure that schools had a licensed professional on staff.
“This agreement spells out a school district’s obligation to train other qualified personnel to provide the services and support that students with diabetes are legally entitled to receive,” he said in a press release.
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