Diabetic Kids Win School Settlement

OAKLAND, Calif. – Life changed dramatically for Los Angeles resident Greta Parker when her six-year-old daughter was diagnosed with diabetes one year ago.

From being a successful insurance agent, Parker became a healthcare-giver for Lilliana, running over to the child’s charter school thrice, sometimes even four times a day, to administer the insulin shots needed to keep Lilliana’s blood sugar level under check.

“I had to quit my job because I was in constant fear of what might happen if her blood sugar went too low,” Parker said. “If that happened, she could go into a coma or have seizures.”

Like most other public schools, her daughter’s school disclaimed any responsibility for testing and treating diabetic students. That responsibility lay solely with the parents.

But that’s about to change. Under a settlement reached this week by the California Department of Education over a lawsuit filed against it by the non-profit, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) on behalf of four parents and the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the state’s school children will from now on be entitled to care from a nurse or a trained school staffer.

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