School - Changing It's Mind

To say I was a little apprehensive in the months before C began kindergarten last year is this century's biggest understatement. I really didn't know how this whole diabetes thing was going to gel with public school. I had wrestled with the idea of home schooling but have never been an advocate for it. I was, after all, a public school teacher for 8 years prior to kids. In fact, my entire family, with the exception of one brother-in-law, are teachers! So...there we were...public school.

I suppose I was being a bit ignorant, but I truly believed I would be able to come in there like the "diabetes super-mom" and teach anybody and everybody how best to care for my precious little daughter. Well, they knew I was coming. I had 2 older boys in the school already. They even were familiar with diabetes, having just had a type 1 girl finish 5th grade the previous year. So, I quickly was jolted out of the role of "diabetes super-mom"...

However, after the first week of school (during which I spent each moment in C's classroom), I marched in with our 504 plan in hand. The prior type 1 students had not implemented one and so the office staff looked at me, quizzically. In another couple of days, we actually sat together - principal, teacher, me and C - to go over and fill in all the information. When it came to specifying the supervision that would take place during finger checks, hypoglycemic episodes and working the pump, I was told a nurse would be there each time. And if she was not on campus, she would get there to take care of things.

Well, of course this worried me. A low must be treated immediately. And I didn't want my kid to have to sit around waiting for the nurse to get to school so her insulin pump could be worked. I spit out the idea of allowing the health aide to help C and be the supervisor. Oh no, no, that would not be okay, they told me. There were regulations to be followed. Only a registered nurse would be allowed to be the supervision. "Even if I give my permission for the health aide to do it?" I asked. Correct...even if.

So that's how it was. I finally left it alone. The year came and went.

And so, here we are...the end of C's 1st grade year. The nurse stopped me one day a couple weeks ago and asked me what I thought about C being put on a more independent routine next year...that she would be able to manage her pump with the supervision of the health aide...that she (the nurse) would be able to get to campus if need be, but that C would be manipulating the pump with the health aide on the phone to confirm numbers and such...

WHAT??? What was going on here? She acted as if we had never discussed this before! I said "What?" to her.

And she just smiled and said "oh, I know how it's been. But I really think C could handle it."

I'm so confused at this point. I told her that I would bring this up at C's next endo appointment in July. "But," I said, "I don't think she'll go for that."

What was with the big change?...Budget cuts, or what? Hmmmm...we'll see what happens.