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It's tough to go back to school after you find out you've got diabetes. You're probably a little happy about it, but also a lot nervous. Here are some suggestions to help make going back to school a little easier.  

To tell your school about your diabetes, your parents and diabetes educator may put together a folder of information. The packet should include:

• Information about what diabetes is and how it’s treated

• Details about your treatment plan

• Directions on how to recognize and treat hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia

• Daytime phone numbers for your parents

• Instructions on when to call your parents

• Any other information that’ll help your school understand your diabetes

The packet will go to the principal, school nurse, and/or your teachers. You and your parents should meet with them before you go back to school to discuss how the teachers and other school staff would be taught about diabetes care. You should also make a plan for your taking care of your diabetes at school. Here are some of the things that you should be allowed to do:

• Check your blood sugar at any time

• Stick to your eating plan, even if it means changing your school lunch period

• Treat your hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia—any time, any place

• Give yourself insulin shots or get help in giving them

• Be absent from school to see your doctor and when you’re sick

• Go on field trips

• Participate in sports and other activities

You know that eating at certain times is important to your diabetes care. But once you’re past kindergarten, snack time isn’t exactly built in to the school day. It’s up to you and your parents to talk to your teachers about snacking.

A good place to start is explaining how snacks fit into your diabetes care plan. Then the teacher will understand that you have a very good reason for eating during class. Move on to discuss how you can snack without missing too much or distracting your classmates.

If you snack during class, it’s a good idea for you or your teacher to tell the rest of the class why. Otherwise, you could get some funny looks for pulling out cheese and crackers in the middle of math!

Another thing to talk to your teachers about is blood sugar testing. You and your parents should meet with your teachers and principal beforehand to map out a plan.

Some days you’ll need to test your blood sugar more often than usual. You or your parents should discuss this with all your teachers—even the ones you have only once a week. You never know when you’ll feel hypoglycemic and need to test.

You may want to test in the classroom or you may prefer the health room or office. You, your parents, and the school should work out a plan for when and where you should test. However, no matter where you test, you should never go anywhere by yourself if you think your blood sugar level is low.

The danger of hypoglycemia is something else to discuss with the school. You and your parents should make a list of the signs of hypoglycemia. Include it in the school packet. And give an extra copy to each of your teachers and the school nurse. Along with it, give them instructions on what to do if you need help treating your hypoglycemia.

Your parents should make sure that several people in the school know how to give glucagon injections, just in case you need it. Your diabetes educator or another health-care provider might even visit the school to show your teacher or others how to do it.

When you feel low, let your teacher know right away. Then test your blood sugar, or ask someone to help you test if needed, and treat your hypoglycemia. Never go anywhere alone when your blood sugar is low. You could get confused and forget where you’re going.

Having hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia can affect how well you think, even after your blood sugar returns to normal. Your teachers need to know this. It may be necessary to avoid taking tests for a few hours after you’ve had either one. You, your parents, and the school should make an agreement with your teachers ahead of time about what to do when you’ve had hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. This should be a part of your diabetes care plan.

When your classmates and teachers find out you have diabetes, they’ll naturally want to know more about it. That’s your chance to tell them what you’ve learned about your diabetes.

One way is to talk to one or more classes about your diabetes. Your parents, doctor, and diabetes educator can help you plan the talk and give you information to pass out.

Another option is to invite your diabetes educator to talk to the class. Diabetes educators are trained to talk about diabetes, and they can answer any questions your classmates and teachers might have.

But don’t feel like you have to make a presentation about your diabetes—even if your teachers ask. Some people are more comfortable speaking in front of groups than others. It’s fine to just answer questions one-on-one as they come up. How much you tell your classmates and who you talk to about diabetes at school are up to you.

Diabetes and Discrimination

People with diabetes are sometimes treated unfairly just because they have diabetes. This is discrimination. Many times, discrimination happens because people involved just don’t know that much about diabetes.

Here are some real-life examples of discrimination that kids with diabetes have faced.

• Not permitted to go on field trips, or not allowed unless a parent comes along

• Being cut from a sport because the coach thinks people with diabetes can’t be good athletes

• Not allowed to eat snacks in class or on the bus

• Being punished for being absent from school because of diabetes

• Not allowed to participate in after-school activities because no one there knows about caring for diabetes

There are three federal laws that have been used by other kids with diabetes to protect their rights in school: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Basically, these laws say that you have the right to go to school, play a sport, join a club, and do everything else that kids without diabetes do.

The first step in stopping discrimination is for you and your family to know your rights. For more information on your rights call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES and ask for a copy of the ADA’s packet on Education Discrimination.

When someone discriminates against you, the first step is to talk to your parents. Together, you can decide what should be done.

Often, people who discriminate don’t know it. They may honestly believe that they’re doing what’s best for you. The solution to this problem is education. Ask a parent or your diabetes educator to discuss your diabetes with the person or organization. In many cases, people stop discriminating after they learn more about diabetes.

If educating people about diabetes doesn’t help, you and your parents will have to make some decisions about what to do next. Some things your parents might do: talk to people higher up in an organization; write letters to people who could help; contact other parents of kids with diabetes or the ADA. If the discrimination continues, you and your parents may decide to file an official complaint and use the legal system to make sure that you are treated fairly.

You, your family, and your friends can also help prevent discrimination against people with diabetes. Every time you give someone correct information about diabetes, you’re helping to stop discrimination. You and your family may also want to get involved in organizations—such as the ADA—that fight for the rights of people with diabetes. You and your parents could write letters to people in government—such as the president, your state and national senators and representatives, your governor, and your local school board—to inform them about diabetes and discrimination. You can probably think of lots of other ways to educate others about diabetes!

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