Politics

Rep. Julie VanOrden of Pingree, vice chair of the House Education Committee, likes to make her rounds after a legislative session to get a first-hand look at how schools are dealing with the laws she sponsors.

This year, she hopes to be a part of the Department of Education’s traveling statewide road show. One bill she hopes to discuss is SB 1330, which requires school districts to establish policies on diabetes self-management in the classrooms. The measure, promoted by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), was approved unanimously by the Senate Education Committee last week and could come up for a floor vote this week.

To be blunt, there should not be the need for a new law to implement common sense. Diabetes management is hardly disruptive, especially with the widespread use of insulin pumps, which makes management relatively easy. But even without the pumps, self-management mostly consists of pricking a finger to test blood-sugar levels, taking occasional insulin shots and having juice and snacks on hand to keep blood-sugar levels stable. Teachers may have rules against eating or drinking in classrooms, but reasonable exceptions certainly can be made for students with type 1 diabetes.

In schools, and government, policies and common sense don’t always work together. Here are some examples presented by the ADA:

n  One Idaho school refused to allow a 16-year-old high school student to carry diabetes supplies to a classroom for fear that other students will “monkey around” with the supplies and inject insulin shots into other students.

n  A teacher in another school expressed concern that blood-glucose testing is a biohazard and it was dangerous for students to do this in a classroom.

n  A school nurse said that a student with diabetes was a burden to the teacher and should not be allowed to test in a classroom.

n  A principal says that a parent should come to the school every day to take care of the student, because the school doesn’t get any extra money to accommodate students with diabetes. The student is on an insulin pump, and is able to self-manage.

n  A kindergartner was singled out and sent to the principal’s office when there are classroom parties.

Fortunately, there is common sense in the Senate Education Committee, which approved SB 1330 with a “do-pass” recommendation. Hopefully, this spirit of sound reasoning will continue through the legislative channels.

The American Diabetes Association used some strategy to get the bill passed, while putting at ease any sensitivity about imposing new policies on school districts. SB 1330 does not impose a specific policy; it only requires schools to come up with a policy. The Idaho School Boards Association has posted for schools the ADA’s model policy for the convenience of schools.

It would have been easier, and cheaper for the ADA, if the Department of Education had put in a statement about self-management somewhere. But on the bright side, the legislative process is shedding light on a troubling problem in the schools. In the Senate Education Committee, at least, there is no partisan divide as far as trying to solve it.

“We’re seeing situations where kids are held out of extra-curricular activities because of diabetes,” said Sen. Lori Den Hartog of Meridian, the Senate’s sponsor. “We as adults should not punish the students because we don’t realize what children are going through. Give kids the tools to manage a lifelong disease. Let’s not create more barriers for them.”

For VanOrden, the House sponsor, this bill is personal. She has type 2 diabetes and is well aware of need for self-management. She also carries perspective as a former school board member of the Snake River district.

“To me, it’s a no-brainer to have this policy in schools,” she said. “If this were brought to me as a school board member, I certainly would want to draft a policy. But it also would open a conversation that a lot of school board members don’t think about. I would view it as my responsibility to address the health of children in my school district.”

Cheers to Den Hartog and VanOrden for their leadership on this issue. Legislators take a lot of heat for doing things wrong during a session, but with SB 1330, Den Hartog and VanOrden have the Legislature on a course for doing something right.

Chuck Malloy is a native Idahoan and long-time political reporter and editorial writer. He is a former political editor with the Post Register of Idaho Falls and a former editorial writer with the Idaho Statesman. He may be contacted at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.