But some just don't get it:
It's not often that the Democratic-controlled Legislature takes a stand against the state's Democratic Party chairman and the labor unions that are the party's main allies.You know what my fear is? Eventually they'll make it required that I do this.
But that's what happened Thursday, when a key legislative committee voted to move forward with a bill that would let school employees who are not nurses administer epilepsy medicine to children having seizures...
Labor unions argue that schools should employ more nurses because it's inappropriate to ask nonmedical personnel to administer Diastat, the anti-seizure drug at the center of SB 161. Diastat is a valium gel that must be inserted into the patient's rectum with a soft-tipped syringe...
Supporters of the bill say the federal government has deemed Diastat a medication that can safely be administered by lay people. It would only be given to students whose doctors had previously prescribed the medication and only administered by school employees who volunteer to be trained in proper use. An analysis of the bill says training would cost $10 million.
But let's look at the big issue here. The CTA and I agree on something! Hey, why are my feet getting cold?
No, I agree as well. Union or no, there is something to be said for having a school nurse in every building. You can NOT get that many children together without something coming up occasionally, and if a child has a severe medical need this could be the difference between life and death.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the possibilities for bad guys/false accusations of people being bad guys.
"Diastat is a valium gel that must be inserted into the patient's rectum with a soft-tipped syringe."
ReplyDeleteMeaning, the student's pants have to come off. Take a non-medically-trained teacher, and tell them to remove a student's pants? Can you say LAWSUIT? As you have blogged often, teachers have had their careers and lives wrecked for a lot less than removing a student's pants.
This is insanely stupid.
So they want me to pull down the pants of a student who is having seizures (and therefore unable to give me permission) and then stick something in his or her rear - possibly in front of a number of other students?
ReplyDeleteOh, That's not a lawsuit waiting to happen! And there won't be ANY immature kids making inappropriate comments or jokes about that. Leading to destroyed reputations.
And there won't be ANY immature kids making inappropriate comments or jokes about that. Leading to destroyed reputations
ReplyDeleteComments Anon....how about all the videos that will be made and put on YouTube?
Also, there are some kids whose medical needs (including emotional) are severe enough that they should not be in regular schools, but in special placements with suitable staff. It's far more efficient to combine those with such needs than to attempt to meet them in separate schools.
ReplyDeleteWe saw a similar case over having a teacher change catheters for a child with spina bifida. It's a huge issue since every year our numbers of disabled students rises. Right now I have kids who cannot speak and who get lost on the way to class, but there are no aides available to pick them up. It's only a matter of time before one of them wanders off. I am sorry that there are kids with such limitations, but we are so busy handling multiple IEP's and BIP's in class that the average kids are getting an insufficient amount of attention. ADA has done us no favors.
ReplyDelete