SB 211 – This act requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop guidelines for the training of school employees in the care needed for students with diabetes by January 15, 2014. The Department must develop the training guidelines in conjunction with the Department of Health and Senior Services, the State Board of Nursing, and organizations dealing with diabetes. Required activities to be included in the training are described in the act. School districts and charter schools may adopt and implement the training guidelines for all school nurses and diabetes care personnel. If a school district or charter school adopts the training guidelines, at least three school employees at a school attended by a student with diabetes must undergo the diabetes training. Procedures are outlined in the event fewer than three school employees have been trained. School employees will not be subject to any penalty or disciplinary action for refusing to be trained. Training will be coordinated by a school nurse, if one is employed, and provided by a school nurse or other healthcare professional with expertise in diabetes. Training must occur prior to the start of the school year or when a student is newly enrolled at the school or when a student is newly diagnosed with diabetes. Coordination, delegation, and supervision of care must be performed by a school nurse or other qualified health care professional. Training must also include the recognition of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia and responses to emergency situations for school personnel and bus drivers responsible for the transportation of students with diabetes.
The parent or guardian of each student with diabetes who seeks diabetes care at school should submit a diabetes medical management plan to the school. The school must review it. Each school district and charter school may ensure that all students with diabetes receive appropriate diabetes care as specified in the diabetes medical management plan. Diabetes care functions are described in the act. The school nurse or at least one of the trained diabetes care personnel may be on site and available to provide care during regular school hours, during all school sponsored activities, and on buses when the bus driver has not completed training.
Diabetes care functions described in the act do not constitute the practice of nursing and will be exempt from all statutory and regulatory provisions restricting activities that can be delegated to or performed by a person who is not a licensed health care professional. A licensed health care professional may provide training to and supervise school employees with diabetes care functions.
Students with diabetes may attend the school they would otherwise attend if they did not have diabetes. If the school does not have a full-time nurse or does not have a trained diabetes care professional, the parents of the student may agree with the district to send the student to another school within the district that has a full-time nurse or trained diabetes care professional.
Students with diabetes will be permitted to perform certain diabetes care functions themselves at school, with written permission by a parent or guardian, as described in the act.
No physician, nurse, school employee, charter school or school district will be liable for civil damages or subject to disciplinary action when acts are committed as an ordinarily reasonably prudent person would have acted under the same or similar circumstances.
These sections are substantially similar to HCS/HB 675 (2013) and provisions contained in SCS/HCS/HB 388 (2013). (Sections 167.800 to 167.824)
The Missouri State Training Center for the DARE program must develop curriculum and certification requirements for school resource officers. School resource officers must complete, at a minimum, forty hours of basic school resource officer training that includes legal operations within an educational environment, intruder training and planning, juvenile law, and other relevant topics.
This section is also contained in SCS/HCS/HB 388 (2013), SCS/HB 152 (2013), and HCS/HB 675 (2013). (Section 1)
MICHAEL RUFF