
February 27, 2002
School and Daycare
Question from California, USA:
My 10 year old, who has had type 1 diabetes for a year and is on a pump, really wants to eat lunch with her friends in the lunch room, but we are having a hard time getting the school to serve a diabetic lunch. What are our rights in this State?
Answer:
I guess I don’t really know what a diabetic lunch is and changing the diet at school will continue to be a frustrating task. I would suggest that your daughter avoid simple sugars, and I would suggest teaching her to count the carbohydrates and reviewing the school menu with her to assist her with accurately determining the carbohydrate content of the food she will be eating in order to accurately bolus with her pump. If all else fails, she can always “brown-bag” her lunch which allows you to retain control of the food she’s eating.
MSB