November 22, 1999
Social Issues: School and Daycare
Question from Kansas, USA:
My 13 year old daughter is diabetic since the age of 4 and participates in sports at her school (volleyball, basketball, track and cheerleading). She has been asked to remove her medical necklace and not to wear the chain around her neck. She has to tape it up and tape it to her chest. I was wondering if it is a form of discrimination to make her remove her medical necklace and cover it with white athletic tape.
Answer:
I suspect that the school has a policy against athletes wearing necklaces during sporting events due the risk of injury. The issue is personal safety versus the risk of your daughter suffering from a hypoglycemic reaction and not being treated correctly. If your daughter’s coach and teammates are aware of her diabetes, then the risk of her being treated incorrectly will be minimized. As long as the school’s policy against jewelry is universally applied, to include religious necklaces for example, then it does not seem to me to be discrimination.
JSH
