Berkeley County Parents Seek Nurse Access to Glucose Data
Parents in Berkeley County are advocating for school nurses to have access to continuous glucose monitoring data for their children with Type 1 diabetes. Adrienne Serpe’s son, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 6, has experienced dangerously low blood sugar levels at school this year. While Ms. Serpe remotely monitors her son’s blood sugar on her smartphone during the school day, Berkeley County School officials have denied her requests for the school nurse to have similar access to his glucose data.
Jody Dunphy’s 7-year-old son, Charlie, also lives with Type 1 diabetes and uses an insulin pump connected to a continuous glucose monitor on his skin. Berkeley County Schools Deputy Superintendent Karen Whitley stated in a July 19 email that the district has a general practice of not using continuous glucose monitoring systems. This practice is attributed to the perceived infeasibility for nurses to monitor these systems while also attending to other students. However, Berkeley County Schools spokesperson Katie Tanner clarified that the district does not prohibit students or parents from using continuous glucose monitoring technology.
In contrast, many other school districts, including Charleston County’s and Dorchester District Two, permit school nurses and staff to utilize continuous glucose tracking applications. Since 2016, school nurses in Charleston County Schools have been allowed to use glucose monitoring apps on district-provided devices for elementary school students with Type 1 diabetes. For middle and high school students in Charleston County Schools, glucose monitors are not used unless a student has an identified special need requiring that level of support.
South Carolina law does not prohibit school staff from tracking diabetic students’ blood sugar, but it also does not mandate the use of these monitors, leaving decisions to individual districts.
