The Kentucky House voted 91-0 today to make Kentucky one of over 30 states that allows non-licensed school employees to be trained to administer insulin to students.
House Bill 98, sponsored by Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, would allow school personnel trained per guidelines developed by the American Diabetes Association to administer insulin to students or help students self-administer insulin.
Currently, only medically-licensed school employees—i.e., school nurses—may administer insulin to students in schools under Kentucky law.
“It provides a mechanism to where children can receive their insulin in a school setting—especially their neighborhood school setting—from trained school personnel that are able to give insulin,” said Damron.
Parents or guardians would be required to give written permission and provide written authorization by the student’s health care provider before insulin could be administered by staff or self-administered by a student at school, according to HB 98.
The bill would also clarify that diabetes or a seizure disorder shall not keep a student from attending one school over another.
Similar legislation, Senate Bill 30, sponsored by Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, has been filed in the Senate for consideration. HB 98 now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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