Guardian raises concerns over student medical care in Tift County Schools

TIFT COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – A Tift County guardian is talking out, claiming her 9-year-old grandson with Type 1 diabetes has confronted repeated gaps in care at college regardless of district assurances that each campus is staffed with a full-time nurse.

Tift County Schools says each campus is staffed with a full-time nurse and educated personnel to deal with student medical wants.

However, a guardian of a 9-year-old student with Type 1 diabetes says her grandson has skilled repeated gaps in care, elevating questions on how these insurance policies are working in apply.

The kid’s guardian says her grandson, who was recognized with Type 1 diabetes in 2022, requires fixed monitoring and well timed insulin administration all through the college day. She claims there have been a number of situations the place educated employees or a nurse weren’t out there, resulting in delays in care.

“The biggest issue is not having enough nursing staff, consistent care for my grandson,” she mentioned.

Felicia Howard mentioned her grandson’s blood sugar can shift all through the day, requiring shut consideration. “He’s a type 1 diabetic, and he requires 24-7 care and has to be closely monitored all day long,” she mentioned. “Blood sugars are up and down all day. No day is the same… and it’s a serious condition that requires attention.”

Howard claims the college has not “consistently” monitored him to ensure his blood sugar is not too excessive or too low, and mentioned he shouldn’t be left alone when he wants assist. “Providing adequate assistance… means not leaving him alone or sending him to the office alone, whether it’s high or low,” she mentioned.

Howard mentioned the stress has reached a breaking level at dwelling. “I’m not even comfortable anymore with him being at school now,” she mentioned, including that her grandson has instructed her, “Granny, please just don’t leave me today.”

CJ additionally shared how he feels when his blood sugar drops or spikes whereas at college. “I’m scared because I just don’t feel good no more after it drops or it gets high,” he mentioned. When requested if the nurses all the time assist, CJ mentioned, “Sometimes they just tell me to eat something… and sometimes they don’t.” He added, “It drops more and then they just don’t come after that. I just got to keep eating things.”

Howard mentioned she has needed to go to the college a number of occasions in a day to examine on him. “There were times that I would have to go to the school two or three times a day just to check on him to make sure he’s okay,” she mentioned. Howard mentioned the scenario has impacted her skill to maintain a gentle job. “Can’t even work a stable job because I have to leave all the time due to this issue,” she mentioned.

Howard believes the issue is tied to staffing and communication when one nurse is liable for a number of college students. “There’s supposed to be a team, but when you can’t communicate and get someone on the phone, that’s not consistent care,” she mentioned.

Howard mentioned she desires an answer and extra constant, educated assist on campus. “We need some more nurses that are knowledgeable,” she mentioned, including that even when it’s not a nurse, the district wants “someone that’s trained, that can be on-site as an extra person to kind of help out… because one nurse cannot see about all of those children.”

In response to questions from WALB, Tift County Schools outlined its insurance policies and staffing ranges, stating that student well being and security are a precedence.

Full district response: “Thank you for your inquiry. While we strive to be as transparent as possible, federal and state privacy laws prohibit the district from sharing any personal information related to a student’s educational record, including health information. Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our students remains a top priority.

With this in mind, the information provided in the responses below reflects the policies and procedures in place across all of our schools.

Tift County Schools, with the support of our Board of Education, prioritizes healthcare for our students. In the current fiscal year, the state provided Tift County Schools with $175,000 to fund school nurses, which pays for roughly 2.5 nurses per year for the entire school system. We use local tax dollars to allocate one nurse per school, at a minimum. Tift County Schools currently employs 14 full-time nurses and 1 district nurse supervisor.

Yes, there is at least one full-time nurse allocated to each school.

To help ensure continuity of student health services, Tift County Schools has three substitute nurses who are called upon to provide coverage when a full-time nurse is absent. If a substitute is not available, the floater nurse or the district nurse supervisor will cover.

Each school maintains an internal response team comprised of trained personnel prepared to respond to a range of medical emergencies, including anaphylaxis, use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in instances of sudden cardiac arrest, asthma attacks, and seizures. In compliance with state mandates, a minimum of two staff members at each school are trained in diabetes care.

No, all positions are currently filled.

The district nurse supervisor participates in all 504 meetings involving students with identified medical conditions. In addition, the district nurse supervisor facilitates Individualized Health Plan (IHP) meetings, working collaboratively with the school nurse, parents/guardians, and school staff to ensure comprehensive and coordinated care.

Procedures are in place at each school to ensure a timely response to student health needs, and any concerns brought forward are addressed promptly at the school and district level.”

Despite those policies, Howard maintains her concerns remain unresolved and says she is speaking out in hopes of preventing similar situations for other students.

“This is not just about my grandson,” she said. “There are other kids who need help too.”

Tift County Schools did not comment on any specific student situation, citing privacy laws.

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