Diabetic kids in child care

A child care center in Fort Wayne, Indiana will pay $10,000 damages and $10,000 fine for telling the parents of a 6-year-old with Type I diabetes that she couldn't go on summer field trips unless accompanied by a parent or a medically trained professional. The center said they did say that, but it was more related to a peanut allergy.

But now, as a result of the complaint and subsequent investigation, Pine Hills agrees to evaluate all children with diabetes and make reasonable accommodations for their condition, which could include supervising and monitoring children while using blood glucose tests, according to settlement documents.

The child care center will also provide training to its staff, according to the documents.

Parents of children with diabetes will also have responsibilities under the terms of the settlement – they will need to provide Pine Hill with a completed medical management plan, signed by the child’s doctor; a completed physical exam form; and information regarding all equipment, food and substances not provided by the child care that are necessary to meet the medical management plan.

I have mixed feelings about cases like this.

My head is roiling with a longer post on the nature of rights and how that should affect public policy, but I don't want to throw it up piecemeal, so for now I'm just going to say that  I sympathize with both sides.