Among 694 reports from caregivers of students with diabetes, concerns about insufficient trained staff were significantly more common in private compared to public schools (40% vs 16%, p<0.001).
Cross-Sectional (n=694)
Yes
Caregiver concerns regarding school diabetes support primarily involve lack of trained staff and device access, with significant variations by school type and grade level.
Absolute Event Rate: 40% vs 16%
p-value: p=<0.001
Introduction and Objective: Federal and state laws require accommodations for students with disabilities (e.g., diabetes) in public and private schools receiving federal funding. However, legal challenges continue, and new policies (e.g., cell phone restrictions) may adversely affect care. We characterized parent/guardian (caregiver) concerns with school diabetes support. Methods: We analyzed calls/emails to the ADA Safe at School advocacy team between Jan 2024-Oct 2025. Two reviewers categorized concerns using pre-defined categories. We assessed relationships between common concerns and US region, school type (public/private), and grade level (elementary, middle, high) using multivariable logistic regression models. Results: We reviewed 694 reports (88% public; 54% elementary, 16% middle, 19% high) representing all US states and DC. Common issues were lack of trained staff (18% of reports), device access (15%), management by school nurses (13%), and field trips/activities (12%). Cell phone restrictions were seen in 8% of reports. More reports of insufficient trained staff were seen for students in private vs public school (40% vs 16%, p0.001) and elementary grades (26%) compared to middle/high (6% each, p0.001). Reports related to device access were more common in public (18%) vs private (3%, p=0.03) with no difference by grade. School management concerns were more common among elementary grades (16%) compared to middle (9%) or high (6%, p=0.01), whereas issues with field trips/activities were less common in elementary (9%) vs middle/high (20% each, p=0.005). Regionally, more reports related to trained staff were seen in West states (p=0.005) and device access in Southeast states (p=0.02). Conclusion: Nationally, most school concerns from caregivers of students with diabetes relate to trained staff and device access. Challenges may be different by school type and grade level. Efforts should focus on caregivers’, schools’, and clinicians’ communication, awareness of legal protections, school training, and standards for device use in school. Disclosure C. March: None. J. McKinney: None. H. Rodriguez: Advisory Panel; Ended; MannKind Corporation. Research Support; Current; Sanofi. Speaker's Bureau; Ended; Sanofi. Research Support; Ended; MannKind Corporation. Research Support; Current; Lilly. Other - DSMB; Ended; Merck Sharp Current; Sanofi. Research Support; Ended; Novo Nordisk. Research Support; Current; Zucara Therapeutics. Research Support; Ended; Dexcom, Inc. Research Support; Current; Cour Pharma. Research Support; Ended; MannKind Corporation. C.C. Woodward: None.
MARCH et al. (Fri,) conducted a cross-sectional in Diabetes (n=694). Private school attendance vs. Public school attendance was evaluated on Reports of insufficient trained staff (p=<0.001). Among 694 reports from caregivers of students with diabetes, concerns about insufficient trained staff were significantly more common in private compared to public schools (40% vs 16%, p<0.001).