On Kinsley Simmons’ eighth birthday, she had only been to school five days since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Her mother, Jennifer Simmons, says she has had multiple episodes of hypoglycemic shock at school because of a lack of medical aid support.
“Children with Type 1 diabetes cannot be an afterthought when systems are being planned, and neither can the people who we depend on to support them,” Simmons says.
This school year, Kinsley is heading back to a new school with other students with Type 1.
Her mom is worried about the students with Kinsley’s needs who will not be attending a school with professionals trained on managing their medical needs.
Simmons is advocating for better support for educational assistants in public schools alongside the CUPE Saskatchewan Education Workers’ Steering Committee.
Before the end of the school year, CUPE conducted a survey of education support workers and found a wide range of medical procedures being done without training.
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One survey comment said “over my 20-year career, the role of an EA has shifted and is unrecognizable. I am not a medical care aide.”
Educational support workers reported giving injection medications (insulin), tube feeding and medication, tracheotomy care and catheterizations
“Those are types of care that we absolutely are able to give, but we need to be trained. You just can’t say, ‘Well, here’s an insulin needle, Karla, and figure it out,’” CUPE Saskatchewan EWSC chair Karla Sastaunik says.
Sastaunik says CUPE has asked to meet with the province over the issue but hasn’t heard back.
She says they are concerned the workload is too much and ultimately jeopardizes the safety of students.
Saskatchewan’s Education Ministry said in a statement that “the Government of Saskatchewan has a policy that requires school divisions to support students with medical conditions through coordinated planning, appropriate training and collaboration with families and healthcare professionals.”
“School divisions are responsible for assessing individual student needs, making operational decisions, including staffing. These decisions are made locally to ensure flexibility and responsiveness to community needs and are made in the best interests of the overall health and safety of students.”
CUPE says it needs a task force with education workers, school divisions and health professionals to set safe, consistent standards, as well as establish clear policies, documentation protocol, training and protections for workers.
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