About 154,000 young people under age 20 have diabetes in the United States and as obesity rates in children continue to soar, type 2 diabetes, a disease that used to be seen primarily in adults, is becoming more common. School personnel can play a key role in making the school experience safe for students with diabetes and the National Diabetes Education Program has developed Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel to help.

  The guide:

• Reflects a consensus from a broad spectrum of federal agencies and leading organizations in the diabetes and education communities on how schools can better meet the medical needs of students with diabetes.
• Provides school personnel, parents, and students with a framework for managing diabetes effectively in the school setting. 
• Helps to ensure that students with diabetes are medically safe and have access to all educational opportunities and activities. 
• Includes user-friendly tools, copier-ready action plans, a diabetes primer, and a review of school responsibilities under federal laws.