usa diabetic teacher's alert dog banned from class

[Donald]

Has anyone come across this story I think it is a bit much and she says her test strips cost a doller each hmm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2011-10-04/diabetic-teacher-service-dog/50660146/1

 

[novorapidboi26]

I think she should be allowed the dog there.............this surely would of been established before she was employed.........

unless of course her inability to detect highs and lows just suddenly manifested, but is this likely..........?

a dollar a pop might not be far off actually.........

 

[Caroline]

Unless you have good health insurance in America, buying he things (like test strips) is very expensive)

I too think the dog should be allowed to stay as it helps the teacher and could prove a useful teaching aid.

If the teacher has always needed a dog this should have been negotiated into her contract. If she didn't need the dog until after she started work, providing her emplyer is reasonable she should be allowed to keep it on medical grounds.

No one would object to a seeing eye or hearing dog, so I can't see that a hypo alert dog would be any diffeerent.

 

[Northerner]

I agree that the dog should be allowed in order to keep her safe at work, it's not like it's a guard dog or anything!

All diabetes supplies are much more expensive in the US, so a dollar a strip sounds about right. The prices are all inflated because it's part of the health insurance gravy train over there. A lot of people get their supplies shipped in from Canada, where things are cheaper.

 

[AlisonM]

I think she should be allowed to have the dog with her too. As has been said, the beasty is providing a life saving service and there would be no problem if it were a guide dog. Mind you, the court case should at least help to establish precedent and make it easier for the next person who comes along needing a hypo-dog.

 

[Robster65]

It depends how well behaved the dog is. Just because it can detect hypos, doesn't mean it will just sit there and behave all day. Must be qute stressful for the dog too. Just a different angle.

Also would dispute the dollar per strip. We can get them here for about ?20/50. Not sure of the exchange rate but must about $25/50. And I'd be surprised if she has no insurance to cover at least some strips per month.

But there must be a compromise they can come to. If she's a good teacher, she can change the future of a lot of kids.

Rob

 

[Northerner]

...
Also would dispute the dollar per strip. We can get them here for about ?20/50. Not sure of the exchange rate but must about $25/50. And I'd be surprised if she has no insurance to cover at least some strips per month.
...
Rob

Nope, it's true. List price of One Touch Ultra 50 strips is $54.24, Bayer Contour 100 strips $134.54, although most places do sell at a discount from this, in much the same way that ours are around ?27 in Boots, but can be bought for less elsewhere. Insulin is the same. Generally, things cost twice as much in the US as here for supplies.

 

[imtrying]

I agree she should be able to have the dog with her...so long as it's well-behaved 😉

 

[Robster65]

Nope, it's true. List price of One Touch Ultra 50 strips is $54.24, Bayer Contour 100 strips $134.54, although most places do sell at a discount from this, in much the same way that ours are around ?27 in Boots, but can be bought for less elsewhere. Insulin is the same. Generally, things cost twice as much in the US as here for supplies.

😱 That's terrible. How wrong I was! 😱

Rob

 

[Donald]

I agree she should be able to have the dog with her...so long as it's well-behaved 😉

I think it will depend on the dog's temperament some are quieter then others hope it will be allowed

 

[Ellie Jones]

There's something fishy about this story...

Wonder if the school declined her request based on previous to her request she had no particular problems with control within the class room envirnoment as their is no mention that she suffered from hypo unawareness or there actually been even one hypo during while teaching..

If she had/has hypo unawareness so no ability to pick up a hypo, then I would say that yes the school is discriminating against her by refusing and being out of order..

But it seems that she's pretty much like me or Les, where yes Ellie and Jones are really helpful to have around to warn us of hypo's, but they aren't essential..

Mind you did rise my eyebrows over, it's cruel to eat or drink in front of the children Errr so if she could take Jinx into school she still going to have to treat a hypo by eating or drinking something or has Jinx got special powers of administrating fast acting carbohydrates without anybody noticing?

 

[Robster65]

I felt there was something missing from the story too. Hence my cynicism earlier.

It sounded very much like a campaign story rather than a neutral report with the facts from both sides.

Rob

 

[Copepod]

She teaches science, so eating or drinking in a laboratory would be unacceptable, and the alternative, leaving children unattended in lab while she eats / drinks outdoors would also be unacceptable. Having a dog in a lab would be more risky than having a dog in a classroom.

There must be more to this story than what's in the article....