SENATE, No. 2217

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED JUNE 23, 1997

By Senator PALAIA

An Act establishing a Task Force on Diabetes and the Schools and making an appropriation.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. There is established a Task Force on Diabetes and the Schools to consist of the following 9 members:one member to be appointed by the President of the Senate, and one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, both of whom shall be a parent of a student with diabetes attending the public schools; one member to be appointed by the Governor who shall be a representative of a non-public school; the Commissioner of Education, or his designee; one school administrator selected by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators; one local school board member selected by the New Jersey School Boards Association; one public school teacher selected by the New Jersey Education Association; one public school teacher selected by the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; and one representative from the American Diabetes Association, New Jersey Affiliate.

    2. All appointments shall be made within 30 days after the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.

    3. The task force shall organize within 30 days after the appointment of its members and shall select a chairperson and a vice- chairperson from among its members and a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.

    4. It shall be the duty of the task force to develop guidelines on the most appropriate and effective means of providing care for students with diabetes in the school setting. In particular, the guidelines shall include, but need not be limited to:

    a. the establishment of a standardized but flexible system of procedures to enable a school to implement an individualized treatment plan for a diabetic student;

    b. the establishment of basic procedures to ensure that a school works in conjunction with the student's parents and medical care providers; and

    c. the establishment of procedures to ensure that a student's diabetes care is integrated into the usual school routine to the greatest extent possible.

    5. Staff and related support services shall be provided to the task force by the Department of Education. The task force shall also be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.

    6. a. The task force may meet and hold hearings at the place or places it designates during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature and shall present its guidelines to the State Board of Education no later than six months following its organizational meeting.

     b. After review by the State board, the Department of Education shall disseminate the guidelines to all school districts. The department shall periodically update the guidelines as required to incorporate revised protocols on the care of diabetic students.

    7. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the task force $5,000 to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    8. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire 30 days after the submission of the task force guidelines.

STATEMENT

    This bill establishes the Task Force on Diabetes and the Schools, for the purpose of developing guidelines on the most appropriate and effective means of providing care for students with diabetes in the school setting. The guidelines would be presented to the State Board of Education no later than six months after the task force's organizational meeting. After review by the State board, the Department of Education would be required to disseminate the guidelines to all school districts.

    The task force shall consist of the following 9 members:one member to be appointed by the President of the Senate, and one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, both of whom shall be a parent of a student with diabetes attending the public schools; one representative from a non-public school to be appointed by the Governor; the Commissioner of Education, or his designee; one school administrator selected by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators; one school board member selected by the New Jersey School Boards Association; one public school teacher selected by the New Jersey Education Association; one public school teacher selected by the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; and one representative from the American Diabetes Association, New Jersey Affiliate.

    The task force's guidelines shall include establishing a standardized, yet flexible system of procedures to implement an individualized treatment plan for a diabetic student; basic procedures to ensure that a school works in conjunction with a student's parents and medical care providers; and procedures to ensure that a student's diabetes care is integrated into the usual school routine to the greatest extent possible. Staff and related support services of the task force will be provided by the Department of Education.

    The bill provides a $5,000 appropriation from the General Fund to the task force to effectuate the purposes of the bill.

Establishes the Task Force on Diabetes and the Schools; appropriates $5,000.