What to put in your 504 plan

If you go to school and you have Type One Diabetes, it is beneficial to get you the care that you need. A 504 plan shows what rules will be put in place so that students can get the help that they need, and so administrators, teachers, and parents are on the same page. This is a good way to share medical information so that a child with T1D can be safe at school.

One very important detail to put in your 504 is about CGMs and insulin pumps. This is so you have permission to get your phone or glucose meter out to check your blood sugar and so that your teachers know that your medical devices may beep. This key detail is especially important in middle and high school because they often have regulations against phones being out. All of your teachers should be notified of this so that there is no confusion. Having this in your 504 can be very beneficial.

Another component that you may want to add into your 504 plan is that you can go to the lunchroom or nurse’s office several minutes before lunch. This may be helpful if you have a shorter lunch period or if you need to get your food from the lunch line before dosing.

Additional monitoring on field trips could also be something to add for a younger child living with Type One Diabetes. This could include a trained chaperone, or just someone keeping a close eye on the child.

Since low and high blood sugars can affect how the child thinks, it may be good to add something that allows alternate assessment times for out of range blood glucose levels. In my 504 I have this, and although I have never had the need for it, I would highly recommend adding this to your plan.

Another highly beneficial thing to add would be that any doctors appointments related to T1D are excused. I have used this feature many times because often you don’t get to choose when you have doctors appointments and might have to miss some school.

There may be some of these components that you don’t need to add to your 504 plan, while there may also be others that you would like to add. The most important thing to consider though is whether the diabetic is going to get the help and support that they need. I hope that you have found this post helpful when creating your 504 plan.