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NEWS JULY 27, 2020 ¦ 27

Roswig and fellow attorney
Jonathan Chappell succeeded in
getting the government to man-
date that personnel in the school
districts of Wethersfield, Glaston-
bury, Stamford and East Lyme be
trained in the use of an insulin
pump system called a continuous
glucose monitor, or CGM.
The two attorneys represented
students who were at risk for ei-
ther dangerously low or high
blood sugar levels and school
personnel—for liability reasons— Shutterstock

wouldn’t help with the CGM if there was a problem Now, the four school districts, Roswig said, must
with the student’s sugar count, Roswig said. have personnel trained and approved by the U.S. At-
“The nurses have been ignoring it because of their torney’s Office in using the CGM.
ignorance of the issue,” said Roswig, director of the Chappell said the new Connecticut guidelines
Disability Rights Project with the Center for Chil- could be used nationwide.
dren’s Advocacy in Hartford. “Now, under the rules “I’m ecstatic,” he said. “Someone in South Car-
set forth by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the schools olina can now say, ‘look at what happened in
have an obligation to respond to Connecticut’’’ and can wave these
the CGM alarm.” agreements around. If a school
The CGM alarms—via an app pushes back, the parents can cite
on a phone, watch or tablet—if these agreements.”
a student’s insulin level gets too The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Representing the school
high or low. Connecticut is mandating districts in Wethersfield, Glaston-
Roswig said the schools “insist- bury and East Lyme was Leander
ed the child leave their classroom four school districts in the Dolphin, a partner with Shipman
and see the school nurse multiple state train their staff in the & Goodwin. Dolphin declined to
times per day to have their blood comment for this story.
sugar checked by a finger prick. use of insulin pumps for
diabetic children. Representing the Stamford

That was discrimination based on school district was Stamford Cor-
a disability, plain and simple.” poration Counsel and Director of
“The lesson here for attorneys Legal Affairs Kathryn Emmett,
representing school districts is who did not respond to a request
to counsel their schools on the requirements of the for comment Thursday.
ADA,” Roswig said. According to statistics from the American Diabe-
The agreements in the four school districts will tes Association, more than 34 million Americans,
now make it easier for the parents in other districts to or about 10.5% of the population, had diabetes in
demand similar training for school staff, Roswig said. 2018.
Co-counsel Chappell, an attorney with Feldman, ¦

Perlstein & Greene in Farmington, specializes in Robert Storace covers legal trends, lawsuits and
representing children with disabilities. analysis for the Connecticut Law Tribune. Follow
“This could potentially save a child’s life,” he said him on Twitter @RobertSCTLaw or reach him at
Thursday. 203-437-5950.

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