A St. Michael-based family and the St. Michael-Albertville School District are at odds over a future fourth grade student who was denied from the district’s summer program.
Grant Nieman, who will be a fourth-grader in the fall, has been omitted from the Kids Club/Knights Club summer program because, his mother told Fox 9 News, he has Type 1 Diabetes.
Grant’s mother, Katrina DeAntoni, shared the story with the Twin Cities television affiliate Wednesday. She said the district told Grant and his family he could not be accepted to the summer program because, in short, the school district does not employ a nurse for Kids Play. Staff on hand would not be certified to assist Grant, a letter from Dr. James Behle to DeAntoni states, and asking non-medical staff to monitor Grant’s health in a more serious situation would not be a reasonable accommodation.
The Anoka-Hennepin School District was sued in a similar case several years ago, a legal matter that took three years to sort out, Fox reported. DeAntoni said she is hoping to solve the problem outside of the courts, working with district officials.
Here’s the complete story from Fox 9 News (Click here if you’re on a mobile device and can’t see the video clip):
Grant is able to test his own blood sugar using a meter, and administer his own insulin shot. He said he does it throughout the school year prior to eating his lunch.
The district does have a school nurse on hand during the year to oversee that procedure. After school programs, including Kids Play throughout the school year, do not use a school nurse.