That Was Easy

The "Tale of the 504 Meeting" is all too often chock full of frustration and disbelief and "how can they not understand?". I've heard it from friends, I've read about it on blogs, and I've seen it on the childrenwithdiabetes.com forum.

Which is why I was surprised two weeks ago when the instructional coordinator at Jake's school called me to discuss setting up a plan. I was already researching and laying the foundation of a request for a plan, so to have the school reach out to me was a pleasant surprise.

We set up a meeting with his team and I went in today with a draft 504 plan (culled from examples at CWD). His teachers took 20 minutes of their team planning time to sit with me and chat about Jake in general, Jake since diabetes, and what they can do to ensure his safety and success at school.

They were also kind enough to spend a few minutes raving about what a great kid he is, how they'd like to have a classroom full of kids like Jake, and how accepting and responsible he's been so far with his diabetes. I returned the love by thanking them for their flexibility with snacking and testing, and I thanked his science teacher for buying him a diet soda when she was giving out candy as a reward (but I also made sure to tell them all that he can have the candy - we'll work around it as needed).

I presented my draft, point-by-point, and was met with nodding heads and agreement all around. His science teacher suggested adding that Jake will be given extra time to make up work missed due to time spent at the nurse's office, or time missed due to appointments. We all signed off on the plan, and the meeting was finished.

Now, I am not so naive to think that this is the end of all school issues. The teacher that broadcasted his diagnosis to an entire class wasn't part of the meeting, so I hope that he gets the point of the 504 plan (and the item about confidentiality in particular). I know that putting it in writing doesn't mean it will happen, but I'm glad that it's all written down, and without any drama or battles (so far).