Parents, School Fight Over Gym Class For Student With Diabetes

by Tom Henderson (Subscribe to Tom Henderson's posts) Nov 19th 2009 5:33PM

Categories: In The News, Education, Special Needs

Jack McLaughlin, 11, who has diabetes, needs gym class every morning to stay healthy, his parents say. Credit: Clem Murray, Philadelphia Inquirer / MCT

Students at Lionville Middle School in Exton, Pa. have morning gym class two out of every six days. David and Cathy McLaughlin say their diabetic 11-year-old son Jack needs more exercise than that.

School authorities disagree.

Gym classes rotate with music and reading-skills classes. School authorities tell the Philadelphia Inquirer that the McLaughlins have been offered exercise options for Jack that don't cut into those other classes.

It boils down to the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. The federal law requires school districts to provide services designed to meet each student's individual educational needs.

Jack with his parents David and Cathy McLaughlin. Credit: Clem Murray, Philadelphia Inquirer / MCT

The McLaughlins and school officials disagree on how important the gym classes are for Jack.

His parents say the insulin-dependent sixth-grader needs daily exercise to counter an after-breakfast sugar spike. Jack tells the Inquirer that morning physical activity helps him through the rest of the day.

"I did feel a lot better [after morning gym class]," he tells the paper. "I don't see what the big deal is."

School officials said the McLaughlins have not sufficiently demonstrated that Jack's health would be threatened without daily gym classes, instead of informal exercise opportunities such as a school walking club and intramural sports. Both sides will present their arguments at a hearing Dec. 16.

Kelly Darr, a lawyer with the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania, tells the Inquirer that the McLaughlins have to prove that Jack will not get the same quality of education as his classmates if he doesn't have gym every day. If they can do that, she says, "they've got a pretty good case."

However, Darr tells the newspaper, the accommodation the family seeks is unusual. Plus, some diabetes specialists aren't convinced by the McLaughlins' arguments.

Howe tells the paper that the McLaughlins risk sending "a message that children with diabetes need special treatment, and that is not the case."

Cathy McLaughlin tells the Inquirer that she wants her 11-year-old son to fit in. "But my overriding concern is to make wise choices with regard to his health, both today and in the future, and to help him enrich his school day."

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Comments (12)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

nancy 11-19-2009 @ 6:28PM

My daughter is also insulin dependant I think its a great idea with so much obesity nationwide you should go to the state house with this idea... good luck........................

Glorious 11-20-2009 @ 1:21PM

I agree.
We had Physical Education every single darn day when I was in school (dark ages!) and kids should have it every day now as well.

Steve 11-19-2009 @ 6:47PM

It's not just disabled or diabetic kids who need phys-ed and recess more than twice a week. ALL kids need to blow off steam and they need the gross motor movement for good development-and to try to fight obesity , which is now endemic in this country.

amy 11-19-2009 @ 7:05PM

I understand he needs the exercise however, when I was in elementary school we only had gym once a week. I believe that the responsibility of obese children falls on the parents, not the school. If the accomodations that are suggested are not taken by the parents, I feel there is no reason for them to be concerned or taking the school to court.

CybrgRul 11-26-2009 @ 4:48AM

ummmmmmm.....they said they want him to go to P.E. class everyday to counter a "after breakfast sugar high"......how else is he going to excersice in the morning??? School starts at 7:50 to 8:00 (depending on the school) and you typically are on the bus by 6:50 to 7:10..... so when else is he going to get the chance to excersice.....get up at 4:30 so that he can stretch without missing the bus so that he can go to school for another 8 hours??? and if it doesnt interfere with his other classes then...wait why does this matter again???? just let the kid go to the P.E. class......if it doesnt work out he can always stop and cut back to going everyother day

Elizabeth 11-19-2009 @ 8:18PM

I am very confused by what the goal of this mom is--does she want her son to have more gym, or the entire school? Because if the latter is true, that's not okay. If, however, the mom wants her son to be taken out of his regular classes to be in a gym class every day, then I believe it should be the family's responsibility to make up the work and keep up with the rest of the class. Is a lawsuit really necessary? Why are some people so sue happy, unless they want all kids to have more gym. Why is it some parents feel they have to make the rules for all children? My kid needs this so all kids need this, I don't want my kid to have this so no one should. I'm sure there are some kids who hate gym and enjoy music and reading (which helps develop children's minds, which is what schools are supposed to be concerned with)--did these parents not consider them? No, they're just worried about what their child needs, and damn the expense of the other kids.

I'm not unsympathetic to his cause, childhood diabetes is a serious thing, but if it is that severe to where he needs constant physical activity, perhaps his parents should consider that regular public school isn't meeting his needs and find alternative schooling for him. Why should the curriculum change to meet the needs of one student?

VIrtual World for Kids 11-19-2009 @ 9:49PM

I think its the parent's responsibility to provide more time for their child's morning exercises. Instead of involving the whole school with the child's needs to cope with his diabetes, why not create an exercise regimen for the child at home? For example, they could go on walks in the morning before going to school, or climb the stairs several times in the mornings.

I know that diabetes is a serious matter, but it shouldn't be used as an excuse to involve the whole school.

juniper 11-19-2009 @ 10:17PM

I'm a type-1 diabetic as well (juvenile diabetes). To use the excuse
of blood-sugar spikes after breakfast, is just that--an excuse.
Otherwise, they would be saying he needs PE everyday after lunch and does physical activity after dinner as well. If there is a problem
with high blood-sugar after breakfast then he's eating too many carbs
and not enough protein, and they need to lower the carbs or raise his
insulin. It sounds like their son is newly diagnosed and they don't
know much about the disease yet.

Clarissa 11-20-2009 @ 1:03AM

This could easily be solved without having to interrupt the boys and his entire class's learning time by 1 of 3 ways:

1) Get up a bit earlier, have your breakfast, get in your exercise and then go to school.

2) Homeschool the lad.

3) Proper nutrition

As another poster said this is an excuse. If he is having spikes at breakfast that means he is not eating properly by taking in more carbs than his body can handle. It is not the responsibility of the school to make sure the child is getting proper nutrition at home. These parents need to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their child and not place that responsibility on the shoulders of the school.

SKL 11-20-2009 @ 2:58AM

Ridiculous, and not the least bit surprising in this day and age.

Heather 11-20-2009 @ 7:47AM

Our kids have daily gym class. It is only 20 min but it is better then the once a week they use to have. It isn't an huge deal to fit it in. In the long run all the kids behave better because the get energy out. With so many rules at recess of no playing tag, no running how else is suppose to happen.
How can any parent say they want thier child to have less excersize.

SKL 11-20-2009 @ 10:28AM

The thing is, some of the kids are more in need of, say, reading and math practice. How to decide which kids' special needs are more important for the school to address? Well, I start with what schools are designed for in the first place. The kids can get exercise elsewhere. If my kid needed daily morning exercise, I'd get him a treadmill or other indoor equipment, give him active morning chores, or take/send him for a morning walk / jog (including walking all or part of the way to school). Anyone can plan a kid's physical activity. Not everyone has the skills to address academic needs.

I do agree that all kids would benefit from the opportunity to exercise more, but I don't agree that school hours should have to be used for that.