Calif. Supreme Court rules in school insulin case

The California Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that school employees can administer insulin shots to diabetic students if a nurse is not available.

The ruling – released on Monday – reverses a lower court decision that said state law allows only licensed professionals to administer the shots.

The Supreme Court decision supports a 2007 agreement between the state Department of Education and the American Diabetes Association, which addressed a shortage of nurses to attend to all diabetic students by allowing trained teachers and administrators to give the shots.

Nurses’ organizations sued to block that policy, arguing that state law only allows nurses to administer insulin. They said inappropriately administered shots could hurt students.

The Obama administration filed a brief in the case supporting the broader policy allowing school employees to administer the shots as well.