Ontario proposes stronger medical protections for students
New rules would ensure care plans for diabetes, epilepsy, and asthma follow children on field trips and close gaps parent advocates have flagged.
Ontario is proposing to strengthen protections for students with serious medical conditions — diabetes, epilepsy, anaphylaxis, and asthma — after parent advocates raised concerns about gaps in current school policies.
Parent advocates have been urging changes to the standard-of-care policy that governs how school boards, principals, and staff handle students with these conditions. They say existing rules can leave children vulnerable, particularly during field trips or when students are unable to monitor their own blood sugar independently.
Proposed changes would require care plans to apply on school excursions, mandate standardized staff training, and include sudden unexpected death in epilepsy as a documented risk factor, among other measures.
Amy McQuaid, whose son has uncontrolled epilepsy, called the proposed changes "an important step forward." Alana Diening, whose son has Type 1 diabetes, acknowledged improvements in the proposal but expressed hope the province would address remaining gaps through its consultations — specifically a requirement for staff to administer a nasal spray in emergency low-blood-sugar situations.
The province is now consulting on the proposed changes. For families managing these conditions daily, clarity on what schools must do — and where — matters enormously.