Priceville family helps amend state law for students with adrenal insufficiencies

For the Enquirer

A Priceville family’s push for better support for their daughter and other students with adrenal disorders resulted in an amendment to a state law, ensuring that teachers, coaches and administrators received proper training this school year to administer emergency medication and provide critical assistance.

The Alabama Safe at School Act was originally signed into law in 2014 to allow unlicensed school staff to administer medications to diabetic students and was later amended to include students who suffer from seizures.

During the 2023 regular session, state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, sponsored an amendment to the the law to include the same requirements for school staff in administering medications to students with adrenal insufficiencies.

The amended law went into effect this school year, and the family members of Priceville High freshman Jaylen Collins are breathing a sigh of relief as they know their daughter will be taken care of, either in class or whenever she is playing volleyball, soccer or basketball games.

Collins was diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia when she was 7 years old, which is a genetic condition that limits hormone production in the adrenal glands. Her body does not produce cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. Valerie Collins said when her daughter began playing school sports, her coaches wanted to be trained to assist Jaylen in case of an adrenal emergency and so she began reading up on the Safe at School Act.

“They weren’t allowed to (administer medicine) because it wasn’t covered under the law just like diabetes is,” Valerie said. “My husband actually reached out to Senator Orr’s office and got the ball rolling so that we could possibly add it to the current law that was already there to add adrenal insufficiency.” Valerie said Jaylen must receive medication three times a day and if she suffers any kind of bodily injury, she must take an emergency injection of hydrocortisone to thwart an adrenal crisis.

Before this school year, when Jaylen went on the road with her team to compete in away games, Valerie would have to follow the school bus in her car if the school nurse was not able to travel.

“This takes a lot off of us, because before, either I had to be there or a nurse had to be there,” Valerie said. “If she was at a school or at a school function, she couldn’t even ride the school bus without a nurse.” With both Valerie and her husband Bo working fulltime jobs, Bo Collins said he feels much safer knowing whether at practice or on the road playing a big game, Jaylen will be in good hands.

“My wife, mother, or mother-in-law would have to go to the practices and sit in the parking lot because most of their gym practices were closed to parents,” Bo said. “We got to researching it and we knew about coaches and staff being trained to administer insulin to diabetic students if they needed it. We talked to Jaylen’s doctor at Vanderbilt, and he suggested we contact our local senator about it.” When he heard only a medical professional or family members could legally give Jaylen medication on school grounds or sporting events, Orr began work on amending the existing state law. He said during the legislative session, he spoke with other lawmakers who had been contacted by citizens throughout the state who knew of children with adrenal insufficiencies.

“They had similar requests that the law be changed or amended to accommodate those students,” Orr said.

Orr said he received bipartisan support from fellow legislators to amend the bill as well as the support of many educators across the state. He said teachers and administrators should have received training on dealing with adrenal insufficiency during professional development courses in August.

“We don’t want to put our educators in the position of being doctors having to evaluate different situations, but if they are already informed about the potential of a particular student, be it a diabetic or adrenal insufficient student, they can respond accordingly,” Orr said.

Morgan County Schools Lead Nurse Supervisor Sarah Welborn said the impact of mandating school staff training across the state on adrenal insufficiencies will grant more freedom to students with the disorder, allowing them to interact and participate in extracurricular activities without the fear of an emergency.

“As students get older, we want them to be able to feel like they have the ability to participate in extracurricular activities without always having the eye of a nurse always watching them,” Welborn said. “Now their coach or their band director can be trained and still have an eye on them day in and day out versus a nurse they may see periodically.” Welborn said although adrenal insufficiency is not common in her school district, she wants the few students who are dealing with it to be able to receive care from all school staff.

“I know here in Morgan County we have a few students with adrenal insufficiencies, but it’s not as common as you would see with a student who has diabetes or seizures,” Welborn said.

“We do encounter it from time to time and we just want to make sure those students have good coverage just like we do with all of our students.”