Diabetes at school, by state

Type 1 diabetes at school in Maine

What Maine law and the state’s own guidance say about insulin, glucagon, supplies and phones at school, with each source quoted. Checked 2026-10-06.

Can trained school staff give insulin?

With limits

Trained unlicensed school personnel may give medication under rules the Commissioner adopts (20-A M.R.S. § 254(5)). The Maine DOE Medication Administration Guidelines recommend that, except in an emergency, a licensed nurse give injectable medications, and the DOE diabetes guide says the school nurse decides delegation case by case. (mainelegislature.org; maine.gov (PDF))

The American Diabetes Association’s Maine page reads this differently: ADA calls this unclear, citing the same DOE recommendation that only a nurse give injected medication except in an emergency.

Can trained school staff give glucagon?

Yes

The Maine DOE diabetes guide states that trained unlicensed school personnel may give glucagon. Schools may also stock undesignated ready-to-use glucagon, which a school nurse or unlicensed school personnel may give to a student with diabetes whose own glucagon is missing or expired (20-A M.R.S. § 6308). (maine.gov (PDF); mainelegislature.org)

Can a student carry supplies and manage diabetes at school?

Yes

Students may possess and self-administer medications for insulin dependent diabetes with written health care provider and parent approval and after showing the school nurse they can do so responsibly (Code Me. R. 05-071 ch. 40). (maine.gov; maine.gov (PDF))

Does the state publish a diabetes care plan form or guidelines?

Yes

The Maine DOE publishes Diabetes Management in Maine Schools (updated 3/2026), school diabetes guidelines that make the school nurse responsible for a care plan and link the ADA Diabetes Medical Management Plan. (maine.gov (PDF))

Can a student keep a phone for the CGM in class?

Yes

The Maine DOE diabetes guide tells the school nurse or trained staff to review CGM readings as the DMMP directs, and recommends that local policy limit or prohibit staff use of personal devices to monitor student CGM data. School boards must adopt a personal electronic device policy by August 1, 2026 (20-A M.R.S. § 1001(23)); the statute names no medical exemption. (maine.gov (PDF); legislature.maine.gov)

The American Diabetes Association’s Maine page reads this differently: ADA calls phone access unclear and does not mention the DOE CGM guidance.

Also in Maine

Maine allows schools to stock undesignated ready-to-use glucagon under a standing order (20-A M.R.S. § 6308). (mainelegislature.org)

Federal law applies in every state

Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act can cover a student with diabetes at a public school in every state, whatever the state law says; a 504 plan is where the student’s care at school is written down. The federal rules, with sources.

Sources, quoted

• mainelegislature.org: “The commissioner shall adopt rules for the administration of medication in public or approved private schools, including the training of unlicensed personnel to administer medication.”
• maine.gov (PDF): “It is recommended that, except for an emergency, a licensed professional nurse administer injectable medications.”
• maine.gov (PDF): “Delegation of health-related tasks/services must be determined on an individual basis.”
• maine.gov (PDF): “Glucagon is a lifesaving medication that may be administered in Maine schools by unlicensed school personnel who have been trained.”
• mainelegislature.org: “A school nurse or unlicensed school personnel may administer an undesignated ready-to-use glucagon rescue therapy to a student with a known diagnosis of diabetes if the student's prescribed glucagon is not available on site or has expired.”
• maine.gov: “Students may possess and self-administer emergency medication of an inhaled asthma medication, an epinephrine auto-injector, or medications related to the care of insulin dependent diabetes, under the following conditions:”
• maine.gov (PDF): “Students are permitted to carry and self-administer certain medications in the school setting if the following conditions are met (State of Maine Department of Education and State Board of Education, 2022).”
• maine.gov (PDF): “The school nurse is responsible for providing a care plan for the student with diabetes that includes basic management, emergency management, and situations specific to the student, such as transportation to and from school (National Association of School Nurses, 2022).”
• maine.gov (PDF): “NASN Diabetes Resources ADA Diabetes Medical Management Plan NIH Individualized Health Care Plan (IHP)”
• maine.gov (PDF): “When a student uses a CGM, the school nurse or trained school staff should follow the DMMP by reviewing CGM readings and trend arrows at times when blood glucose would normally be checked, such as before meals, during physical activity, and before boarding the bus (American Diabetes Association, 2025b).”
• maine.gov (PDF): “It is recommended that local policy limit or prohibit school nurses and staff from using personal devices to monitor student CGM data.”
• legislature.maine.gov: “By August 1, 2026, a school board shall adopt and implement a policy related to use of personal electronic devices during the school day.”
• mainelegislature.org: “A school may maintain a supply of undesignated ready-to-use glucagon rescue therapies in a secure location that is immediately accessible to a school nurse and unlicensed school personnel.”
• mainelegislature.org: “A school may obtain a standing order for undesignated ready-to-use glucagon rescue therapy from a health care provider with the authority to prescribe undesignated ready-to-use glucagon rescue therapy.”

Legal information, not legal advice. Laws change; the source page is the authority when it differs, and this page is rechecked each July. For help with a school, the American Diabetes Association’s legal advocates answer at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383).