Jackson Jambalaya

Unreal. Something that makes sense left to rot and die. How hard is it to take it up and move it along?

A Morton schoolteacher's ongoing fight to take her Diabetic Alert Dog with her to work has triggered a bill in the state Legislature.

Christina McCurdy, a teacher at Bettye Mae Jack Middle School, is a Type 1 diabetic who says she depends on her service dog to give her potentially lifesaving warnings that her blood sugar level is about to drop.

Her story, first told in an Oct. 3 Clarion-Ledger article, prompted state Rep. Earle Banks, D-Jackson, to introduce legislation that would authorizes the use of Diabetic, or Diabetes, Alert Dogs in schools and public places.

The bill has the support of the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, which announced in February that it will help certain child and adult Type 1 diabetics purchase the pricey service animals.

McCurdy, who has not been able to persuade Scott County School District trustees that she needs her alert dog during work hours, has hired an attorney to try to win them over.

"Nothing has changed since October," she said.

"The school board still has not given me a reason for denying my request."

The request pertains to Jinx, a female boxer trained to warn McCurdy when a change in her blood sugar is coming so she can take insulin injections or glucose tablets in time to fend off a medical emergency.

As with other Diabetic Alert Dogs, Jinx uses her sense of smell to detect a lowered glucose level, or hypoglycemia; she places a paw on her owner's leg to warn her.

McCurdy said she believes Jinx's response time is quicker than meters or other mechanical monitoring devices. McCurdy said she suffered kidney damage before she became Jinx's owner in July.

"It's outrageous that she isn't allowed to have her alert dog in the school," said Chase Bryan, an attorney with the Jackson firm of Forman, Perry, Watkins, Krutz & Tardy.

With Bryan's assistance, McCurdy filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"We have received a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC," Bryan said, "and are in the process of filing a lawsuit."

School board members have referred all questions to board attorney Roy Noble Lee Jr. of Forest and to Jim Keith, attorney with the Mississippi School Boards Association.

Calls to both were not returned.

McCurdy said district officials have offered other accommodations, such as allowing her to eat or drink juice in front of her students if her blood sugar drops and to check her blood sugar every hour with diabetes test strips.

But eating in front of students disrupts her class; and that many strips, which cost a dollar each, would not be covered fully by insurance, said McCurdy, who teaches sixth- and seventh-grade science.

Besides, without Jinx at her side, she said, her blood sugar has dropped dangerously low several times.

"I've had to get the principal to come in and take over my class while I dealt with it."

While McCurdy says there should be no question about Jinx accompanying her to class, the law apparently isn't clear on how much it protects the use of Diabetic Alert Dogs on the job.

Banks wants to make it clear with House Bill 1382; it has passed out of committee and must be acted on by the full House by Thursday or Friday.

The bill would, "authorize school boards, boards of supervisors and municipal governing authorities to use dogs with the ability to detect diabetes in schools and public places. ..."

"I read about (McCurdy's) story in the paper, and I know so many people who have suffered from diabetes; it's a problem in our state," said Banks, referring to Mississippi's diabetes rate - the nation's third highest.

"If these dogs are trained to detect a drop in blood sugar and help you react before it's dangerous, then they are like seeing-eye dogs or like (mobility) dogs for paraplegics. They should have access to public buildings."

Diabetic Alert Dogs are useful for people with Type 1 diabetes, proponents say.

The condition, which usually is diagnosed in children and young adults, prevents the body from producing the insulin needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.

Still, not all Type 1 diabetics would benefit from having an alert dog, said Rachel Thornton, a trainer at Wildrose Kennels in Oxford.

"We're looking for someone who has difficulty sensing the variations in their blood sugar and someone who experiences severe effects from the lows or highs, such as seizures.

"We're also looking for someone who can commit to the tasks required to have a service dog. It's not a tool that you choose lightly; the commitment level is 24/7."

The kennel, which trains these alert dogs, is working with the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi to identify families who can use the support animals but need help paying for them.

"These are dogs that can save your life," said Irena McClain, the foundation's associate director.

"A dog can detect when your blood sugar is going down even before it shows up on a monitoring system.

"Think of the comfort this would give parents of children with diabetes, the majority of whom have to check their children in the middle of the night every night.

"But there has to be a connection between the person and the dog; that requires a lot of time and training.

"So the dogs are pretty expensive."

The minimum estimates from various organizations range from $2,500 to $10,000 - and the dogs aren't covered by health insurance plans. McCurdy said community fund-raising helped her pay for Jinx.

"We know of families that would really benefit but don't have that kind of money lying around," McClain said.

"That's why we decided to offer financial assistance."

As for McCurdy, she's counting on legal assistance to get Jinx in her classroom.

Outside the classroom, she said, "I'm a lot more independent since I've had her.

"Used to, I needed an ambulance or had to call someone for help about every three months when I had a low blood sugar incident in the middle of the night.

"That hasn't happened since Jinx has been with me.

"Because of her, I have no worries about being awakened in time."

This is a real shame, I think the dogs should be allowed. Friends of ours son have a beautiful guardian angel named Jazz. Jazz keeps him safe, but cannot go to school with him though but lovingly cares for him when he is at home.

So she's non-compliant with her diet and medication and wants a dog to babysit her? Your kidding me, right?

Why do you say she is noncompliant?

KF, I suspect 9:36 pm said that because the only thing he or she knows about diabetes is from the related experiences of some relative or friend... which means he or she knows nothing.

He or she doesn't understand that sometimes diabetes isn't manageable with diet and medication alone or that if one has diabetes they can also have other autoimmune diseases which make management even more of a challenge.

So,9:36 pm, like most mean spirited people, assumes the worst.

Our legislature obviously has more than its share of mean spirited people( and likely ignorant as well) or else this bill would have passed.

811, 936 here. I know what I'm talking about, but I'm willing to concede, I don't really give a shit about it past making a drive-by comment.

I do hope you have a nice Easter lunch tomorrow.

9:36 now 12:43 am, I'll assume you personally know this person, know that what she is eating isn't sugar free , know that she struggles with a restrictive diet and know for certain that she sometimes gives in to temptation.

The bill would not just apply to her but also to those who are of stronger will and whom you might admire.

But, even if it didn't, I don't think she should be at risk of going into coma in the classroom in front of her students simply because she is imperfect.

I had a glorious Easter lunch, thank you, even though I couldn't eat some of what was offered as I'm on a restrictive diet.

By the way, 12:43 pm, if you don't know the lady, shame on you.

Your " drive by" comment is just a lie that you hope others will believe and maligns a person you don't know.

Can't get much worse than that.

9:36 is an Grade A a$$. Let this idiot live this woman's life for one day, then see how he feels. I am a Type 1 because I hit the genetic jackpot so to speak, so what I eat or don't eat sometimes has nothing to do with what my blood sugar does. Unfortunately some people just have a very hard time with their blood sugar even if they do everything exactly right. I think having a dog for some people is exactly what they need to survive or thrive, just as some blind people benefit from seeing eye dogs.

Maybe if one of the politicians is unfortunate enough to need such a service, they will decide to push this bill through.