Principal of Arts & Media Preparatory Academy in Brooklyn Writes up ATR for Testing Blood Sugar!

Principal Deborah Glauner

Oh, we just can't keep making this sh** up now can we?

Sit down, here comes another round of ridiculousness heaped upon a ATR.

But first, a little background.

There are two types of diabetes. Type I in which your pancreas has shut down and no longer produces insulin. You really have to watch what you eat and you need to either inject yourself with insulin several times a day or have a pump attached to you and inserted in you which pumps insulin as needed throughout the day. The most known reason for someone having Type I is that a virus attacks the pancreas and which in turn shuts down the production of insulin.

Then there is Type II. The body does not produce enough insulin. This is caused by heredity, weight, eating habits, etc... I have Type II and have cut out the carbs, the fried foods, the ice cream, etc.. I take Metformin and Glimepiride and have no plans to ever take insulin.

Both types need to have their blood sugar below 150 after meals and their A1c levels at below 6.5 ideally. Mine is currently 7.1 and it is tough. I also need to get my weight down.

But the worse part is testing the blood. Got to carry that darn test kit around all the time and sometimes you have to test when you really need to. So it really boils my britches when I get a story from an ATR who needs to test her blood and gets written up for it.

As the ATR wrote to The Crack Team;

I went to 10 schools as an ATR this year. Just received an S rating and perfect attendance.

Regardless, my efforts at school #9 the (I.A.)principal Deborah Glauner (2002 Teaching Fellow) of (Arts & Media Preparatory Academy in Brooklyn) is placing a disciplinary letter on my file. Reason? For checking my blood glucose in front of one student. She assigned me 6 periods per day: first 3, last 3. I had to walk a mile from a parking spot and walk/run 4 floors up, no elevator. There was no place to test BG (Blood glucose) before first 3 periods. The class roster had 4 students but only one student was present. But she wrote students (plural) big difference. At the same school a student threw a calculator at me hitting my shoulder. And my iPhone 6 was stolen in the last day.

Can this be true? Let's have a looksee (Click to enlarge).

Have you read it? OK, let's get past all the gobbledegook about who said what and where who was and concentrate on the part about blood borne pathogens. Principal Glauner states that the teacher in question placed students...

"at risk of exposure of bodily fluids." 

Dear God, where have we heard of this before? This ATR has stole Principal Glauner's essence .


Risk? Look at this video (At about 1:38 in) see the blood gushing everywhere? Take a reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaal close look. It's a pin prick. The strip soaks up 99% of the blood.

In fact one, and I have been guilty of it, one can use the needle for the next test therefore not having to dispose of the needle.

In fact, by checking the NYCDOE Occupational Safety and Health website on blood borne pathogens there is not one single link to anything to do diabetes testing. It all has to do with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and basically what to do if someone is hemorrhaging blood.

A member of The Crack Team spoke with someone today at OSAH and asked if checking for diabetes, whether in front of students, adults, or anywhere can be considered a risk. The gentleman, who was quite kind, replied unequivocally, "NO!! Not at that tiny amount." When asked about proper disposal of the testing strip he said, "A testing strip is safe enough to dispose of in the regular trash."

So why then did Principal Glauner (Or if we won't to go with the bodily fluid theme, "Principal Ripper) have to write up this ATR?

Simple. The teacher is an ATR. Principal Glauner is a Interim Acting principal and feels she show she is tough. The ATR knows more than she. The ATR is nicer. There are a littany of reasons.

What would have been the harm in a) giving a counseling memo or just have an informal conversation with the teacher? Or b) Reach out to someone at Tweed and truly find out if the itty bitty bit of blood is dangerous. It is not.

But here is the main problem. Principal Glauner could have taken this moment and turned it into a true teachable moment. Isn't this what education and being an educator is all about?

Sadly, Principal Glauner is too infatuated with her new found power. She does not feel she is capable and must make others feel bad to build herself up in her mind.