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Parent asks Marshall Public School District to exempt diabetic student from newly required pep band
Summary
At the board’s Nov. 12 meeting, parent Alicia Bell urged the Marshall Public School District to exempt her daughter, a freshman with Type 1 diabetes, from a newly announced requirement to participate in pep band or, if the activity remains required, to provide discreet, trained medical supervision and accommodations under Section 504.
Alicia Bell, a parent, told the Marshall Public School District board on Nov. 12 that her daughter, Karis Bell, a freshman with Type 1 diabetes and an existing Section 504 plan, should not be forced to participate in pep band without appropriate medical accommodations. "Requiring her participation in pep band and spending district funds to provide medical supervision for an activity she doesn't even want to do feels like a poor use of already limited resources," Bell said during the public forum.
Bell said the district recently communicated that band students are expected to participate in pep band, an extracurricular activity that takes place outside school hours and — she said — is not listed in the handbook as required. She told the board that if pep band is treated as required, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) require reasonable accommodations during all school-sponsored activities to keep students safe.
Bell described three options she had discussed with district staff, in order of preference: exempt Karis from any requirement to attend pep band; if participation remains mandatory, ensure a trained staff member is present who can discreetly monitor blood sugar, provide snacks and administer emergency glucagon if necessary; or allow Karis to substitute another course next semester. She said she is not seeking special treatment but "fairness, transparency and safety."
Bell also raised resource concerns ahead of a district referendum, saying that if pep band is mandatory it may create a new demand for staffing and funds. She said she has been in contact with staff (naming Hayden McKittrick as a staff contact) but asked the board for a formal response.
The board did not take a formal vote or issue an immediate response during the meeting. No district staff representative provided a public reply on the record during the public forum segment.
