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Family Battles for Teaching Assistant to Ensure Diabetic Student's Safety
10 Nov
Summary
- Five-year-old Rhys Fewer has asymptomatic Type 1 diabetes, requiring constant monitoring
- Rhys's family has been homeschooling him for a month due to lack of teaching assistants at his school
- Rhys's school has 4 full-time students and 2 part-time students who need teaching assistants, but only 1 assistant is available
As of November 10th, 2025, a family in Cape Breton is embroiled in a battle to secure an additional teaching assistant for their 5-year-old son, Rhys Fewer, who suffers from asymptomatic Type 1 diabetes.
Rhys, a primary student at Bras d'Or Elementary School, has been homeschooled for the past month due to his family's concerns for his safety. His grandmother, Corinne Foster, explains that Rhys's class currently has four full-time students who require a teaching assistant, and two more part-time students with the same need will soon be joining the class. However, there is only one teaching assistant available in the classroom.
"I just don't feel like I'm being watched enough," says Rhys, expressing his own worries about the situation. For his family, the lack of someone to actively monitor Rhys's blood sugar levels is a significant problem, as they have already experienced "several mistakes" related to his condition.
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Rhys's body is unable to produce the proper amount of insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar levels. He requires insulin shots every time he eats and when his levels are too high, as well as a teaching assistant to help him monitor those levels. A device on his arm sends alerts to his phone when his levels are too low or too high, but the family has been concerned about instances where Rhys was left alone with his phone turned off.
Diabetes Canada's Laura O'Driscoll emphasizes the importance of helping young children like Rhys learn to manage their diabetes from an early age. The family has reached out to the school's principal, the minister of education, and the school board, as well as Rhys's pediatrician, who has recommended that Rhys share a teaching assistant with only one or two other students to ensure proper monitoring.
The Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education has acknowledged the family's concerns and stated that they are working to find a resolution, committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students.
