The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) is offering a free copy of its publication “Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel.”

The guide provides information on how schools can better meet the medical needs of students with diabetes and includes user-friendly tools, action plans, a diabetes primer and a review of school responsibilities under federal laws.

The guide also contains a one-page action plan for school bus drivers transporting students with diabetes. The action plan recommends that drivers be prepared to treat students experiencing hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, and to communicate with school health personnel regarding any concerns about the student.

About 154,000 young people under age 20 in the U.S. have diabetes, according to NDEP. As childhood obesity rates increase, type 2 diabetes, a disease that used to be seen primarily in adults, is becoming more common.

The guide can be ordered or downloaded for free by visiting www.YourDiabetesInfo.org (click on "Publications Catalog") or by calling 1-888-693-NDEP.

NDEP is a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 200 public and private organizations.