Some insulin pumps help switch from finger-pricks to test blood glucose levels. (Adam Bird/Associated Press)

School children with Type 1 diabetes in British Columbia should be able to turn to educational assistants for insulin injections, says a Victoria family that is petitioning the province for the rule change.

Brandon Ribic, 5, has an insulin pump that is programmed to inject the correct amount of insulin around mealtime.

Currently, Brandon's parents have to take time off to go to their son's school three times a day to adjust the pump themselves, then rush back to work.

The cellphone-sized pump is crucial for managing the condition, said his mother, Suzanne Ribic.

Since teacher's assistants tube-feed children and handle EpiPens and other medications at school, Ribic said it should be straightforward for them to adjust Brandon's insulin pumps when he starts Grade 1 this fall.

The Ribics are pushing for a provincewide policy that will offer parents like them some relief.

But B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Family Development, the Education Ministry and health authorities say it's too dangerous. They are reluctant to ask staff to inject insulin without parental involvement.

CUPE, the union that represents British Columbia's 12,000 education assistants, says the workers could help manage insulin pumps that young children use at school, but only if the resources are made available by the province.

The province's health plan picks up part of the cost of insulin pumps for children. Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and Ontario also fund the pumps.

In the spring, some Ontario parents of young children with Type 1 diabetes called for similar changes in that province. In April, Bill 5 on the rights of pupils with diabetes passed second reading in Ontario.

In New Brunswick, schools can help children with diabetes manage their disease, including testing and providing insulin shots. Teachers there are allowed to assist if they choose, and doing so is covered under their liability insurance.