A new app is helping diabetic children monitor their glucose levels.

While technological updates are a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to medicine, it’s also creating challenges for local school leaders with thousands of kids in their care.

7-year-old Milo Hudson knows what he’s dealing with. “Diabetes means my sugar was off,” said Hudson.

Even before he puts on his backpack for his classes at McKitrick Elementary, he know his continuous glucose monitor needs to be in place on his bicep. 

When we asked him how it works, he says, “You push it and you put it over here and it goes like this! Beeep!”

The CGM (for short) checks blood sugar levels through an app connection on a cell phone. It’s a device so new, some local schools aren’t yet equipped to use this technology.

That’s why his dad, Robert Hudson, hired a lawyer and is petitioning for changes.”We’d like for them to allow the school nurses or the school health assistants to monitor the CGMs of very young children. Children that can’t self-care,”  said Robert Hudson.

8 On Your Side reached out to the Hillsborough County School District. We learned a school nurse can monitor a child’s blood sugar with the prick of a finger, but they are not currently using the downloadable CGM app.

“Each student situation is different. We work with parents on an individual plan for their child to ensure we provide the best services to them in school,” the district told 8 On Your Side in a statement.

Milo says even without the app or a finger prick, he pretty much knows his sugar is getting low when it’s tough for him to concentrate, “I don’t like writing. Writing is so hard for me to write.”

We’re also hearing from parents in Pasco County who have similar concerns. 

8 On Your Side will stay with this story and keep you updated.