"I would love to go to school with my son - and I might just have to go to school with my son this year, instead of go to work because I have to guarantee his safety. He's my priority."
Starting next week, 10-year-old Joey Maisano will be a fourth grader at Sternberger Elementary School in Greensboro.
He is considered a brittle diabetic; he has a severe type one diabetes. He depends on insulin — and his blood sugar can spike up or drop in an instant.
He has to check it every 2 hours, even through the night.
When he's home, his parents Joe and Stephanie help him.
Until last year, Joey had a special nurse to help him at school - but that's not an option this year.
His parents say Guilford County Schools is not allowing his nurse under his special school plan.
"He is not ready," says Joey's father. "And our child psychologist said - would you send a 10-year-old to the emergency room to make critical decisions and if the answer is no, how could ask him to make the the classroom?"
Joey's nurse was different than the school nurse -- she would check on him several times a day, making sure he was eating right and keeping track of his blood sugar.
The plan now is to train other staff members to help him, but his parents don't think that's the safest option.
GCS officials couldn't speak about Joey's case specifically, but say they always work with parents and the the district's nursing staff to figure out what's best.
"We look at all the needs of that student to make sure we are supporting the needs of that student that were supervising the student at all times so we have people that do that all across the county," explains Terri Collins, Interim
But Joey's parents are concerned that won't be enough.
"We work with him daily, hourly to make sure he is becoming responsible, but he's not there yet."
Joey's parents say they've been working with district officials to try and find a solution.
They say leaders with the school district say they don't have enough documentation from a doctor saying Joey needs a nurse.
His parents say they do have several letters and a doctor's order saying Joey needs a nurse at school.