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Friday, December 16, 2005
School Nurses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I visited Get on the Bus, a blog by Scott Elliott of the Dayton Daily News, for inspiration today. He wishes there were a live, trained professional inside the dark office labeled “school nurse” at his daughter’s school. Well, a dad can dream.
Some schools have licensed practical nurses who work part-time or full-time. Other schools share a nurse with several other schools. A few schools are lucky enough to have a nurse whose salary is paid through the health department or other agency.
I spent the day with such a nurse at a Clayton County elementary school several years ago. We had a steady stream of customers, including a child with some type of contagious skin condition. Several children just didn’t feel well. They got to rest and get away from the classroom for a few minutes and have an adult who cares about them pay attention to them. The nurse did not dispense Tylenol or anything like that. If the child had a fever, she tried to track down a parent to pick the child up.
Should every school have a nurse? If so, who should pay, the school system or another agency?
