Does your school have a FT on site nurse???

[izzi'smom]

I just learned yesterday that the school Izz is slated to attend in the fall only has a nurse on site part time. :ywow:
I am shocked...I thought all schools had ft nurses!
She is at another school across town and can be reached in case of an emergency, which doesn't work for me. 15 minutes feels like forever to a 5 year old.
I am also concerned about emergencies (for all kids)...what do they do for shock, asthma; seizures, medications??? Quick care is paramount in these situations. Illness doesn't have a time frame.
I have a feeling when the assistant superintendent returns my call tomorrow she is going to tell me that they have "decided" to keep her at her current school, which also doesn't work well for me. I bought this house because the school is 3 blocks away. (The other elementary is a mile). She has gone to orientation at her new school, is prepared to switch, and all of the kids in our neighborhood attend this school. :voodoo::voodoo::voodoo:
Willing to hear any opinions on this-

 

[my little penguin]

WE are very lucky- every school in our district has it's own nurse- however there are times every few weeks for a few hours when the nurse is at the private school doing their paper work.

DS has asthma and food allergies so even without crohn's a nurse is a must for us.

 

[jmckinley]

Angie,

No, our school does not have a full time nurse. They shared a nurse with a school close by, but that school closed. I don't even know where she comes from part-time now. I feel the same way, how can things be taken care of when there's no nurse. R is 14, so I have been guilty of sticking meds in his lunchbox and saying take it and play dumb. I'll take the blame if somebody says something. It is very frustrating!

 

[Farmwife]

Wow.:ywow: Our school district because of budget cut shares 1 nurse for the whole district. We have about 12 Grade-schools, 2 Middle and 2 High schools. The secretaries are being trained to deal with "things". Most of the time they send them home. Also most our Liberians our gone or cut to 1 hour a day. SAD

Farmwife:heart:

 

[crohnsinct]

Oh my gosh! I seriously can't believe what I am reading. We have a FT nurse at every school (and 2 or more librarians). I just can't imagine how a school district can get away with not having a full time nurse at a school. How many kids are in each of these schools? What about allergies? Asthma? Seizures? Accidents? Oh my gosh the list goes on....I get it if they know the kids who have these things but how many kids are diagnosed later and go to school not knowing. We just had a girl this year go into seizures in school she had no idea but she was epileptic.

Sorry no advice...just agreement.

 

[Clash]

Wow I guess I have never thought about it before, but when C was in public elem. the nurse was part time, 2 days a week. After 5th grade both kids moved to a military prep(public independent) and it is on the same campus as the military jr. college so they have a clinic staffed with several nurses which were a godsend the end of this last year.
I hope the asst. superintendent calls with the news you want to hear!!!

 

[AZMOM]

Our nurse is part time as well.

Julie

 

[kimmidwife]

My girls school had a nurse part time and my 2 younger kids there was no nurse at all. The secretary was trained to handle giving insulin to the diabetic kids and asthma inhalers as needed. All the teachers were trained in CPR and to handle minor emergencies.

 

[AshleyB85]

When I was in private school, I didn't have an on-site nurse at all. Just a secretary who handed out prescriptions. Kind of worrisome now that I'm thinking back to it.

 

[happy]

No nurses at schools in Alberta, Canada.

 

[jmckinley]

R's middle school had almost 700 students...only a part-time nurse.

 

[Tesscorm]

No nurse when Emily and Stephen were at elementary school.

 

[Lisa]

Our school has a full time nurse for the elementary school - I believe it is the same for middle and high school - this is also a central school (one huge complex/building).....

Just did a quick search of NYS education law and this is what I found -

Commissioner's Regulations CR 136.2

Section 136.2 General regulations.
a.All schools under the jurisdiction of the State Education Department shall provide a program of health services.
b.School health services shall be provided by each school district for all students attending the public schools in this State, except in the city school districts of the cities of New York, Buffalo and Rochester, in accordance with law and the regulations. School health services shall include the services of a registered professional nurse, if one is employed, and shall also include such services as may be rendered as provided herein in examining students for the existence of disease or disability and in testing the eyes and ears of such students.
c.The trustees or board of education of each school district shall employ, at a compensation to be agreed upon by the parties, a director of school health services.
d.It shall be the duty of trustees and boards of education: 1.to provide approved and adequate personnel and facilities;
2.to maintain for each student cumulative records covering the essential features of the health services program; and
3.to make such reports to the department as may be required on forms prescribed by the commissioner.

Employees must also have training.....I haven't seen anything specific that states a nurse must be full time....

I can check with one of my contacts with the NYS Education Department if needed though! (Their main building is across the street from where I work!)

 

[Lisa]

hmm...some more interesting info....make sure the nurse is an RN!

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/schoolhealth/schoolhealthservices/schoolnursememo.html

 

[DustyKat]

We don't have nurses in public schools here that I know of. Some private schools do but that's it.

Dusty. xxx

 

[izzi'smom]

Wow. I had no idea. Still haven't heard from the asst super yet, but in my reading I know that in NY they are required to staff an RN, and an RN is required for ostomy care and meds "when the child isn't self sufficient". Considering Izz can't read, it is safe to say she needs a nurse. Plus she has been consoled by the nurse a few times, once having lunch with her in the teachers lounge, before returning to class after an accident. I just thought this was standard...amazing that it isn't. We always had a nurse.

 

[Jmrogers4]

Well I can give an inside scoop since I work for a school district and have worked in the office at a school. Here it depends on the size of the school and the needs of the students. The schools have an RN several days a week and med tech (Similar to a Nurses Assistant at the hospital)the days she is not there. Here you would meet with the nurse and counselor to start to set up a 504 or medical plan for the child which then would go out to their teachers, librarians, etc in case something happened while in the class, library, playground etc. In Jack's case he was given a free bathroom class and could get up at anytime, leave the library, playground, PE, classroom etc to use the restroom without penalty, did not have to ask. He was also allowed to eat small meals in the classroom as we discovered when he was first diagnosed a lot of small meals/snacks was better then trying to fill up at lunch time.
At the school I worked we (the office staff, even the principal) were trained by the RN to give medicines, epi-pens, etc. and the signs of low/high blood sugar and what to do in each instance.
However, at the junior highs and high schools here they have full time nurses, in my opinion it needs to be the other way around but I'm sure it cost the district less to supply nurses to 4 high schools and 8 juniors full time then to 32 elementary schools.

 

[Twiggy930]

No nurses at school's in British Columbia.

 

[Mom2oneboy]

Our schools here have full-time nurses. I assumed all schools did....this post has been enlightening!

 

[polly13]

No nurses in Irish Primary schools.

 

[izzi'smom]

I heard back from the asst superintendent of schools today, who was completely unapologetic and wouldn't stop talking unless I interrupted her (which I did, trust me). She basically said that they aren't comfortable with Izz attending the school without a ft nurse and want her to attend the other school. I told her I was unhappy with the decision and with the fact that they came to the decision without consulting us. I received another phone call a few hours later from either the superintendent or another asst super (no wonder there isn't enough in the budget for a ft on-site nurse ) who was super apologetic, explained all of the reasons that led them to arrive at the decision that they did, and offered to meet with me at my convenience next week to discuss my concerns and my daughters medical needs. yay! I like him already.

Again, I am shocked at the fact that there is no care elsewhere. NY is required to provide it. Guess our astronomically high taxes are good for something here lol!

 

[Farmwife]

Well I'm glad you got some where. I hope after meeting with them they change their minds. Outrages that they didn't talk to you first.:ymad:
I'm still waiting for my taxes to do some thing good for me.:sign0085:

Farmwife:ghug:

 

[DustyKat]

Well done Angie! :thumleft:

Dusty.

 

[Lisa]

Angie - the school you want to send Izzy to - is that the school she would be 'assigned' to anyway?...I ~think~ the school may be REQUIRED by law to provide a nurse - I can definitely check on that for you if you want....I'll be back in the office on Monday and should be able to take a walk over to the State Education Building and have a chat with someone.....

Would your insurance provide for a nurse at school if needed and the school won't provide one?

 

[AZMOM]

Angie.....that is good news and I love that you won't back down. Hip Hip hooray for fearless Moms and Dads!

J.

 

[crohnsinct]

Sounds like they are playing good cop bad cop. Stick to your guns girlfriend...they HAVE to give her the same access as anyone else lest we utter discrimination????

 

[izzi'smom]

The asst super tells me "children are assigned to different schools for a variety of reasons" but the school she was planning on attending is 3 blocks away (the one with a ft nurse is a mile). The two girls that live in our neighborhood are attending the closer school also. (Who are two of her closest friends and she was thrilled about attending with them) IDK about our insurance- the schools argument is that there *is* a nurse available. Grr!

 

[crohnsinct]

How can they force a family out of their neighborhood school? That sounds insane to me...but then again so does no school nurse and plenty of districts apparently do that.