Tony, Tony, Tony...
I am sorry for you, Tony. You obviously are not well educated on this subject, nor are you a parent. You are ranting about something you know little about.
I am the parent of a child who developed Type I Diabetes at the age of 7. If it hadn't been for school nurses on numerous occasions, my daughter might not have grown up. But, she did grow up (thank God and the school nurses) and became a nurse herself. She is now a school nurse and is returning the help she received to all the children she sees and treats on a daily basis. And, believe me, she sees many children daily.
Yes, children do get sick enough at school to be sent to the ER. Sometimes they are even admitted to the hospital. They get hurt (sometimes severely) on the playground. They do take medications (not only for ADHD) for many life-threatening illinesses. Cuts, scrapes and bruises, sore throats, runny noses, headaches, vomiting, rashes, eye injuries, sprains and broken bones are routine.
Beyond that, four times a day, my daughter tube feeds a 6 year old child who cannot eat solid food. She has a student who has numerous seizures every day, and she helps her diabetic students test their blood sugars and administers insulin and snacks.
My daughter tests (as regulated by the state) hearing and vision and keeps immunization records; she notifies parents and staff of infectious disease outbreaks. She educates students on hygiene, their developing bodies and disease; she cleans and dresses children who don't have clean clothes. She coordinates with Child Protective Services for children who may be abused or neglected.
In many cases my daughter is the only medical professional her students see... she is her students' life line.
My daughter is a qualified medical professional. She is the only staff member at her school who is qualified to perform her duties. I'm sure this is the case at 99% of the schools across the United States. If my daughter was not at school, all 700 students could be in medical jeopardy.
Tony, if you were a parent, with hopefully a healthy child, would you really want your child to be away from you 7 hours a day without a medical professional on duty? What about your niece or nephew or your best friend's son or daughter. There must be a child somewhere in your life that would make you think twice about your position.
If we get rid of school nurses to save a few bucks, why not teachers? Maybe we don't even need schools... that would save us trillions! I don't really think this is what you had in mind.
So, Tony, please reconsider your position on school nurses. What would we really be saving without them? With school nurses, we certainly will be saving a child's life. Can you put a price on that? Think about our children. May God bless you and guide you.
Deborah Fenton
Surprise, Arizona
