The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper.
Letter to the Editor,
It is with great disappointment that I have decided to write this letter after reading the most recent Board of Education budget update this morning. I am having a very hard time processing that in the middle of an unprecedented worldwide pandemic when we still do not even have finalized clear guidance of what returning to school will look like for our children, our local Board of Education plans to adopt a budget for the upcoming school year that cuts nursing services because of “declining enrollment”.
The true health and social/emotional impact of this crisis is still not known. And where do children who are struggling with health and social/emotional issues land? In the school nurse’s office. And why? Because the school nurse’s office is a safe haven for all students. Yet, when our children do return to school they will be returning to a district that has decided to cut nursing services. Sadly, I believe the Board of Education members are being misguided by folks that don’t have a clear understanding of the role of a school nurse. There is a difference between the duties performed by a registered nurse and a licensed practical nurse or a health aide. The State of Connecticut has clearly defined those roles in the nurse practice acts that guide licensing of those individuals.
Registered nurses are responsible for the assessment of students with needs and the development of individualized healthcare plans. And to be clear a licensed practical nurse works under the direct supervision of a registered nurse, not independently. Having the intermediate school on the same campus as the middle school does not eliminate the unique health care needs of the students at either level. And weren’t we told when this change was made our students would not suffer any loss of services? The health care needs of students cannot be reflected in enrollment numbers. Also the money they are “saving” to make this change is very little. I would like to think that we can’t put a price tag on the safety, health and emotional well-being of our children in this extremely unprecedented time.
I have decided I can no longer be silent and I urge all parents and taxpayers to take a closer look at this. Our children are depending on us to do the right thing!
Respectfully submitted,
Linda M Kauffman RN
Former School Nurse Supervisor RSD#17 Schools
While we appreciate the BOE’s efforts to reduce next year’s expenditures in light of the economic difficulties facing so many of our fellow citizens, we entirely agree with Linda Kauffman’s sentiments expressed above that cutting a nurse in the midst of a pandemic is the wrong move in this budget. Please reconsider this unfortunate action. Phil and Betty Devlin–Higganum