Teachers’ union and parents press district over building nurse shortages; board asks for formal update

Public commenters and representatives of the Ferguson Florissant National Education Association urged the board on Tuesday to address a shortage of full‑time nurses in district buildings.

Dawn Wilkins, speaking during the public comment period, told trustees that parents often do not receive timely communication about school events and signaled broader concerns about district communications. "Our parents are not seeing it," she said, urging better channels for outreach to families.

Rebecca Lee, a member of the FFNEA executive board, told the board that several buildings are operating without a full‑time nurse and that licensed nurses are being shared across schools. "When will the district address the nurse shortage so that every building can have a certified nurse on‑site each day to properly meet the medical needs of students and staff?" Lee asked. She said untrained staff sometimes must handle medical tasks such as broken bones or asthma treatments and that some schools have seen lower attendance on days without a nurse.

Superintendent Dr. Fields acknowledged the concern and confirmed that the district would provide a focused briefing on the topic. The board asked administration to prepare information about the scope of the shortage, how other districts are addressing similar challenges, and potential options — including agency contracts — to increase on‑site nursing coverage. Administrators committed to return with a report for the Nov. 12 board meeting.

Under district policy read at the start of the meeting, Dr. Fields will confer with leadership and assign a staff member to respond to public commenters; the district said it will seek to reply within five business days to written comments submitted during the meeting.

The board took no immediate policy action; trustees requested a factual briefing on staffing levels, community impacts and potential remedies for board consideration in November.