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Nurses and early‑childhood special‑education director reinstated after public outcry; staff warn of safety risks
Summary
Parents, nurses and special‑education staff told the board that cuts to agency nurses and the prior freezing of the ECSE executive director post posed safety and legal risks; the board later announced the ECSE director position had been reinstated and said administrators will follow up with concerned parents.
Several public commenters and district nurses told the board that recent staffing changes — notably the elimination of agency nurses and the freeze on the early childhood special education (ECSE) executive director position — harmed student safety and the district’s ability to meet legally required services.
Long‑time school nurses said the removal of agency nurses left multiple buildings without a regularly assigned nurse and would force untrained staff to manage medical needs, including students with diabetes, feeding tubes, asthma or seizure plans. “Who is going to provide these students with appropriate and safe health care?” asked a nurse who said she sees more than 40 students a day. Another nurse warned that, without nurses, staff unfamiliar with medical care could call 911 more frequently and delay appropriate responses.
Speakers representing ECSE described trauma and anxiety in the department after the executive director role was frozen; administrators told the board that due to “available little funding” the board had briefly frozen the ECSE executive director position but then moved to reinstate it that same meeting. Several speakers asked for the hiring freeze to be lifted and that ECSE retain an experienced director to manage IEP placement, legal requirements and parent communication.
Why it matters: School nurses are licensed health professionals whose duties can include administering medication, responding to emergencies and implementing medically required IEP accommodations. Special education leadership plays a legal role in ensuring federal and state requirements are met for students with disabilities.
The board president acknowledged concerns and said Mr. Joyce and other administrators would follow up individually with parents who raised issues during public comment. The transcript records the administration stating the ECSE executive director position was reinstated earlier the same evening and that the board had approved that action.
Ending: Board members promised follow‑up with parents and staff; nurses and ECSE speakers asked the board to address compensation and the district’s stated hiring freeze so that the nursing and special‑education workforce can be stabilized before the next school year.
