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Board hears nurse staffing gaps and 13,042 nurse office visits this school year
Summary
District staff reported 13,042 nurse office visits to date and described coverage gaps at several campuses, recent nurse departures and plans to recruit nurses or LPNs and use clinical partnerships to increase capacity.
Pine Bluff School District officials told the board the district has recorded 13,042 nurse office visits this school year and is operating with fewer onsite nurses than its staffing guidelines recommend.
Superintendent Barber and school health staff presented a spreadsheet showing office‑visit counts by campus and high counts of specific complaints such as abrasions and asthma incidents at several sites. The presenters said the district had 2,042 students enrolled on the October count used for reporting and that nurses assign acuity levels to visits; acuity 2 and above require clinical attention beyond basic first aid.
Nurse Hawkins said the district does not currently have a nurse at every campus and identified specific schools that lacked dedicated nurses at the time of the report. She told the board two nurses resigned in September and that the district is actively recruiting. “We do not have a nurse at every campus,” Hawkins said, and staff are using part‑time and contracted nurses to cover gaps.
The board discussed possible recruitment and retention actions, including adding an LPN salary line to the district pay schedule and exploring incentives for current nurses. Hawkins said an LPN can work under an RN and that the district’s current hires are registered nurses; the board asked staff to explore salary and incentive options to improve recruitment.
District and nursing staff also discussed partnerships with local nursing programs for clinical rotations and CTE pathways; staff said the district already serves as a clinical rotation site for local nursing programs and plans a CNA/Career and Technical Education pathway in the new high school.
Why it matters: health‑services staffing affects daily student care, medication administration and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma. Presenters said nursing coverage decisions are influenced by both enrollment counts and the medical acuity of students assigned to specific campuses.
Ending: Staff will return with recruitment proposals, potential salary or incentive changes and any budget implications for adding LPN positions or contracted nursing services.
