Grain Valley health director reports stocked emergency meds, rising health‑room use and training efforts

Denise Holmberg, director of health services for Grain Valley R‑V Schools, told the school board the district has started stocking emergency medications including inhalers and nasal naloxone, expanded CPR training for staff and volunteers, and recorded more than 35,000 health‑room visits during the 2023–24 school year.

Holmberg said the district reports communicable‑disease and symptom counts weekly to the Jackson County Health Department and still performs mandatory vision and hearing screenings in elementary schools. She said the district screens kindergarten, first, third and fifth graders and refers students for follow up when needed; special‑education students receive annual screenings.

Holmberg described several changes and supports: the district has begun stocking inhalers and nasal naloxone (Narcan) in all buildings, keeps emergency medication cabinets for students with known conditions, and has obtained EpiPens through a federal “EpiPens for Schools” grant. She said Narcan kits were donated in part after the district partnered with North Kansas City Hospital for community education; the hospital provided an initial supply of kits and said it would replace them when they expire. Holmberg said the district has also received albuterol inhalers through a prior grant program based in St. Louis but that the sponsor stopped supporting the nebulizer portion; buildings retain nebulizer equipment but the liquid nebulizer supply is no longer provided by the program.

Holmberg said staffing stability has improved — she reported no full‑time staff departures since her last report — but that the district needs a larger substitute pool. She said CPR training is offered to staff free of charge and that many categories of employees, including Valley Kids staff, bus drivers and early‑childhood staff, hold current CPR and first‑aid certification. She described a tracking gap when staff receive CPR certification through outside online providers and do not submit cards to the district.

On emergency equipment, Holmberg said the district contracts with AED Authority for maintenance and replacements. She estimated the annual contract cost at under $5,000 and said the vendor automatically ships replacement pads and batteries and will replace malfunctioning units without additional procurement steps.

Holmberg gave health‑room statistics for 2023–24: roughly 35,000 visits districtwide, about 2,350 of which resulted in students being sent home (about 6.7 percent), a return toward pre‑COVID levels. She said the district now supports a growing population of students with significant needs: about 22 students use insulin pumps, 48 have seizure disorders, 35 have life‑threatening food allergies, and about 378 students have significant mental‑health diagnoses, numbers Holmberg presented as counts provided to the board.

On student hygiene and basic needs, Holmberg said the district’s Giving the Basics program assists roughly 150 families and that a small number of high‑school students rely on school facilities for basic hygiene because of limited access at home. She also described the district’s “Toilet Talk” informational postings in high‑school restrooms on topics ranging from community resources to vaping and fentanyl awareness.

Board members asked about Narcan rollout and CPR certification tracking. Holmberg said nurses and school resource officers carry nasal Narcan and that, to date, the district has not had to administer it. She said the district keeps lists of staff trained directly by district instructors but does not have an automated list of staff who take online CPR courses unless those employees submit proof of certification.

Holmberg said communicable‑disease reporting is shared with Jackson County; county reports may show counts by eastern Jackson County or school reports aggregated by county, rather than by the Grain Valley district specifically. She said the county health department has used school symptom reports to detect community outbreaks earlier than other sources, citing prior H1N1 experience.

Asked about head‑lice communications, Holmberg said the district notifies only the family of an affected student and checks close contacts; the district does not send a classroom‑wide notice unless there is evidence of an outbreak. She said a statement on the district website describes the procedure.

Holmberg thanked the board and concluded by reiterating goals to build a larger substitute pool, expand staff wellness initiatives and continue partnerships with county and hospital partners to keep vaccination and other health services available to students.