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District nurse reports 17,500 combined health visits; staff shortages linked to student care patterns
Summary
District nurse Dana told the board the health office recorded about 17,500 combined visits and scheduled‑medication events last year and that staff reductions have shifted some routine care duties to office staff, which administration said affects students sent home and clinic workflows.
Dana, the district nurse, presented the annual nursing report for the 2025–26 school year and walked the board through health‑office metrics and operational pressures.
"In total, we saw 17,500 students," Dana said, describing that figure as the combined total of health‑office visits plus scheduled medication administrations during the school year. She said the district sent just over 1,400 students home during the year and that the number of over‑the‑counter medications and documented food allergies has risen. Dana explained that staffing reductions left her as the only registered nurse and two health assistants for the district, and that building office staff have taken on additional health‑office duties after training.
The nurse described vaccination‑compliance procedures and thresholds for parent notification during an outbreak, saying that she contacts families and, when required, notifies the district. She also outlined partnerships — vision screenings through the Lions Club and optional flu/COVID clinics for students and staff — and training work such as CPR certification for roughly 50 staff this year, expanding next year.
Board members asked about the distribution of staff across school buildings and how secessions or home notifications are handled; Dana said health assistants are assigned to the two busiest elementary schools (Northside and Parkside) and that office secretaries will make calls to parents when no health assistant is present. She emphasized the district only documents what parents report, noting the figures undercount incidents such as band‑aid requests.
Why it matters: The presentation underscored operational consequences from staffing reductions and provided concrete measures (visits, students sent home, vaccination‑compliance rates) that the board can use to evaluate staffing and budget tradeoffs.
