Letters to the Editor: Retain Part-Time Nurses in Katonah-Lewisboro

Dear Editor:

I retired from the Katonah Lewisboro School District in 2010 after 21 years as a School Nurse at John Jay High School and 17 years as the District's School Nurse Coordinator.  

During that time, I witnessed the increase in the number of students with asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders and other chronic medical conditions.  In addition, the number of students with food allergies increased exponentially.  Life threatening medical conditions presented themselves at every building in the district.

I was shocked and disappointed to see the in the superintendent's budget proposal for next year.  The district states that elementary student enrollment has decreased over the years.  While the enrollment in the elementary buildings may have decreased, the number of students with serious medical conditions in need of daily nursing care has not!

Students with health issues need to rely on the judgment of the nurses in their buildings to keep them healthy and safe.  If students are not feeling well or do not feel that the school environment is safe for them, they will not be available for learning.  Healthy children just learn better.  It is important for students to be able to rely on the judgment of their nurses. Legally, nursing judgment cannot be delegated.  The daily management of all students, particularly our most medically fragile students, requires child-specific care. The judgment of the nurses providing this care is paramount.

Katonah Lewisboro has a team of excellent professional nurses and the two part time nurses are a very important part of the team in all four of the elementary schools.  Each nurse covers two buildings and actively participates in the care provided to the students in those buildings.  They know the students, their health care needs and the procedures that have been implemented to manage all levels of medical problems.  They seamlessly cover buildings in the absence of the full time nurses and they also play an important role in covering field trips. Without the part time nurses, buildings might be uncovered and field trips might need to be cancelled.  Without a nurse, who will care for the child with diabetes who needs insulin based on their current blood sugar reading and what they eat, the child with asthma whose inhaler doesn’t seem to be working, the child who is having an allergic reaction, or the child who is having a seizure and needs rectal valium immediately??  These medically fragile students require nursing services even while on a field trip.  If this care cannot be provided, the medically fragile child cannot be excluded and the entire trip must be cancelled. 

While I understand the district’s desire to be fiscally responsible, I feel that the elimination of these nursing positions is not only a disservice to the students and parents of Katonah Lewisboro but is also dangerous.  Is the savings of $67,000 really worth the risk to the population of students who need health care services the most?


Sincerely,
Patricia G. Kessel RN
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To the Editor:

As usual, it would appear that the District’s new PR firm has taken the serious concerns expressed at the March 8th board meeting concerning the reduction of two part-time nurses and did what PR firms do so well: they put on the spin and negated what was told to the board. 

For the record, the initial reason for the hiring of our part-time nurses was the rise in enrollment, and this fact was spoken to at the board meeting. What the board’s response neglects to address is the reason that we still need these two positions even as enrollment decreases, because our office visits have not decreased, and the acuity levels of what we are dealing with daily in our offices has increased severely. 

Another strategy that the District is using in its response is to compare us to surrounding districts and use our numbers of enrollment in comparison to that of other districts.  This is like comparing apples to oranges, and as anyone who has taken statistics knows, you can make the same numbers support either side. What they didn’t compare  are the number of office visits these other district nurses are seeing; how many diabetics, students with seizures, or students with emotional problems each day?  In the 104 days of school (up to the end of February) this year our nurses’ offices have had  24,736 student visits. We have fielded 17,333 telephone calls, and we do not have secretarial backup as some of our surrounding districts do. We have seen 908 employees for various medical issues and we have set up 109 field trips.
 
What the District’s response also did not address was the  concern regarding the availability of substitute nurses; we have only 4, and they all need advanced notice and have limited availability.  Our part-time nurses can fill in at any of our schools at a moment's notice and are willing to shift their hours to accommodate any of our office needs. What the District's response also did not mention was the fact that especially at the elementary level, familiarity is key, not just for the nurse but for the child as well.

Our part-time nurses know all four of the elementary schools and the students all know the nurses. The nurses are familiar with all special needs and the students trust that they are going to be cared for by someone they trust. What was also said at the board meeting was that without these two positions we may not be able to provide a nurse for all of the trips that go out and require a nurse, resulting in trips being cancelled.  Most concerning of all is that we may not be able to provide a nurse for a building if our full-time nurse is out. I repeat, we may have to let a building go without a nurse. This just can't happen. Our students' health and safety could be compromised. Please let the board of education know that this is not the kind of cut you want to see being made.

Pamela S Hagele
RN BSN
District Coordinator of Nursing Services

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