Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) in schools help children with physical, mental, and behavioral healthcare needs, provide direct services to children and families, and serve as the conduit to community resources. As a proud member organization of the National Alliance of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (NASISP), NASN is pleased to recognize National SISP Appreciation Week next week! NASISP encourages you to use this opportunity to show your pride and celebrate the valuable work you do to support your school communities.

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School nurses are trusted members of communities and enforce vaccine compliance. The Journal of School Nursing (JOSN) article Moving the Needle: A Qualitative Exploration of the School Nurses' Experience with Virginia's Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Mandate aims to understand Virginia school nurses' practice in implementing the HPV vaccine mandate by exploring their subjective experiences and study data is intended to provide an understanding of school nursing practice so that public health officials and school administrators can develop interventions to improve HPV vaccination rates.

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This section highlights news stories featuring NASN and school nurses. If you have a story about school nurses you'd like us to consider including, please send it to us.

• Christine Tindall, BS, RN, NCSN on 'Nursestalking' (Source: youtube.com)
• How School Nurse Molly Wales Transformed Sex Education in Athens (Source: woub.org)
• Helena School District’s Nursing Report Presents Student Health Data (Source: helenair.com)
• Rolla School Board: Accomplishments Honored and Seats Reorganized (Source: phelpscountyfocus.com)
• CCSD Program Provides Free Vision Screenings, Glasses for Students (Source: wgauradio.com)
• Hillsborough School Board to Vote on Nurse Staffing Agency (Source: baynews9.com)
• Eastern University Alum Named School Nurse of the Year (Source: vista.today)

Time is Running Out to Get the Best Rate!

The NASN2024 Early Rate ends this Wednesday, May 1. Don't miss your chance to get the best possible rate for this exceptional learning event!

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a chronic condition that affects people in almost every community in the US. Recently, T1D has become a topic of discussion for lawmakers, who are considering legislation requiring schools to provide educational curricula on the subject; these discussions will inevitably include T1D screening. To help enrich the discussions that school nurses may have with parents and caregivers about T1D, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has launched a website with various resources that could be useful as this information filters into homes.

Related Resources: NASN’s Children with Diabetes page contains resources to assist school nurses in providing evidence-based quality care to students with T1D.

Join us in Chicago at In-Person NASN2024 for the Take the Fear out of Diabetes Care with Diabetes Educators and School Nurse Teams session with speakers Vetah Okuomose, Samantha Joseph, Jack Lew, Lorraine Dolengo Santiago, Melody Carter, and Jenna Burke. The session will open with a didactic presentation on the evolution and impact of the Diabetes Nurse Team implemented in New York City schools in 2020.

Can't make it to Chicago? The Virtual NASN2024 anytime session Creating a Community to Support Diabetes Care in Schools, with speakers Lynnette Ondeck, Allison Pollock, Louise Wilson, and Whitney Beaton, covers the novel telementoring program, Diabetes in School Health (DiSH) and shares an adaptation of an actual DiSH session.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has launched the Know2Protect Public Awareness Campaign to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). It is the responsibility of every school staff member to protect students, and school nurses may be the first to observe and identify signs and symptoms of sexual abuse in students. Learn more about the Know2Protect Campaign and CSEA.

Register now for AIM’s next vaccine confidence webinar on April 30 from 1-2 PM ET to learn about the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security’s Practical playbook for addressing health misinformation and hear from public health staff about their real-world experiences implementing the playbook’s concepts and other strategies to address misinformation and build trust.  

Opportunity Labs, a national non-profit, has launched a Request for Proposals to enhance student mental health support against budget challenges. They are inviting school districts to apply to be part of a new Community of Practice (CoP). Fifteen school districts will receive $20,000 in unrestricted grant funding, share knowledge and collaborate on budget-smart strategies for sustainable mental health support, and gain 1:1 access to national experts in school mental health systems, evidence-based budgeting, district finance, family and community engagement, and more. Please apply by May 10. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) invite all school health personnel to an open brunch and brainstorming event to listen to the needs, challenges, and lessons learned from school health personnel related to Pediatric Mental Healthcare Access Programs. This listening session will take place on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 11 AM EDT. Register now! 

Join Sepsis Alliance for the fifth annual Pediatric Sepsis Week to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis in children, recognize the 75,000 children who develop sepsis each year in the U.S., and honor those who have passed. Learn more about this observance and how you can help raise awareness.

NASN Calendar of Events

This calendar includes upcoming events hosted by NASN and NASN affiliate school nurse organizations. Access the calendar.

National Health Observances Calendar

This calendar lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics. Access the 2024 calendar. 

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