Last week, NASN attended "Coming Together on Chronic Absenteeism." The discussion focused on the urgent need to tackle chronic absenteeism.

As school nurses, you are integral school team members in supporting student attendance. In this recent NASN School Nurse article, the authors address frequently asked questions about student attendance, including excused and unexcused absences, truancy, parent/guardian engagement, and related laws, recognizing your integral part in this process.

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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are commonly referenced in school nursing, yet many other legal parameters affect school nurses and their ability to safeguard their license, students, and school community. Listen to the July NASN podcast, "The United States Constitution: Legal Literacy and School Nursing."

The NASN Employment Center allows you to browse job postings and offers several career advice articles and services. And if you're a NASN member, you can sign up for the Employment Center Job Flash to have job postings delivered to your inbox.

Are you an employer looking to find top industry talent at its source? The NASN Employment Center has upgrades available to ensure your job ad gets prime placement on and off the job board. Learn more.

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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.

• Martinez Honored as Nurse of the Year (Source: oaoa.com)
• Student Bodies and Minds (Source: oregonbusiness.com)
• Associate Nursing Professor Receives Grant (Source: uncw.edu)
• Athens School District’s Meredith Dykes Named Georgia School Nurse of the Year (Source: winchesterstar.com.com)
• SFUSD Admin Behind Bay Area’s Only School Nurse Credentialing Program Adds Pickleball Pro to Her Resumé (Source: ktlo.com)
• Clarke County’s Champion of Care: Meredith Dykes Named School Nurse of the Year (Source: redandblack.com)

School nurses have the potential to significantly improve the health and quality of life for children with epilepsy and their families through improved seizure management. NASN's School Nurse Epilepsy Clinical Practice Guidelines and Toolkit Training is available at no cost to assist school nurses in providing high-quality care and improving the health and safety of students with epilepsy. Participants will be able to:

• Identify evidence-based practices in caring for students with epilepsy and seizures.
• Describe how to utilize the toolkit in daily school nurse practice.
• Identify a plan for implementing the CPG recommendations and toolkit resources in the upcoming school year.

Related Resources:

• Mental Health Challenges for Students with Epilepsy: Practice Considerations for School Nurses (1.0 NCPD)
• Epilepsy Care Considerations for School Nurses: Stigma and Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) (1.0 NCPD)

Chronic health conditions affect more than 14 million school-aged youth (almost 20% of the school-aged population), with approximately half of these being moderate or severe. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) free online educational course Partnering Effectively for Chronic Condition Management in Schools provides school health professionals and pediatric health care providers with the knowledge and skills to partner effectively with each other and with families to foster better health and academic outcomes for children with chronic health conditions. Register for the course.

Related Resources: NASN's no-cost Improving Care Coordination for Students with Chronic Health Conditions Toolkit

The AAP Learning Burst Library consists of brief trainings intended to provide an opportunity for school health staff and related health professionals to review and discuss school health topics such as HIPAA/FERPA, culturally effective health care, chronic absenteeism, and more. This new learning burst, Care Coordination and Schools 101, defines care coordination, explains the benefits, and describes the roles of key players in care coordination in schools.

Related Resources: Care Coordination is a fundamental principle of school nursing practice, and it overlaps with the other principles of NASN's School Nursing Practice Framework™.

Join Attendance Works and Attendance Awareness Campaign (AAC) partners for the next webinar, Creating a Culture of Belonging and Engagement: Principals In Action, on August 7 at 3 PM ET. Speakers will explore how we can use the transition to school in the fall to nurture engagement, nourish relationships, and cultivate a routine of attendance. And Attendance Works will reveal a new resource!

CDC data show that vaccination coverage among kindergarteners has declined to its lowest level in decades. A recent uptick in global and domestic measles cases and outbreaks underscores that under and unvaccinated children are at risk for serious illness. School nurses are strongly positioned to educate school communities about the critical role vaccines play in preventing disease, allowing students and staff to remain healthy and in school. You can check out and use CDC's resources on the Let's RISE Initiative webpage to help share facts about routine vaccines and expand access. 

Related Resources: NASN's NCPD Program Immunization 101: A primer on school-recommended vaccinations is free for NASN members!

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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