Weekly Digest from NASN View as Webpage Weekly Digest NASN news & updates January 7, 2021 NASN News and Highlights See more. Upcoming Events See more. Weekly Digest Archive See past issues. Follow Us on Social ‌ ‌ ‌ President's Message These are unprecedented times, for us as a country, for us as school nurses, and for all of us as individuals. And, in times of uncertainty for myself, I always look to and rely on the core beliefs that I hold true, that center me. As we move into this new year, as your President, I am so proud to walk beside you in these uncertain times, and I am so proud that NASN’s core values: child well-being; diversity, equity and inclusion; ethics; excellence; innovation; integrity; leadership and scholarship are the guiding lights that center all the work that we do—as an organization, and as individual school nurses. I am grateful for all you, for the work that you do to keep our students and our communities healthy, safe and ready to learn, and I am hopeful for the impact we will have together in the coming year. With Gratitude, Laurie Combe, MN, RN, NCSN NASN President BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™ NASN News and Highlights School Field Trips and Your Role in Planning Them While school‐sponsored field trips are designed to enhance the educational experience of students, they require planning and special considerations, especially related to the health needs of students. Successful field trips require collaboration and team planning among school administrators, teachers, school nurses, other school staff, parents, and students. A school nurse workgroup was formed to assist Wisconsin school districts in establishing or reviewing their policies and practices by providing expert guidance and creating a field trip toolkit. Learn all about the creation of the toolkit and its content by taking this course. This course was originally presented at Virtual NASN2020 and is now available in the NASN Learning Center. Learn more or enroll in Meeting the Health Needs of Students While on Field Trips. Paid advertisement See Who is Running in the 2021 NASN Election Become familiar with the candidates stepping forward to lead NASN. All candidates have completed the nominating committee process. In the upcoming election, NASN members will select a president-elect, secretary/treasurer, and a nominating committee member. The election will be conducted online from March 15, 2021 to April 15, 2021. CANDIDATES Encouraging Special Needs Students to Participate in Recreational Athletic Programs We encourage students to be physically active, but often forget to encourage students with special needs to get involved with physical activity. They need it for their emotional health, feelings of belonging and accomplishment, as well as physical health. Throughout the course, you will learn the types of physical activity programs available for students with special needs and adaptations that can be made, implement a variety of available programs, and help those students get involved in recreational athletic activities. This course was originally presented at Virtual NASN2020 and is now available in the NASN Learning Center. Learn more or enroll in Keep Them Moving: Recreational Athletic Activities for Students with Special Needs. LEARN MORE Are You Hiring? Let NASN Help Don't miss out on the best candidate for the job. Advertise your open positions in the NASN Employment Center: your recruitment solution. We offer packages that include resume bank access, posting for 30 days, and email distribution of your job posting. Hire smarter. You don't need all the candidates, you need the right ones. NASN EMPLOYMENT CENTER School Nurses in the News NASN and school nurses have been widely represented in the news media over the past few months and we are now including a section in the Weekly Digest to highlight some of those stories twice a month. If you have a story about school nurses you'd like us to consider including, please send it to us. School Nurses Fear a Coronavirus Surge as Students and Staff Return From Winter Break (Source: TIME) 'They're going above and beyond': School nurses are 'indispensable' during COVID (Source: SouthCoast TODAY) Time magazine features Philly school nurse (Source: The Philadelphia Tribune) COVID-19 Updates Resources New CDC guidance for healthcare workers & COVID-19 vaccines and CDC guidance for schools COVID-19 Diagnosis Screening Flow Chart MMWR report on early childhood and mitigation strategies COVID-19 Symptom Screener Sample Tracking Tool Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers Considerations for School Nurses in Planning for Students with Disabilities and Special Healthcare Needs in the Return to School Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Schools Reopening Decision Tool  Guidelines for Opening Up America Again CDC Updates Back-to-School Checklists For many families, school looks different this year than it has in previous years. Your school may offer virtual learning or have new policies and practices in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during in-person learning. Whatever the situation, these checklists are intended to help parents, guardians, and caregivers, plan and prepare for the continuing school year. See the updated in-person instruction and at-home learning checklists. NASN Press Release for Vaccination The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) supports vaccination against COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for use in individuals 16 years and older. This vaccine, as well as others that may receive FDA EUA approval, provides an opportunity to put an end to this pandemic that has resulted in death, economic hardship, loss of educational progress, mental health challenges, and more. New Ad Council YouTube Video for Nurses Nurses: Answers for COVID-19 Vaccine Questions for Healthcare Providers features nurses from several national nursing organizations, including school nurse Gloria Barrera, the president of the Illinois School Nurse Association. This video provides information to address questions from families and other school community members on the COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 Communication Toolkit CDC created this communication toolkit to help public health professionals, health departments, community organizations, and healthcare systems and providers reach populations who may need COVID-19 prevention messaging in their native languages. In-person Schooling and COVID-19 Transmission A review of current evidence, compiled by UNICEF and UNESCO, shows that in-person schooling does not appear to be the main driver of infection spikes, children in school do not appear to be exposed to higher risks of infection compared to when not in school when mitigation measures are in place, and school staff also do not appear to be at a higher relative risk compared to the general population. Managing Chronic Health Conditions Health Equity Implications During COVID-19 Pandemic School nurses are acutely aware of health inequities for students impacted by COVID-19 and chronic health conditions. Learn more by reviewing this new NASN document. Improving School Community and Student Health LGBTQ Youth Sexual Health On-demand Recording LGBTQ youth face unique challenges in their sexual, physical, and mental health as compared to their peers, and the lack of LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health education is a driving factor. A panel, featuring experts and LGBTQ youth, will cover important topics such as the need for inclusive curriculum and programs, addressing HIV among LGBTQ youth, and domestic, dating, and sexual violence among LGBTQ youth. This educational session was recorded. ON-DEMAND RECORDING Supporting Grieving Students Podcast NASN has a new podcast focused on Supporting Grieving Students for school nurses. One out of 20 children will lose one or both parents before the age of 15. Listen to this powerful message to add resources to your mental health toolkit. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Mark Your Calendar COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution: Supply and Logistics Messaging 1 p.m. EST January 12 During this free webinar, public health and communications experts Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Trust for America’s Health, and Dr. Joe Smyser, PHD, MSPH, CEO of the Public Goods Project, will answer questions on vaccine distribution-related messaging. Registrants will have the chance to submit questions in advance. REGISTER NASN Calendar of Events This calendar includes upcoming events hosted by NASN and NASN affiliate school nurse organizations. Access the calendar. NASN CALENDAR National Health Observances Calendar This calendar lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics. Access the 2020 calendar. OBSERVANCES CALENDAR Acceptance of advertising on the ad banner in this newsletter or resource information listed within in no way implies endorsement of advertised or listed products or services by NASN. No endorsement is intended or implied. NASN | nasn.org National Association of School Nurses | 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 925, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by [email protected]