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NASN’s COVID-19 Reference contains condensed information and evidence-based references and resources designed to assist school nurses in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as they formulate nursing judgement and participate in planning and policy development.

The American Telehealth Association and NASN are partnering to identify promising practices for telehealth in schools. If telehealth is used in your school, please take a few minutes and answer a few questions and share more about it. The deadline to complete this is March 17.

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.

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, the School-Based Health Alliance, and the National Center for School Mental Health are pleased to announce the release of "Assessing Social Influencers of Health and Education." This new brief highlights methods of screening and surveillance by which K-12 school-based staff and their community partners can assess SIHE and how this knowledge can inform actions and policies at all levels to support student health and academic outcomes.

The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, (ASTDD) has published a new policy statement: Promoting Good Nutrition and Healthy Eating in Schools: An Important Strategy for Promoting Oral Health and Preventing Dental Caries. Dental caries is one of the most common, preventable chronic health conditions. The consumption of foods and beverages with high sugar content greatly contributes to this problem. School nurses are key advocates to educate students on healthy nutrition.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW), March 22-28, connects teens with resources to SHATTER THE MYTHS® about drugs and alcohol. School nurses can get activity ideas, Kahoot! games, and other materials to distribute to school families. Learn more.

The Seizure Action Plan Coalition is working to raise awareness of what a Seizure Action Plan (SAP) is; the importance of a SAP in the health management of those with epilepsy; and resources to develop an individualized SAP. Learn more.

Offered by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in collaboration with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), applications for the TEAMS Program are due March 19, 2021 by 6 p.m. CST. The program will virtually run April 2021-May 2022, and provide training, resources, and technical assistance to LEAs interested in strengthening policies, practices, and infrastructure related to provision of school-based mental health services and supports. Contact Heather Stob at [email protected] with questions.

Student mental wellness is critically important to everyone in a school community. NASN Executive Director Donna Mazyck, MS, RN, NCSN, CAE, FNASN, will offer the school nurse perspective at the NCSSS Student Mental Wellness Virtual Summit 2021 on the panel, It Takes a Village. Subscribers to the NASN Weekly Digest can attend the conference for a reduced rate of $99 by using code SMHS20 when you register.

Save the dates for Virtual NASN2021, June 21-25, 2021. More information and registration will be coming in March 2021!

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