Weekly Digest
NASN news & updates
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Head Lice Management in Schools
State Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, said the bill opens more of a door for communication between local schools, school boards, and the health departments and ensures that health departments make recommendations that get head lice policies in line with current recommendations from the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and NASN that schools do away with existing “no nit policies.”
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JOSN April 2022 Podcast: U.S. School Nursing Job Analysis |
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The complexity and demands of the school nurse role have significantly changed over time. While central tenets of school nursing practice are still important today, 21st-Century school nursing requires a different and continually evolving knowledge base and skillset. Given the need to maintain competence in a wide variety of knowledge and skills and the anticipated increasing complexity of the job, school nurses are seeking professional development opportunities to better their professional practices in support of student health. In this podcast, Martha Dewey Bergren, editor of The Journal of School Nursing, interviews author Brenna Morse to discuss the article, "U.S. School Nursing Job Analysis."
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Your Voice Matters -- School Nurse Workforce Survey 2.0
The pandemic has had a profound impact on school nursing – some good and some discouraging. We need your feedback to help policymakers understand where school nurses are and what you do! The School Nurse Workforce Survey 2.0 2022 was sent to a random sample of schools in January. The letter came addressed to the school nurse from the University of Washington and Washington State University Survey Center and included a link to the survey. Please check in with your school administrator's office if you have not yet received the survey. Your school will also be receiving follow-up reminder phone calls to complete the survey. NASN used the data from the 2016-2017 school nurse workforce survey to advocate for school nursing services in school. NASN, University of Washington, and Washington State University Survey Center are grateful for your time on this survey. Your opinion has value and the potential to create meaningful and tangible change for all school nurses! If you choose, respondents will be eligible to enter a $100 raffle in their region.
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NASN 2022 Elections: It's Time to Vote
Are you a voting member? Don’t miss your chance to vote in this year’s election. Ballots must be cast online by April 15, 2022, at midnight.
The candidates below have completed the Nominating Committee process and are running for office.
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The Face of School Nurses
Keep your photo submissions coming. Check our social media in the coming weeks and months as we share them to honor #schoolnurses. (No photos of students, please)
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Spread the Word!
National School Nurse Day 2022
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Here are some easy ways to spread the word about School Nurse Day 2022:
- Display this poster at your school to celebrate you, the leader who bridges healthcare and education.
- Bring attention to #SND2022 to honor more than 95,000 school nurses in the United States who make a difference in the lives of children every day. Share these messages or images on your social media!
- Support from a mayor or governor can raise community awareness about School Nurse Day. Use this template to request public recognition by your local government officials.
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School Nurses in the News |
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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.
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New CDC Recommendations and Impact on Children with Disabilities |
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U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote to educators and parents last week in light of recently updated guidance from the CDC that has led many schools to drop mask requirements.
In the letter, Cardona said, “Schools must continue to take action to preserve safe in-person learning opportunities for students with disabilities, including those at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. To comply with their federal non-discrimination obligations under Section 504, school districts must make reasonable modifications when necessary to ensure equal access for their students with disabilities, absent a showing that the modifications would constitute a fundamental alteration or undue administrative burden to the program.”
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Know Your COVID-19 Community Level |
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COVID-19 Community Levels is a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high. Hospital beds in use, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area will determine community levels. School nurses can use the map of the U.S. by county to track the community level of transmission for your school(s), which is updated weekly.
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Prioritizing Case Investigation and Contact Tracing |
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New guidance for state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health departments includes the advice that universal case investigation and contact tracing are not recommended for COVID-19. Health department jurisdictions should prioritize specific settings and groups at increased risk. STLT health departments may still provide technical assistance and support to K-12 schools and districts that choose to continue with case investigation and contact tracing, particularly if they are implementing test to stay (TTS) strategies. CDC guidance for K-12 Schools, Early Childhood Education, and Higher Education is coming soon.
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Talking To Friends and Family: COVID Boosters for 12-18-Year-Olds
Join Made to Save Thursday, April 7 at 3 p.m. ET for training on how to talk with 12- to 18-year-olds about COVID-19 booster shots. Learning how to discuss the COVID-19 booster shots with this age group is an important step in protecting against COVID-19. Participants in this training will learn basic skills and talking points to have conversations with family and friends about the COVID-19 boosters. Participants will also learn general information regarding the boosters for this age group.
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We are very excited about getting together for NASN2022, bringing together school nurses and others in the school community. NASN’s 54th Annual School Nurse Conference offers two separate learning events in 2022 to meet the needs of all school nurses, amid pandemic health, travel, and economic concerns. Each event will feature its own sessions and speakers.
In the current economy, we know that many travel and professional development training budgets have been reduced. NASN provides a Justification Toolkit to help you explain the substantial return on investment for attending the annual conference. Use the Toolkit to request funding for your attendance at this valuable event.
The kit includes:
- A letter from Linda Mendonca, NASN President
- Learning outcomes
- Funding Ideas
- Cost breakdown
- Important dates and deadlines
- In-person requirements
- Justification letter template
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Managing Chronic Health Conditions |
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Course: Resources for the School Nurse to Support Pediatric to Adult Transition of Lupus Care |
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This one-hour informational webinar outlines the American College of Rheumatology’s program and resources for school health professionals to support students with lupus transition from pediatric to adult health care. In this course, a brief overview of lupus will be presented. There is an emphasis on resources for the school nurse, including NASN programs and resources to support the school nursing practice by incorporating health care transition planning for students with lupus. Learn more and complete the course.
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Improving School Community & Student Health |
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National Healthy Schools Summit 2022: COVID, Climate, Children, and Schools |
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The Healthy Schools Network, an award-winning 501(c)3 that has fostered the national healthy school environments movement, will host its National Healthy Schools Summit virtually on April 5 and 6. The Healthy Schools Network’s National Healthy Schools Hero Award will be presented during the Summit to NASN, accepted by Linda Mendonça, Board President, and Donna Mazyck, Executive Director. The award will also go to Dr. Daniel Lefkowitz for his work on Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Schools. Join us for a two-afternoon summit focused on climate adaptation, resilience, and decarbonizing strategies for K-12 schools. View the Summit Program and register today!
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Creating Safer Spaces for LGBTQ Youth Toolkit |
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The Advocates for Youth publication Creating Safer Spaces for LGBTQ Youth is a new resource on the Division of Adolescent and School Health's (DASH) Creating Safe Schools for LGBTQ+ Youth webpage. This publication is a toolkit for education, healthcare, and community-based organizations. DASH's webpage provides key learning objectives and resources that schools and school districts can use to help school nurses and other school staff build core competencies for supporting LGBTQ+ youth in schools.
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Talking to Students About the War in Ukraine
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Attendance Awareness Campaign 2022 |
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As a proud partner of Attendance Works, NASN is excited to announce the launch of the 10th annual Attendance Awareness Campaign webinar series. This year’s slogan Stay Connected, Keep Learning! will raise awareness of the enormous power of using chronic absence to achieve our hopes of rebounding from the pandemic. The campaign launch will take place during the April 6 webinar. Schools, working with community partners, can strengthen relationships, social-emotional skills and promote daily attendance routines essential to student learning and well-being. The free, four-part series will emphasize the enormous power of using chronic absence data to recover from challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. Learn more and register today.
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Resources: In the weeks before and after a school’s spring break, drops in attendance are common. Attendance Works has an updated letter for families and a downloadable handout with ideas and activities that can motivate students to attend in the spring. Find the resources.
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month |
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This April, the Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) 2022 campaign once again focuses on “Building Safe Online Spaces Together.” We know that we can build and are building online communities centered on respect, inclusion, and safety — where harassment, assault, and abuse are taken seriously. Not only does the National Sexual Violence Resource Center believe that together we can build a safer online world, but they also believe that these values, skills, and actions will create communities that thrive online and offline. SAAM has focused on bringing in audiences beyond advocates — those who may not realize they play an important role in preventing sexual violence. Recent resources have focused on how people including parents, faith leaders, and school staff can become agents of change while sharing the practical things each of us can do to prevent sexual assault.
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NASN Resources: Originally presented at the NASN2019 Annual Conference, the course I Have The Right To, is available to help support young survivors of sexual assault and help them access health resources. Content warning: this educational activity will deal with the topics of sexual assault and traumatic stress. Washington Post reporter Jenn Abelson leads a conversation with advocate and author Chessy Prout on her journey as a high school survivor of sexual assault. This talk explores the struggles teenagers face in speaking out, how to respond to survivors, and ways to upend rape culture. They dive deep into the challenges young survivors face, including the lack of support from the school community and barriers to accessing resources. Jenn and Chessy explain how educators, health professionals, and other members of the school community helped and hurt the teenager's healing journey.
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Deadline:
Champions for School Health Grant Application
Monday, April 4
In this first funding cycle, awards up to $10,000 will be given. Awards are limited to grantees within the Kaiser Permanente market – CA, CO, GA, HI, MD, OR, VA, WA, and the District of Columbia.
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Deadline:
NASN Election Ballot
Friday, April 15
Cast your ballot in the NASN 2022 Elections!
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Monday, April 18
Register early to get the best rate!
Early: Prior to April 18th Regular: After April 18th
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School Nurse Day
Wednesday, May 11
Since 1972, National School Nurse Day has been set aside to recognize school nurses.
National School Nurse Day was established to foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting.
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NASN Annual Conference:
IN-PERSON NASN2022
June 28-30
To register or participate in-person, you must:
- Register by June 6, 2022. No onsite registration will be offered in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Acknowledge that you have read and that you agree to the “Health and Safety Protocols.”
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NASN Annual Conference:
VIRTUAL NASN2022
July 11-13 (online)
Some of the content will be streamed in real time during the conference schedule. This content will also be recorded and available to view through October 14, 2022.
NOTE: This event includes additional "anytime" or on-demand sessions that attendees can begin viewing on the first day of VIRTUAL NASN2022.
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State Associations of School Nurses' Conferences |
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Ohio Association of School Nurses 49th Annual Conference - Where Perseverance Meets Passion - April 1-April 3 - Learn more and register
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Missouri Association of School Nurses: Annual Spring Conference 2022 - School Nurses: Helping Students Soar to New Heights - April 2 & 3 - Learn more and register
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Oregon School Nurses Association Spring Conference 2022 - Strengthening the Essentials - April 21-April 22 - Learn more and register
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Utah School Nurse Association: Annual Spring Conference - Healthy Children are Better Learners - May 5 & 6 - Learn more and register
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Nebraska School Nurses Association: 38th Annual School Health Conference - Transform Knowledge and Practice to Meet the Needs of School-age Children - June 5-7 - Learn more and Register
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Indiana Association of School Nurses Annual Conference - Indiana School Nurses: Moving Forward with Courage and Compassion - June 15 &16 - Learn more and Register
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NASN Calendar of Events
This calendar includes upcoming events hosted by NASN and NASN affiliate school nurse organizations. Access the calendar.
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National Health Observances Calendar
This calendar lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics. Access the 2021 calendar.
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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.
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