October 6, 2022

NASN is calling for presentation submissions for NASN2023, Building for the Future: Health, Advocacy, and Leadership. NASN will again have both an in-person conference, June 30 - July 3, 2023, (preconference 6/29) in Orlando, FL, and a virtual conference July 10 - 12.

School nurses, researchers, and all focused on supporting students and school health services are encouraged to submit presentations. Presentation modes for In-person NASN2023 are General, Breakout, Workshop, Preconference, and e-Poster sessions. Presentation modes for Virtual NASN2023 are General and Breakout sessions. All submissions are due November 16, 2022, at noon ET.

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To receive a Certificate of Completion and be awarded Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) contact hours for the sessions for both In-Person and Virtual NASN2022, you must complete the assessments and evaluations. From the links above, choose the event and day of the session to locate specific assessments and evaluations. There you can also find the syllabus for each event, event discussions, and instructions on how to earn NCPD. The deadline to receive NCPD for both events is October 14, 2022.

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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.

• Half of School Nurses Report Being Harassed, Threatened (Source: edweek.org)
• Congratulations to Jillian Sweeney of Webster Schroder High School! (Source: rochesterfirst.com)
• The Relentless School Nurse: Let’s Write Letters for Impact! (Source: relentlessschoolnurse.com)
• Emergency overdose treatment administered 15 times in AL schools this school year (Source: mynbc15.com)
• Comprehensive blueprint for real equity in Chicago’s public schools (Source: ctulocal1.org)
• White House conference highlights ways to get students physically active (Source: k12dive.com)
• Opinion: The school nurse’s office should never be empty (Source: marylandmatters.org)

With funding made possible through the CDC Healthy Schools Branch, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will launch a Chronic Condition Management in Schools Community Grants Program. Up to 10 Community Grants to plan and implement collaborative projects to advance chronic condition management in schools, each worth up to $12,500, are available to qualified applicants. Funded projects must establish teams that include representatives from the following sectors: (1) schools and/or school districts and (2) local pediatricians and/or pediatric residents. Community organizations/local health departments are also invited to apply and must include the above two sectors on the project team. 

The application deadline is Friday, October 21, 2022. If you have questions, contact Courtney Day, Manager, Community Health and Partnerships, at [email protected] or apply online.

Using the WSCC Model to Implement Wellness Policies and Sustain Chronic Health Condition Management in Schools

School nurse involvement with school wellness policies is critical to ensure the overall health and well-being of students are addressed. The ‘gold standard’ model school wellness policy developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation was updated in June 2020. This course offers information on the updated model wellness policy that now includes recommended language to address all 10 components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model and the (2020) NASN supplemental language to address chronic health condition management – positioning the school nurse to be able to fully participate when schools review and refresh current school wellness policies. Learn more and complete the course.

• See also Managing Chronic Health Conditions in Schools: Model School Wellness Policy Supplement providing additional supplemental language that can be included in Local School Wellness Policies to address the management of chronic health conditions in schools. The supplemental language, developed through the alignment of the NASN's Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice™, addresses components of the WSCC model as they relate to students with chronic health conditions.

NASN Blog: Communicate You Care

"Advocating for student-centered care means engaging and educating the family," writes Nichole Bobo, MSN, RN, NASN Director of Nursing Education, in a recent blog post.

"A PCORI-funded (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) study of children and teens with mild persistent asthma found that using the control inhaler as needed worked the same as daily use in improving asthma control, the number of asthma flares, how well the lungs work, and quality of life. Do you know if your students with mild persistent asthma and their families know about this new evidence-based approach to care? Knowing what you know about your students, based on your ongoing holistic nursing assessment of these students, would this evidence-based option to asthma management be a better approach for controlling asthma symptoms?" Read the full blog post.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to the U.S. response, including how to address the needs of K-12 education. After 29 months in pandemic response mode, we’re ready to reflect and look ahead! Join state, local, tribal, and territorial public health and education leaders, researchers, and federal government partners on November 15-16, 2022, for the two-day K-12 COVID-19 Response Symposium, with keynote speaker Deborah L. Birx, M.D., former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator. Here we will discuss what we did, what we learned, what we’re doing now, and what we can do to prepare for future public health crises. Learn more.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is now taking more steps to address inequities in the treatment of COVID-19. HHS is making 60,000 doses of the monoclonal antibody treatment bebtelovimab available to uninsured or underinsured families, with many more becoming available later this year. Learn more.

The CDC recommends everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations. You can help families or students check if they are up to date here and find out if and when they can get a booster. People can visit vaccines.gov (English) or vacunas.gov (Spanish) to search for vaccines nearby.

Join the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, CDC, FDA, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response for weekly Monkeypox updates on Thursdays at 2:00 PM EST. Register to listen in on the hour-long briefing.

New guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued September 26, 2022, lists several treatment options and reiterates its stance that forcing a child with lice to stay home may do more harm than good.

"Some schools have instituted a “no-nit” policy, referring to the egg of a louse or the empty shell casing, but both the AAP and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) suggest discontinuing the practice. Nits very often don’t translate to crawling lice, and keeping a child out of school can be a burden for both the child and the parents." View the article.

• NASN Resources: See NASN's Position Statement on Head Lice Management in Schools, and you can also view our recently updated health and practice topics page for more Head Lice resources. 

Schools play a critical role in promoting students’ health and development and can take action to help students feel connected. Learn about what schools can do to promote school connectedness with these CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health resources.

Join the White House Summit on Indoor Air Quality via live stream on Tuesday, October 11, from 1 – 5 p.m. ET. The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the critical importance of air quality in the fight against infectious diseases. The summit will focus on our collective efforts to chart a path toward more buildings adopting indoor air quality improvements so that more Americans can benefit from its health protections. RSVP to attend.

The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, from 2 – 3:30 p.m. ET, where you can learn strategies for overcoming some barriers to eye care, including common challenges and cultural beliefs. The session will provide information about financial assistance resources for eye examinations and eyeglasses and how a team-based individualized Health Action Plan can be used by school nurses and others to help families overcome barriers to eye care. Learn more and register. 

Period Action Day (PAD) is a day to grow the menstrual movement and take action to end period poverty through service, education, or advocacy, in your community. Schools and communities can host a product drive and take action to bring awareness to this issue. Check out the PAD video to learn more.

Each year, during the first week of October, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and participants across the country raise awareness of mental illness, fight discrimination, and provide support through Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW). This year’s MIAW is centered around the theme “What I Wish I Had Known,” focusing on the power of lived experience. Learn more and find shareable facts and resources from NAMI.

• NASN Resources: See highlights from a national survey spotlighting the mental health of school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join NASN's SchoolNurseNet Healthy School Nurse Community, a space where wellness tools and information are shared. View our health and practice topics Mental Health page for resources to improve the mental wellbeing of students.

• Kansas School Nurses Organization - 46th Annual Governor's Conference for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect - October 11-20 - Learn more and Register

• Tennessee Association of School Nurses Fall 2022 Conference - Advancing the Professional Practice of the School Nurse: One Life at a Time - November 2-3 - Learn more and Register

• Texas School Nurse Organization Conference -Promoting student health by building resiliency - November 4-6 - Learn more and Register

• Colorado Association of School Nurses Fall Conference - Supporting Student Success: School Nurses Make a Difference - November 4-6 -  Learn more and Register

• Virginia Association of School Nurses Fall Conference - 36th Annual Fall Conference - November 5-6 -  Learn more and Register

• West Virginia Association of School Nurses Annual Fall Conference - Back to Basics - November 10-12 - Learn more and Register

• Annual North Carolina School Nurse Conference - School Health: A Time to Reflect, Celebrate, and Refocus - December 8-9, 2022 - Learn more and Register

• Overseas School Health Nurse Association Spring Conference 2023 - March 26-27, 2023 - Learn more and Pre-register