November 17, 2022

School systems are experiencing systemwide closures due to staff and student flu-like and respiratory illnesses.

The CDC advises schools to conduct routine cleaning and educate staff, students, and families on what to do if someone gets sick. Donna Mazyck, executive director of NASN, said NASN’s flu-mitigation advice includes vaccination, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands, not touching eyes, nose, or mouth, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, and staying home when sick.

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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.

• Universal Masking in School Works. New Data Shows How Well (Source: time.com)
• School nurses want exposure for school resources (Source: wvva.com)
• LAPS Offers Tips For Staying Healthy This Winter (Source: losalamosreporter.com)
• Keota School Nurse Helps District Prepare for Flu Season (Source: kciiradio.com)
• Nurses recognized for all the past, present, and future care they provide to the Texas Panhandle (Source: amarillo.com)
• QC school nurses trained to address drug ODs (Source: eastvalleytribune.com)

It is critical for states to provide a comprehensive set of policies and resources to help school districts create a system of support to meet all students’ mental health needs either by schools directly or by school-community collaborations. An equity focus is built into the recommendations provided here, led by Healthy Schools Campaign and Mental Health America.

Data related to the impact of the pandemic underscore the unprecedented magnitude of the mental health needs of children, students, families, and school staff. The U.S. Department of Education’s Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Needs presents recommendations to broaden the reach and access to mental health services in schools.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care, which offer guidance and strategies to help communities address gaps in behavioral health crisis services for children and youth. 

• NASN Resources: School nurses are frontline healthcare professionals in schools identifying and supporting students in crisis. See NASN's Mental Health resource page and learn more about Social and Emotional Health in our COVID-19 Reference Guide.

School Nursing Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline: Medication Administration in Schools Implementation Toolkit

School nurses care for 56.4 million students across the United States, many of whom require medication during the school day. NASN’s School Nursing Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline: Medication Administration in Schools, provides a uniform guideline for administering medication in schools, including evidence-based recommendations for the safe care of Pre-K-12 students who receive medications during the day. The School Nursing Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline: Medication Administration in Schools Implementation Toolkit includes sample policies, training and delegation, forms and templates, checklists and protocols, and more and will help school nurses implement those recommendations.

• See NASN's Improving Care Coordination for Students with Chronic Health Conditions Toolkit, which includes tools and resources to support the school nurse's role in leading care coordination for students with chronic health conditions.

The NASN’s Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice™ contains five pillars of practice, one of which is Community and Public Health. The CDC is offering online training in collaboration with multiple healthcare providers for professionals who are new to the field. Create an account and log in to get started.

School nurses play a vital role in enhancing vaccine uptake by providing strong vaccine recommendations. The course Vaccine Hesitancy and the School Nurse's Role to Alleviate Parents' Concerns reviews common vaccine myths and the science behind them. Participants learn skills and resources to increase vaccine rates in their communities and protect their students from vaccine-preventable diseases. This session, first presented at Virtual NASN2021, now available in the NASN Learning Center, provides two evidence-based methods of conversations for engaging vaccine-hesitant parents and caregivers in meaningful conversations about vaccines.

• See also the new Building Family Confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit - Framing Strategies for School Nurses, evidence-based tips and techniques to support more productive conversations and communications about getting children vaccinated. The toolkit is offered by NASN as part of the Champions for School Health project, aiming to increase confidence in and access to pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations.

This Is Planet Ed, an initiative of the Energy and Environment Program of the Aspen Institute, shared in a recent blog survey findings on the state of public opinion on climate change, particularly as it affects children and future generations in the United States. The blog also includes tips to talk to kids about climate change. Read the blog.

Tobacco use continues to threaten the health of the nation’s youth, and disparities in tobacco use among youth exist by race and ethnicity, sexual identity, gender identity, academic achievement, the measure of family affluence, and psychological distress. More than 3 million (11.0%) U.S. youth reported using a commercial tobacco product in 2022, including more than 2.5 million high school and 530,000 middle school students. Learn more in the new CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2022.

American Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate public education, inform the community of the accomplishments and needs of public schools, secure cooperation and support from the public, and honor individuals who are making a difference to ensure every child receives a quality education. Learn more.

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

• California School Nurses Organization: 73rd CSNO Conference - Moving Forward REJUVENATED AND RESILIENT - February 17-19, 2023 - Learn more and Register

• Maryland Association of School Health Nurses Annual Conference - School Nurse-Navigators "Remember the Past, Navigate the Present, and Prepare for the Future" - March 4, 2023 - Learn more

• Vermont State School Nurses Association Spring Conference - March 24 - Save the Date

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

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 2022 calendar. 

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