News

North Central Educational Service District (NCESD) will be recognizing regional school nurses on Wednesday, May 11 in celebration of National School Nurse Day

NCESD encourages others to take a few minutes on May 11 to say thank you to a school nurse for their dedication to student health and safety, and particularly for their efforts to maintain student and school safety through COVID pandemic efforts.

In 2022, Governor Jay Inslee proclaimed May as Nurses Month. In the proclamation, he encourages “all people in Washington state to honor the nurses serving Washingtonians, especially recognizing the critical and life-saving role that registered nurses have filled around our state, country, and world through the current coronavirus pandemic.”

National School Nurse Day, an annual celebration, recognizes the unique specialty of school nursing. Individual role recognition is intended to promote a deeper examination and appreciation of the school nurse role in the education setting.

Grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, the school nurse ensures that students have the health supports they need to attend school and engage in learning. Often the only licensed healthcare provider in a school building, the school nurse serves in a unique role, creating a bridge between the school setting and the healthcare setting.

Interview with Quincy School District School Nurses

We interviewed Quincy School District Nurses Ellen Bush & Lenore Low, two sisters planning on retiring after careers of service as nurses for not only students but the great community. Hear about their careers, the importance of school nurses, and advice they have for others.

School nurses provide care coordination and case management, and advocate for quality, student-centered care. They serve as critical links between the school, home, primary healthcare providers, and community and mental health services; and their contributions support student attendance, engagement, graduation rates, and ultimately, development of successful community members. For some students, the school nurse serves as their primary connection to a licensed health professional.

School districts are required by law to provide health services and make accommodations for students with chronic or life-threatening health conditions. School nurses have been relied on to meet district health requirements and maintain student safety – more than ever before over the past 2 pandemic years. They have certainly earned a thank you as they celebrate their annual day of recognition.

About North Central Educational Service District

The North Central Educational Service District provides a wide array of programs, services and support to the 29 public school districts in the North Central Washington region of Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan county. The service district provides professional and timely tools to meet the needs of individual schools and districts, and a reliable point of education-related information for the communities served. The NCESD is one of nine respected educational service districts in Washington state.

About NCESD School Nurse Corps

School Nurse Corps (SNC) is a collaborative program of Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and Educational Service Districts (ESDs) represented within the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD). The program fills a critical gap in access to equitable school nursing services for students in small, rural districts. SNC strives to ensure student health and safety and to support attendance and learning by expanding public school districts’ nursing service capacity.
The program’s regional infrastructure allows for flexibility and coordination in response to regional health needs, trends, and initiatives. The Director of School Nurse Corps for North Central Educational Service District is Cathy Meuret.