The Relentless School Nurse: “Can I Tell You Something Nurse Chris?”

, We cannot underestimate the impact of the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” movement that is sweeping across the country. On the surface, it seems innocent enough. Parents and school nurses need to be strong partners for students’ health and well-being. But when legislation passes that includes cherry-picking which “services” school nurses can provide, it becomes a quagmire fraught with barriers to care.

In my last blog post, entitled: The Relentless School Nurse: There is Nothing “Routine” in School Nursing!, I gave the example of how Wyoming lawmakers have tasked schools with coming up with lists of “routine” healthcare services that parents would opt into and asked for feedback from my readers. The following message is from “Nurse Chris,” president of the Northeast Ohio Association of School Nurses and president-elect of the Ohio Association of School Nurses.  

Chris’s concluding message is a clarion call to action! Let’s join forces and push this message out into our networks, our voices are powerful tools for change.

Raise your voice with your own everyday story! We are more than a consent.

 

Can I tell you something, Nurse Chris? 

Yes, you can tell me something. 

When I’m 10, you won’t even know who I am. My body will be taller. My muscles will be so strong! 

Yes, they will. 

And when I’m 16, you really won’t know who I am. 

When you’re 16, you might even be driving a car. 

When I’m 16, can I drive forever, like for real forever. 

Yes, you can drive a car forever and maybe I’ll drive right by you. 

When I’m 100, you will not know me. 

Every school day at 11:30, I am greeted by a joyful 5-year-old kindergartener coming to see the school nurse for his daily medication who enthusiastically asks me, “Can I tell you something, Nurse Chris?”. This question is often followed by a story that leaves me contemplating and treasuring his words for the rest of the day. 

Ohio, House Bill 8, sponsored by D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Sara P. Carruthers (R-Hamilton) has passed the House and is making its way through the Senate. 

Better pay attention Ohio school nurses! 

If passed by the Senate and signed by Governor DeWine, this bill titled “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” will require public schools in Ohio to notify parents at the start of each school year of the healthcare services offered at their school and provide them with an option to withhold consent or decline any specified service. There is also legislation for policy regarding instructional materials that contain sexual content. 

It’s legislation like this that can impact the trust relationship between school nurses and the parents of our students. The 5-year-old kindergartener’s parents had asked Nurse Chris to help them ensure that he was performing at his best so he could learn and grow without the need for an opt-in or opt-out on healthcare services. Medication administration and other treatments already require consent from parents and instructions from pediatricians that are documented in authorization forms. 

Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN, The Relentless School Nurse, recently wrote a blog about this concerning trend in statehouses across the country, most recently in Wyoming. She suggests we create a list of school nursing tasks, pointing out school nurses provide more than the sum total of tasks. 

Write to your legislator if you oppose HB 8. 

Raise your voice with your own everyday story! We are more than a consent.

 

 

Christine Rogen, MPH, BSN, RN- LSN, NCSN 

Semi-competent parent. Life-long partner. Born in California, raised my family in Northeast Ohio. Enjoy being outside, moving in all weather conditions, and browsing the shelves of my local library. School Nursing is my second career fostering the intensity of my critical care and healthcare management experience while applying my advanced degree in public health.

President of the Northeast Ohio Association of School Nurses and President-Elect of the Ohio Association of School Nurses.