Pryor students returned to the user school on Tuesday and the district said it was ready. There will be a nurse in each and every school in the district, which is rare in Oklahoma.
Pyror Public Schools said they were already making plans to rent to another nurse this year, and then COVID-19 appeared. The superintendent said the district can rent two nurses under CARES legislation.
Roosevelt Elementary study rooms are in a position for the first day of classes on Tuesday, with room for students to be as divided as possible. Just down the hall, Jenny Line, director of fitness and school nurse, is also in one position.
“We will do everything we can to keep them healthy and safe. That’s our number one precedence in all this,” Line said.
This is his sixth year with the district and this year they are two more nurses.
“When I started here, I was hired as a nurse at the moment, so the six years had the possibility and the possibility of getting a nurse up to every place,” she says.
Each is a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in science, which Line says is a position.
The Department of Education said its knowledge of the 2019-2020 school year shows that of 547 districts in Oklahoma, about 400 do not have nurses on staff. Only 150 districts have at least one nurse.
One of Pryor’s new nurses, Alisan Martin, said having a nurse at each school puts her district ahead.
“Having someone without delay in every school system, even if it’s just a question or an emergency that happens,” Martin said.
Martin will become a school nurse after working for 11 years at St. Francis, and is getting a pay cut.
“I need to be close to the house and closer to my children. Our total circle of relatives is here. I just need to get more involved,” Martin said.
Haley Poole, who will be the nurse at Lincoln Elementary, shared her perspective for tomorrow:
“Show grace and current, ” said Poole.
Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said in a statement: “The importance of a school nurse cannot be overlooked. School nurses play a basic role in children’s schooling. In some cases, they are the only fitness professionals a student can consult. He has also been known as a vital member of the OSDE Back to Learning Framework as schools prepare to resume their activities in this global pandemic Our schools and academics want nurses more than ever.
Superintendent Pyror, Don Raleigh, said approximately 8% of students in his district are enrolled for virtual learning.