Nurses to call for improved student health care access

Among the issues their message will highlight is the need for more nurses in schools to care for sick students.

As student medical needs mount, school nurses in short supply

A nurse could start the day at one school, then travel to another school, and another, to meet students’ needs.

According to the North Carolina Nurses Association, the state falls behind the national average of one nurse to every 750 students. In some counties, the ratio is as low as one nurse to every 2,000 students.

Nurses are pushing state lawmakers close the gap because they say, in many cases, teachers are having to provide aid to sick children.

Wake school board committee to consider plan to match students with nurses

Chris Cowperthwaite, an advocate with the NC Nurses Association, said more school nurses can lead to fewer classroom disruptions.

“The teacher is not teaching,” he said. “The student is not learning, and you may have parents who have to come pick up their child from school.”