Roadmap to Recovery: Year 2 of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic altered traditional education models and school nursing practice during the 2020-2021 school year. As schools plan to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year, school nurses must arm themselves with the most recent evidence-based knowledge and tools to promote the health and safety of the school community. Schools will need to continue infection control measures and strategies to support the social emotional needs of students and staff to promote a safe and healthy learning environment on return to school. Partnered with local health departments, school nurses are vital to mitigation measures such as on-site viral testing and vaccination. A successful school year depends on strong nursing leadership.

School Nursing in a Pandemic: Striving for Excellence in Santa Fe Public Schools.

When the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic led to school closures around the nation in March 2020, the role of the school nurse changed significantly, and it has continued to evolve as districts grapple with how to safely meet students' academic needs while also protecting the health of their communities. Nurses working for Santa Fe Public Schools in New Mexico have taken their new roles seriously and have been working closely with their district leaders, the New Mexico Department of Health, School Health Advocates, and the Public Education Department to facilitate evidence-based policies and procedures. Activities have included cohorting, contact tracing, resource development, education (of staff and families), planning and implementation of safety procedures, coordination of surveillance testing, and staff screening, along with finding new, COVID safe ways to provide standard school nursing services, including immunization administration, hearing and vision screening, teaching, and promoting wellness and mental health.

School Nurse Perspectives on COVID-19.

Pennsylvania responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by closing schools and moving to online instruction in March 2020. We surveyed Pennsylvania school nurses (N = 350) in May 2020 to assess the impact of COVID-19 on nurses' concerns about returning to school and impact on practice. Data were analyzed using χ2 tests and regression analyses. Urban school nurses were more concerned about returning to the school building without a COVID-19 vaccine than rural nurses (OR = 1.58, 95% CI [1.05, 2.38]). Nurses in urban locales were more likely to report being asked for guidance on COVID-19 (OR = 1.69, 95% CI [1.06, 2.68]), modify communication practices (OR = 2.33, 95% CI [1.42, 3.82]), and be "very/extremely concerned" about their safety (OR = 2.16, 95% CI [1.35, 3.44]). Locale and student density are important factors to consider when resuming in-person instruction; however, schools should recognize school nurses for their vital role in health communication to assist in pandemic preparedness and response.

School Nurses on the Front Lines of Healthcare: The Approach to a Student With Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Mental illness is common, and its severity ranges from subclinical to severe, where the condition affects daily social and academic functioning. Because of its ubiquity, it is necessary that school nurses have an enhanced understanding of some of the mental health conditions that children and adolescents may be facing. As will be discussed, some mental health concerns present with somatic symptoms that may bring the student into the school nurse's office. If the nurse identifies mental health symptoms, he or she may be able to intervene, provide support, and direct the student for further management if necessary. This article will focus on anxiety in general before focusing on specific anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder. We will begin by defining these conditions and then move into discussing potential present-day stressors, such as fear and anxiety associated with the recent coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and screening tools before closing with some suggestions for practice and a case wrap-up.

Show Me the Evidence: COVID-19 and School Nursing in the 21st Century.

The emergence of COVID-19 and how to control its spread has highlighted the importance of understanding and applying evidence-based decisions into school nursing practice. This is the fifth and final article in NASN's series on how the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing PracticeTM is a mind-set that can be applied to everyday school nursing practice and will focus on the principle of Standards of Practice, and particularly how evidence-based practice decisions are made during COVID-19.

School nurses' perceptions regarding barriers and facilitators in caring for children with chronic diseases in school settings: A mixed studies review.

This study aimed to understand school nurses' perceptions regarding barriers to and facilitators for health care services for children with chronic diseases in school settings. Using the PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, and Web of Science databases, a mixed studies review was conducted for literature published between January 2011 and June 2020. We performed a mixed-methods systematic review using a convergent integrated approach. A quality appraisal of the included studies was conducted using a mixed-methods appraisal tool. Twenty-seven articles (10 qualitative, 10 quantitative, and seven mixed-methods) that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Integrated findings that emerged from data synthesis were categorized into four levels (intrapersonal level, interpersonal level, institutional level, and community and public policy level) based on a socio-ecological model framework. This mixed systematic review provides a comprehensive understanding of school nurses' perceived barriers and facilitators when providing school health care for students with chronic diseases and how these barriers and facilitators interact across multiple systems. Further policies and strategies should be developed to provide effective school health services considering this study's findings.

Emergency management of dental injury; preparedness among school teachers in Bhubaneswar, India.

BACKGROUND: School is the place, identified with a noticeable risk of Traumatic Dental Injuries (TDI) in children which have functional, esthetic and psychological effects. OBJECTIVES: To assess the preparedness of concerning traumatic dental injuries and their management among school teachers and also to empower the clinician to frame a set of instructions for school teachers to handle the emergencies effectively at the site of the incident. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 school teachers enrolled in government and private schools of 24 randomly selected schools in Bhubaneswar city. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to collect information on participants demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and practice about emergency management of Traumatic Dental Injury. Chi-square test with level of significance set at 5% was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Statistically significant (p<0.05) correct responses were provided by 66.7% males and 35.6% females and 100% younger age teachers. Larger population perceived that their level of knowledge was not satisfactory as they responded for inadequate and don't know options which was significant in relation to gender and age (p<0.05) but not with respect to the type of school (p>0.05). All the respondents expressed the need for a training program. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the instantaneous need for tailor made dental health educational and preventive programs for school teachers in order to effectively manage the Traumatic Dental Injuries.

School Nursing and Public Health: The Case for School Nurse Investigators and Contact Tracing Monitors of COVID-19 Patients in Massachusetts.

School nurses across Massachusetts and the nation rose to the challenges presented by the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). One of the many ways in which school nurses responded to the pandemic was to work in collaboration with their Local Boards of Health in a variety of capacities. The essential functions of a school nurse uniquely prepare them for the roles of case investigators and contact tracing monitors as a means to ensure population health. In addition to both individual and population health within the school setting, school nurses are effective partner in emergency planning and can help inform decision making and policy making within communities.

Protecting American Lungs and Reversing Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act.

Annually, the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) sets advocacy goals. The goals include legislative and policy priorities. This article sets forth current NASN legislative priorities and results of advocacy that benefit students. The NASN Board of Directors are instrumental in moving policy priorities forward. In addition, this article shares NASN advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information Sharing in the School Setting During a Public Health Emergency.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is the federal law that protects the privacy of personally identifiable information from student education records and applies to all education entities that receive funding under any program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is the federal law that establishes privacy requirements for patients' protected health information. Together these privacy laws establish rules that guide school nurses in the sharing of student information, even in times of public health emergencies. The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have issued special updates to privacy laws in response to the Novel Coronavirus Disease providing certain waivers of typical privacy requirements and direction to allow the sharing of information during this public health emergency. The purpose of this article is to briefly review the privacy laws as they relate to schools, as well as to provide an overview of the recent waivers to assist school nurses, school administrators, healthcare professionals, and public health agencies in protecting the health and safety of students during this current public health emergency.

Celebrating 21st-Century School Nursing Practice.

During May we celebrate School Nursing Day. We are often asked-What does a school nurse do? This article is a response to a recently asked request and describes the role of the school nurse in the 21st century, working in one school. The description is not meant to be all inclusive-but rather give examples of the complex role and need for a school nurse.

The Role of the School Nurse in Creating a Vape-Free School.

Electronic, or "e"-cigarette use has been adopted by an alarming number of teens in recent years. E-cigarettes are neither legal for youth nor considered safe for use by youth. E-cigarette companies have targeted youth in their marketing strategies and developed appealing flavors with high nicotine content to ensure dependence on their products. Schools lack adequate resources and capacity to address e-cigarette use, relying mostly on punitive sanctions for what is essentially a health issue. School nurses can help their districts and schools by navigating appropriate consequences for vaping, providing accurate information and education, providing cessation resources, advocating for student support, and informing stakeholders on population health strategies to prevent initiation and reduce youth e-cigarette use.

Challenges and Opportunities in Population Health: The Role of School Nurses as Complexity Leaders.

The school nurse role parallels the growing complexity of health care, education, and the social needs of youth in the United States. The complex and chaotic environment of the school setting requires leaders to be flexible and to have the ability to recognize and tackle the ever-changing needs of this environment. School nurses are in a prime position to enact change and drive the culture of the community, giving it purpose, while allowing its members to have a focus on their work. Nurses, as complexity leaders, are positioned to understand that change is a continual process that stems from collaboration, complex systems thinking, and innovation mindsets.

Advocating for Students and School Nursing: NASN Contributions to the Future of Nursing 2020-2030.

The Future of Nursing (FON) 2020-2030 will be an important roadmap for advancing the profession of nursing. The final FON document is meant to address nursing as a whole-not specific specialties-as well as address changes needed in the entire healthcare system that would facilitate patient safety and care. To ensure inclusion of the needs of school-age children and nurses employed outside the traditional hospital setting in the proceedings, the NASN offered comments at the first public meeting of the Committee on the Future of Nursing in March 2019 (Figure 1) and followed the other town hall meetings carefully. NASN submitted the following observations and suggestions in the form of a memo to the FON 2020-2030 Committee for consideration in the final report.

Moving Upstream From the Individual to the Community: Addressing Social Determinants of Health.

School nurses are often the primary health professional promoting children's health-and address not just individuals, but communities. This article, featuring the key principle of community/public health, is the first in a series focusing on The Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice™ and presents a case study on asthma and air quality issues comparing the more traditional individual approaches to health (labeled downstream and midstream) with population-level approaches (labeled upstream). Through collaboration with key community stakeholders, school nurses can successfully implement policies and programs to address social determinants of health and, in turn, improve the health of the entire community. As we look to advance school nursing and support best practices, concentrating on population-level, upstream approaches align with recommendations outlined in the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice™.

Actual and perceived knowledge of type 1 diabetes mellitus among school nurses.

BACKGROUND: In general, school nurses are aware that it is important to have knowledge of type 1 diabetes to give adequate care to children with the disease. Many studies assessing diabetes knowledge have found different deficits among nurses. To our knowledge, however, no study has assessed the knowledge of type 1 diabetes among school nurses. OBJECTIVE: To assess actual and perceived diabetes knowledge among school nurses. DESIGN: Cross-sectional studies. SETTINGS: Seventeen primary care facilities in Warsaw that employed school nurses. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and thirty school nurses. METHODS: With the Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ), we assessed actual diabetes knowledge. With the Self-Assessed Diabetes Knowledge (SADK), we assessed perceived diabetes knowledge. Both the DKQ and SADK assessed seven domains of diabetes knowledge: general diabetes knowledge; insulin and glucagon; insulin pumps; diabetes complications; nutrition; physical activity, stress, and comorbidities; and glycemia measurements. We related DKQ and SADK scores to each other and to sociodemographic and work-related factors. RESULTS: The rate of correct responses in the DKQ was 46.7%, with the lowest rate regarding knowledge of insulin pumps (36.5%), nutrition (37.4%), and insulin and glucagon (37.9%). Actual and perceived diabetes knowledge were moderately positively correlated (rho = 0.18, p =.009). In six of the seven knowledge domains examined, school nurses perceived their diabetes knowledge better compared with their actual knowledge. DKQ scores were higher in nurses with higher education (p = .024), those who had relatives or friends with diabetes (p = .032), and those who had prior diabetes training (p = .050). Interestingly, DKQ scores were higher among nurses with fewer years of experience (rho = - 0.18, p = .011). CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for additional diabetes training among nursing students and practicing nurses to provide safe and effective care for children with type 1 diabetes.

Assessing a Student With a Rare Disease.

An assessment tool, "Assessing a Student with a Rare Disease," was developed by the Specialized Health Needs Interagency Collaboration program and introduced at NASN's 51st annual conference in Denver, Colorado. The goal of the tool is to support the school nurse as the medical expert in the educational setting by using a comprehensive prompt to gather information about the student's health condition and the possible impact on student's medical, cognitive, and behavioral needs at school.

Theater of the Oppressed and bullying: nursing performance in school adolescent health.

OBJECTIVE: to assess the effects of an intervention based on the Theater of the Oppressed in reducing school bullying. METHOD: a quasi-experimental study with 232 first-year high school students from two public schools in the city of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. An intervention was performed with the Theater of the Oppressed, a theatrical methodology created by Augusto Boal and inspired by Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed", in which one school composed the intervention group, and another school, the comparison group. Both groups were assessed for involvement in bullying situations before and after intervention. For data analysis, Poisson Regression models with random effect were used. RESULTS: intervention group presented a significant decrease in direct victimization (physical and verbal aggression). CONCLUSION: the Theater of the Oppressed represents an important strategy in reducing bullying victimization among school adolescents.