How important are school nurses?

With the World Health Organization declaring a swine flu pandemic “imminent,” the Seattle School District is asking teachers and administrators—who receive some training—to monitor kids for possible infection at most schools, instead of relying on trained medical staff.

According to data received from the Seattle School District, about 80%—or 74 of Seattle's 95 schools—don't have full-time nurses on staff. Nurses generally work two or three days a week, leaving teachers and secretaries to take temperatures and monitor kids for behavioral shifts, which could indicate illness.

The school district, naturally, is a bit defensive about the lack of nursing staff in the district. “Parents should be [monitoring] as well,” says Seattle School District spokesman David Tucker. “It’s not just the school district’s job." When I pointed out to Tucker that some teachers aren't comfortable diagnosing their students, Tucker says the district is "not looking for teachers to make diagnoses.”

While the school district is downplaying the importance of nurses in schools, at least one swine flu case appears to have been spotted by a school nurse. New York City school nurse Mary Pappas is being is being credited with spotting a swine flu outbreak at her school and contacting the health department.

It was her call to the New York City Health Department last Thursday morning that prompted the city to send samples from sick students to Atlanta for testing, and resulted in the first eight confirmed cases of swine flu in New York State on Sunday, triggering a nationwide response.

It’s possible that the nurses really aren’t necessary, and that vigilant parents and doctors will be enough. But it seems that they could also be a helpful resource to have in place at a time when schools are closing because of the fear of widespread illness. Unfortunately, the district doesn’t see it that way.

According to district records, about 50 of Seattle’s 95 schools don’t have a nurse on staff today.