School nurses, librarians are educational assets

     We have a state mandate in Iowa that says every school must have at least one school nurse and one school librarian on staff.

     In the Monticello School District, you will find school nurses at each of our buildings (high school, middle school, and the shared elementary schools). You will also find school librarians in each building. While they may not hold the title of “librarian,” they take on various roles associated with the school library and technology.

     Well, if you haven’t heard, a Republican Senator in Iowa who happens to chair the state’s Senate Education Committee in Des Moines wants to do away with that mandate. I would hope her suggestion urges some to contact their state legislator to encourage just the opposite. These are important roles within our local education systems.

     Sen. Amy Sinclair said her opposition is due to feeling that the state government should not be the one telling the schools how to function. She wants the control left in the hands of the local school boards, who know what’s best for their schools.

     Across the state, there are public school districts in towns without public libraries, without access to readily available healthcare. School librarians and school nurses are needed.

     These staff members don’t just serve the singular role as their job title might suggest. I’ve interviewed several of the MCSD nurses and librarians through our weekly “Panther Professional” series. I can tell you after talking to them, I became more aware of the various tasks they take on as part of the school nurse or librarian, going above and beyond the obvious.

     These roles within our schools are unique because they see most of the student population throughout the school day or week. Teachers might only see their core classroom of students. But the school nurse, for example, sees those kids who have medical issues and then relates those to the appropriate school officials and administrators.

     Sen. Sinclair also wants to see the public school mandate eliminated that forces schools to collect and keep data on students’ vision screenings, dental screenings, and lead poisoning tests.

     I’d ask what is it hurting by having this data? It’s not made public. It serves a purpose. If a student is seen to have critical vision issues, a school nurse could be the first to recognize the issue and find a way to get that student the proper attention.

     Those legislators who have shown support for this bill want to see education administration costs lowered across the state. Apparently eliminating these jobs is their way of trying to accomplish just that.