The Taneyville School District, in Southwest Missouri, has gone without a school nurse for several years. The district eliminated the position in an effort to save money. Since then, the secretary has taken over nursing duties even with no formal training or background in healthcare.
But when students returned this week after the holiday break, a new student nurse was again on staff. The position of licensed practical nurse is being funded with a $38,204 Skaggs Legacy Endowment Grant.
The nurse will help develop a nurse sharing program that will be implemented at the end of the grant cycle. The Taneyville District’s superintendent, Dr. Tim Taylor, says they plan to continue with a half-time nurse that Taneyville will share with a neighboring district.
According to The Skaggs Foundation, the district’s K-8 enrollment is around 200 students and includes those with asthma and life-threatening food allergies. Taylor says the secretary was seeing an average of 15 students a day, and had to juggle that with her other job responsibilities.
