School nurses say they’re overburdened and burned out
More than 100 Columbus City School nurses sent a letter to the district and school board members, saying they're overwhelmed, tired and left doing it all when it comes to dealing with COVID exposures because of unclear directives.
The letter was sent Thursday to Superintendent Talisa Dixon, Columbus Board of Education members and other district administrators and signed by 115 of 119 school nurses, according to the Columbus Education Association (CEA), the union that represents them.
“School Nurses are overwhelmed by the scope of our contact tracing responsibilities,” the letter states. “The sheer volume of exposures and positive COVID-19 cases has left nurses exhausted and burnt out in the first weeks of school.”
Columbus City Schools has had 179 students and 63 staff cases of COVID-19 since the start of the 2021-22 school year, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Columbus has had 4,585 students and 191 staff members quarantine so far this school year, according to the district's website.
Columbus City Schools requires masks for all students, staff members and visitors.
The nurses said the district is not providing clear directives concerning which school employees are responsible for helping to carry out the multiple steps it takes to contact trace – leading to confusion and frustration.
“Last week, one school principal even sent an email to all staff stating that if they tested positive for COVID-19 they could continue reporting to work as long as they wear a mask and socialdistanced,” according to the letter. “It took two days to get a correction notice to staff.”
The nurses said they're bearing the brunt of the confusion and often find themselves working in hostile environments where they're yelled at, disrespected, and in one case even reported to the Ohio Department of Health for doing their jobs.
School nurses nationwide are expressing similar frustrations, especially as they take on ever-increasing roles developing mitigation strategies, doing contract tracing and case management and also sometimes conducting COVID tea\sting and helping with vaccine administration.
In their letter, the nurses for Columbus schools asked the district to:
h Designate additional staff to help with the clerical work associated with contact tracing
h Ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding existing protocols
h Revise health and safety protocols to reflect the current reality
“We cannot passively stand by and witness COVID-19 run rampant in our buildings while protocols are unclear or ignored, and staffing is not adequate to keep up with the work,” the letter states.
The district said in a statement they had a meeting Thursday with the school nurses and principals to talk about the district's COVID-19 response, district spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant said in an email.
“The meeting was an opportunity to review procedures and protocols with all principals and school nurses,” the statement said. “While the session was not a direct result of this letter, the conversation addressed much of what the school nurses also identified.”
The district said in the statement they are committing additional funding to support staff who can help the nurses with contract tracing and notifications.
“Our school nurses have been invaluable in helping to lead our District response to the ongoing pandemic,” the statement said. “We appreciate their expertise and unwavering commitment to the health and safety of our students, staff, and community.”
CEA President John Coneglio said it a step in the right direction but said there is still lots of work to be done.
“We're optimistic that this stuff can get worked out,” he said.
Megan Henry is the Columbus Dispatch’s K-12 education reporter. Reach her at mhenry@dispatch.com or (614) 559-1758. Follow her on Twitter @megankhenry.