How Coronavirus Exposes the Flawed Public Health System Within Schools

Following the Great Recession in 2008, budget cuts have plagued public school districts across the country. Budget cuts to the school system are problematic for a myriad of reasons; however, one area of essential school services victimized by low funding is an especially timely topic in the current pandemic situation. The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) reports that as of 2018 only about 39% of schools nationwide employ full-time school nurses, 35% employ a part-time nurse, and 25% do not employ a nurse at all. Of the percentage of schools that do not employ a school nurse, a quarter of schools nationwide, many are forced to resort to using school staff with no medical training to carry out the responsibilities of a school nurse.