School nurses play a pivotal role in school communities during COVID-19 and will remain critical after the pandemic ends. In addition to their regular duties, many school nurses are currently providing COVID-19 information to students, staff, and families; spearheading virus testing and contact tracing efforts at the school and district levels; caring for symptomatic students and staff; and serving as the school or district liaison to local health departments. Many states offer detailed guidance on the roles and responsibilities of school nurses at the district and school levels during the pandemic, including considerations for safely providing school health spaces and personal protective equipment (PPE). However, it is also critical that states consider ways school nurses’ expertise can be proactively leveraged to develop and enhance state and district plans for school reopening, as well as future plans for pandemic response and emergency management. To address these issues, states have provided the following recommendations:
Include school nurses on state- and district-level emergency planning and response teams.
Prioritize the expertise of school nurses when designing and implementing school reopening plans.
Leverage school nurse leadership when reviewing and updating broad school health policies.
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