Implementation of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 will provide an opportunity for school nurses to intervene in the serious childhood obesity problem in the United States. Major changes in the management of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) will likely challenge schools yet may provide the impetus for a collaborative effort by the…

Published qualitative studies have not focused on nurses who solely care for children with special health care needs. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe (a) the work of school nurses who care exclusively for these children, (b) nurses' interaction with parents, staff, or providers, and (c) the challenges, benefits, and support…

As many as 325,000 school-age children, ages 5-14, have epilepsy in the U.S. Thankfully, with medication, surgery, a special diet or vagus nerve stimulation, most go to school and fully participate in school activities. Children who continue to have seizures, however, may run into problems. Many of these problems can be overcome or prevented…

Objectives: To outline the prevalence and disparities of vision problems among school-aged urban minority youth, causal pathways through which vision problems adversely affects academic achievement, and proven or promising approaches for schools to address these problems. Methods: Literature review. Results: More than 20% of school-aged youth have…

School districts are required to comply with a 2004 federal mandate to guide nutrition and physical activity environments of schools by developing and implementing wellness policies. The purposes of this article are to (a) discuss the implications of the federal mandate and (b) analyze policies from nine school districts in one large suburban…

As health care institutions in the United States respond to shrinking budgets and nursing shortages by increasing the use of unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), school nursing practice is changing from providing direct care to supervising activities delegated to UAP. Therefore, delegation is a critical area of concern for school nurses. The…

A variety of leadership theories are examined to support the idea that school nurses can be positive deviants in the school setting. Transformational leadership, situational leadership, and complexity theory can all be used by school nurses to create positive change in the school environment because all recognize the need for flexible leadership…

Lack of privacy, risk of bullying, limited access, lack of essential products for good hygiene, and dirty bathrooms can all contribute to encouraging a child to withhold urine and stool while in school. Withholding behaviors over time can create a condition known as dysfunctional elimination syndrome (DES). DES is any pattern of voiding or…

This article discusses a recent case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court which highlights the importance of having specific suspicions of misbehavior before conducting a strip search. The case involves an eighth-grade female student who was being strip-searched by a middle school assistant principal, a school nurse, and an administrative assistant…

Despite receiving increased professional and public awareness since the initial American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) statement defining Auditory Processing Disorders (APDs) in 1993 and the subsequent ASHA statement (2005), many misconceptions remain regarding APDs in school-age children among health and academic professionals. While…

Asthma remains one of the most challenging chronic illnesses faced by school nurses both nationally and in the State of West Virginia. There is a clear need to provide ongoing continuing asthma education to school nurses. However, nurses face many barriers to receiving this education. The purpose of this pilot project was to develop and evaluate…

Background/Context: This article addresses which school-level factors contribute to school quality. Previous research has focused on assessing the effects of school-level variables on student-level quality (e.g., achievement). However, the field has been limited in not evaluating the effects of school-level factors directly on measured…

Maintaining student health, safety, and welfare is a primary goal for any K-12 school system. If a child becomes sick, is injured, or seems in any other way incapacitated at school, it is the understood responsibility that the school will provide care and, if necessary, contact the parents and direct the child to outside treatment. Beyond that…

Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this research project was to identify goals and establish best practices for school nutrition (SN) programs that serve students with special food and/or nutrition needs based on the four practice categories identified in previous National Food Service Management Institute, Applied Research Division (NFSMI, ARD)…

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a cardiac condition in which an extra electrical pathway within the heart causes an abnormal increase in heart rate. It affects one to three people of every 1,000 people worldwide, occurring more often in males. Diagnosis usually occurs during young adulthood, so it is important for school nurses to be familiar…