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School nurses talk toll of the pandemic, changes in their roles over last two years

While much has been said about the toll the pandemic has taken on healthcare workers, little has been said about the lead medical workers inside of schools.

ATLANTA — The toll the pandemic has taken on parents, teachers, and students has been widely documented over the last two years. However, little has been said about what school nurses have been through since the beginning of the pandemic.

School nurses across the country have borne the brunt of COVID-19 outbreaks, being almost entirely responsible for things like contact tracing and mask mandates. 11Alive spoke with six school nurses from different schools and districts across the metro Atlanta area about what they've been through.

In the 6th largest school district in Georgia, Forsyth County Head Nurse Heidi Avila said the pandemic has in some cases turned school nurses into the enemy.

“When a family doesn’t want to quarantine or comply, the nurses are on the front lines getting yelled at," Avila explained. "What I’m most worried about is when will it end."

In Dekalb County, School Education Coordinator & Nurse Joann Howard stated she thinks about all of the individuals that her district has lost over the last two years.

“The most difficult thing I’ve seen is the loss of some of our families," she said.

Meanwhile, nurses in the Atlanta Public School system said the pandemic has wrecked their health.

Jules Kelly, a school nurse at Howard Middle School said the pandemic has transformed their roles inside of schools, adding “we are no longer just school nurses...we are warriors.” 

Darlene Bowden, a school nurse at E Rivers Elementary at Peach Battle even noted that tackling the pandemic has taken a team.

"If there’s anything that I want parents and families, and communities to know is that managing COVID takes a village," she explained.

Meanwhile, Lori Oxman, a school nurse at Morris Brown Elementary School explained that while the last two years have been tough, she does feel like she's grown.

She told 11Alive, “I do feel that we have learned so much over the last two years and that we have gotten stronger."

Finally, Larry Bell, a school nurse at Daniel McLaughlin Therrell High School explained that he's grateful for the leadership role he's been given at his school. 

As these frontline workers head into another semester of COVID-19 in schools, this group of school nurses said what they need most is hugs, smiles, conversations, compassion, patience, and to be heard.

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