This in response to the article about the school nurse’s workload at the Robert V. Connors Elementary School (Sun Journal, Sept. 24). The school should have opened with two nurses to accommodate the children’s needs. The new school houses what were Longley and Martel schools. Each school had its own nurse. If the population of Connors Elementary is the total of the other two schools, why, then, weren’t two nurses transferred to the new school? Those positions have been included in the school budget for years, hence, no new tax dollars from residents.

School Board members Mark Cayer and Tom Shannon are asking for more data. Why? The school nurse at Connors has put in an additional 29 hours of overtime to keep up with her job responsibilities. Where is the time to prepare data sheets?

Cayer and Shannon, along with other school committee members, need to observe what school principal Sara Sims has for recorded information. I think most people would be amazed at how demanding a school nurse job can be.

The children at Connors Elementary School need the public’s support with the addition of a second school nurse. Perhaps a conversation with the two former school nurses sharing their responsibilities would be all the data needed. I would suggest that the school board not take national figures and compare to a national average. Shouldn’t Lewiston services to children be above average?

I think so.

Mark Ferguson, Turner

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