Wichita school district considers replacing school nurses with LPNs

? Although no formal proposal has been made, Wichita school officials are considering replacing registered nurses in the state’s largest school district with licensed practical nurses, a move they say would save the district about $2 million a year.

The suggestion is raising alarms from registered nurses, who say LPNs don’t have the skill or training necessary to care for students, many with chronic health problems, The Wichita Eagle reported Thursday.

“What scares us the most is that the people making these decisions are educators and not medical people,” said Mandy Pilla, a registered nurse who worked in Wichita schools until last year. “I know we’re not generating any measurable test scores, but there’s so much going on with the children of our district, you wouldn’t believe it. … Nurses are a crucial part of schools.”

Wichita’s 80 school nurses have bachelor of science degrees and are covered under the teachers’ contract. Licensed practical nurses typically complete one year of study and training at a hospital, community college or vocational school. State law requires that LPNs work under the supervision of a doctor or registered nurse.

The idea is part of the district’s proposal to the teachers’ union for contract talks that began earlier this month.

“When you are considering cutting $30 million because of a lack of state and federal funding, the district has to evaluate everything,” Wichita district spokeswoman Susan Arensman said. The district has an annual budget of about $630 million.

The school nurses are not part of a $13 million budget reduction presented to board members Monday, which included 65 to 70 unspecified district jobs.

Bernadette Fetterolf, associate dean of nursing and allied health at Newman University, on Monday told the board that most LPNs have little or no clinical experience with children.

“What is the best and safest solution to providing health oversight in our schools? I believe from both a pediatric and educational perspective that the RN role should be maintained in the school system,” she said.

Pilla said it’s typical for a nurse at a large Wichita high school to see 75 students or more a day, with ailments ranging from the common cold to food allergies or seizure disorders. Nurses also conduct or supervise vision, hearing and dental screenings.

Board member Lynn Rogers said he understood the nurses’ concern but with the district facing a $30 million budget shortfall, every possibility has to be considered.

“We’re going to have to make decisions between bad and worse, and they’re not going to be fun,” Rogers said. “And this is just the beginning.”