MANTI – The South Sanpete School District nurses received what Superintendent Ralph Squire said was some much-deserved recognition at the board meeting on Nov. 10 at Manti High School.
At the same meeting, some parents who oppose COVID-19 vaccination complained about the wording of an email sent to parents to let them know how they could get their children vaccinated.
Superintendent Squire introduced the three school nurses to the board and showed the board what they do in their jobs and how their duties have changed due to COVID-19. Their jobs have become a lot more complicated due to the frequent changes with COVID-19.
Staying on top of the testing and submitting the results has been an overwhelming task. The nurses have performed more than 7,000 rapid COVID tests since the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, with just under 1,000 of them since this school year started in September.
Once the tests are performed, they have to submit results, and it’s more than just the click of a button, Squire said. The nurses have to gather demographics for each individual, create spreadsheets and submit results to the state online.
Their job doesn’t end once results are submitted, Squire said. Contact tracing, assessing symptoms, educating on appropriate actions, holding multiple vaccine clinics, maintaining patience and professionalism when working with families and fellow employees, and updating COVID case counts daily for the district and for the health department are just a few of the tasks that have been added to their workloads.
“The nurses have been invaluable in uncertain and unprecedented times… They are contacted after hours and on weekends with questions regarding symptoms and regarding COVID rapid testing to alleviate employee concerns. They have gone above and beyond each and every day.”
Ralph Squire, Superintendent, South Sanpete School District
The COVID-19 pandemic not only brought on a load of extra work for the nurses, but it brings out so many different opinions, one of which was expressed by a couple of parents at the beginning of the meeting.
Rachelle and Don Durrant, who said they were speaking for other parents, quoted the email as saying the “Pfizer COVID vaccine has been approved for all children ages 5-18.” The word “approved” was in bold.
“The FDA authorized but did not approve. There is a big difference,” Rachelle said.
The Durrants both talked about how upset they were that, as they explained it, the district was forcing its vaccine agenda onto the community.
Board President Grant Hansen said that all the district is doing is providing an opportunity to be vaccinated to its students.
“We allow political things to take place in our schools, and we will allow the health department to use our buildings also. It’s no different,” said Hansen.
He said no pressure is being put on students or parents to get the vaccination, and nurses will not give a shot without the parent’s written consent.
