Gov. Roy Barnes tackled the huge job of reforming Georgia's public education system this year. Grabbing newspaper headlines were spicy debates over teacher tenure and statewide testing. But buried deep in the 155-page reform bill, overshadowed by the bigger debates, was a smaller but equally important issue: school nurses.

State lawmakers, as part of the governor's reforms, approved $30 million for local school boards to hire school nurses. Georgia Family Council (GFC) proposed an amendment to the school nurse legislation. The amendment would have mandated that nurses acquire parental approval before administering any non-emergency medical procedures or drugs. Although Senator Rick Price supported GFC's amendment, it was narrowly defeated in the Senate.

Why is the school nurse issue a big deal? During the past few years, the number of students taking medications at school has increased dramatically. This places an additional burden on school staff because when a student takes medicine — say insulin for diabetes — a school staff member (often a teacher) must dispense the drug. Thus, instead of teaching, teachers are spending more time medicating.

So, school nurses are needed. But there is a danger here. School medical personnel have a history of overreaching their duties. Instead of simply supervising medical procedures, they have taken the next step — prescribing medical procedures.

In Pennsylvania three years ago, 59 girls, ages 11 and 12 years old, were forcibly subjected to internal gynecological examinations at school. According to press accounts, when the girls learned what was happening, they panicked. One girl tried to escape out a window. Another girl was taken kicking and screaming into the examination room where she was forcibly held down and probed. The school never asked parents for permission.

“That could never happen in Georgia,” you say? Eighteen months ago in Gwinnett County, a high school girl visited a local teen pregnancy center to receive contraceptives. The nurse was prepared to administer the contraceptives, and paused to ask the girl if she had any pre-existing conditions. At first the girl said no, but a few minutes later, she casually mentioned a heart murmur. Later the family doctor informed the girl's mother that, had the nurse administered the medication, there was a great probability the girl would have gone into cardiac arrest.

The school nurse issue isn't about contraceptives or abortion (Georgia law prohibits both on school grounds). It's about parental involvement. When schools treat students without parental consent or knowledge the integrity of families is undermined and children are placed at risk.

This summer, the Fayette County School Board will consider hiring school nurses and will set the protocol for those nurses. GFC has contacted every school board member with one message: keep parents involved. Parents care more, know more, and are the more responsible for their child's health decisions than hired help.

Randy Hicks

President

Georgia Family Council

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