Two school nurses were recognized this week for what the school system calls their efforts to serve, educate and create safe, supportive and nurturing learning environments for Chesterfield County Public Schools’ students and staff members.
Cosby High’s Lindsey Poore was named Virginia Association of School Nurses’ School Nurse of the Year on Wednesday, as school divisions across the Commonwealth celebrated National School Nurses Day. Matoaca High’s Sonji Williams was named Chesterfield County Public Schools’ School Nurse of the Year.
“Our school nurses are a critical part of the health and well-being of our students and staff in every school,” Superintendent Merv Daugherty said. “They are a crucial part of making sure our students have a safe and healthy environment in which to learn, and their work has not stopped even with schools closed.”
In Chesterfield County, school nurses:
- Address home and community factors that impact student health;
- Advance the well-being, academic success, and lifelong achievement of all students by providing a critical safety net;
- Serve as a liaison to the school community, families, and health-care providers on behalf of children’s health by promoting wellness and improving health outcomes;
- Support the health and educational success of children and youth by providing access to care; and
- Serve as members of school-based teams (e.g school health services, 504/IEP, disaster/emergency planning) to address the school population.
“School nurses work at every level of education from preschool through high school,” Daugherty noted. “They provide expertise and oversight of school health services, disease prevention, and health promotion. Because healthy children are successful learners, school nurses advocate for the physical, emotional, mental, and social health of all students.”
