Working with Your School Nurse: What General Education Teachers Should Do To Promote Educational Success for Students with Health Needs (Archived)

Transcript: Challenge

Dylan Sanger is a junior at Harwood High School. He has sacral agenesis, which impacts the lower portions of his spinal column and pelvis. On a few occasions, he also has experienced seizures that normally are controlled by medication. Dylan cannot walk as a result of his sacral agenesis, so he uses a manual wheelchair. As a part of his IEP, Dylan has an individualized healthcare plan, which allows him to leave class when he needs to use his urinary catheter. He has an emergency care plan in case he experiences a seizure at school.

Last year, he missed several weeks of school because of significant healthcare issues. But now it’s the first week of a new school year, and Dylan is especially excited. He is the elected junior-class student body president. And not only that, two of his best friends will be taking Honors English with him. All of the school personnel were trained in how to implement Dylan’s emergency care plan last year. However, Ms. Worley, the new Honors English teacher, has been given a copy of the plan but has not yet received the training.

The first two days of school, Dylan was 10 minutes late to Ms. Worley’s class because he needed to catheterize himself. While Ms. Worley understood she needed to allow Dylan additional time to go to the bathroom, she was becoming frustrated with these disruptions. On the third day of school, after arriving late to Ms. Worley’s class, Dylan had a severe seizure. In a panic, Ms. Worley called 911 and then alerted the principal’s office. The paramedics soon arrived and attended to Dylan.

In the meantime, the assistant principal contacted Dylan’s mom, Mrs. Sanger, and also the itinerant school nurse, Angela Valens, who was at another school. Although Dylan didn’t have to be transported to the hospital, both Mrs. Sanger and Ms. Valens were upset that the emergency care plan hadn’t been followed. Ms.Worley was upset that Ms. Valens wasn’t around when Dylan had his seizure.

Here’s Your Challenge:

Do you think Mr. Worley’s and Ms. Valens’s reasons for being upset were valid?

What is Ms. Valens’s role as a school nurse?

With whom should Ms. Valens collaborate?