BOISE, Idaho — A group of school nurses in the Boise School District is urging the school board to stop in-person learning and go back to an online-only format.
Jeannine Suter was among the nurses who sent a letter to the board, sharing their concerns about in-person learning amid surging cases of COVID-19.
The nurses expressed concerns about the increase in cases the schools are seeing, as well as the staggering number of students currently in quarantine and the impact that's having on students' education.
Suter told KTVB that she, along with the nurses who signed the letter, also believe the information the district put out saying the increased cases weren't because of transmission happening in schools is misleading.
In an e-mail response, the board's president, Dave Wagers said, in part, “We take all input seriously. We also rely on advice from CDH, medical experts from both St Al's and St Luke's, the BEA, and data that is specific to our school system. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us, so they can become a part of our decision process.”
On Tuesday, Suter and a dozen nurses sent another letter to the board but, she says, they got the exact same response.
“So, to me, what it felt like was a generalized hand statement that he probably sends to other emails that he gets,” Suter said. “He said our voices are being heard, but what those responses made me feel like was, no we're not being heard because I’m getting the exact generic response that I got from our first letter.”
She added that right now, she feels like she is the voice for those nurses who are too scared to speak out or the staff who feel overworked and overwhelmed.
“It feels like we're spinning our wheels and that nobody is listening to what is actually happening in the schools and we are the ones who are on the front lines of that, we are seeing it every single day and we are spending our entire day calling parents, calling Central District Health and seeing the cases multiply,” Suter said.
KTVB reached out to the Boise School District about the letters. In a statement, the district said: “We are listening carefully to our staff and parents as we monitor the effects of COVID in our schools. Our nurses are carrying an ever-increasing burden in contact tracing in our buildings. We appreciate hearing their perspective and are considering how we should proceed. Our Board will hold a special meeting [Thursday] at 4 pm.”
Suter believes the district, staff and parents are doing the best they can, but she says, it's not enough, and that's why they want to go virtual and then later re-group.
Facts not fear: More on coronavirus
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