Since the pandemic began in March 2020, faculty and staff have experienced many changes to their roles in the school, and school nurses are among those whose jobs have been altered the most. 

“My job has gone from more of a clinical nurse to an administrative duty,” says PA’s school nurse Mrs. Daigle. 

Before the pandemic, Mrs. Daigle’s focus was on the wellness of individual students and their  personal issues. Now, sickness is no longer a personal issue. Everyone must work together to monitor the safety of our community, said Mrs. Daigle, who works with state health officials to ensure that our school is following the CDC guidelines and staying safe.

Due to the current situation and the likelihood of a student coming into school sick with the COVID-19 virus, she takes many precautions, such as isolating the sick student from others. There is even an isolation room located near the auditorium where parents can pick up the student and leave without coming in contact with anybody else. 

This may become more regular as more students phase back into the building.

With the increase of students in the building and Governor Sununu’s mandate to re-introduce five day school weeks, Mrs. Daigle has become increasingly “concerned about students’ ability to social distance.” She said students must remain aware of who is around them at lunch and maintain a three foot distance with others, especially while the masks are off. 

“I think a lot of COVID-19 transmission happens out of school,” Mrs. Daigle said.  She advises students to reduce the number of people they are coming in contact with outside of school. Her message to the students is to protect each other and be mindful that COVID-19 is a serious disease.