Several members of the public used the meeting's public-comment period to press the board to preserve school nursing staff at the elementary level.

What speakers said

Allison Kawano, a parent, described a life-threatening seizure event that revealed to her the role elementary nurses play in keeping medically fragile students safe. "Elementary school age kids are often too young to self-carry or self-administer their life-saving medication," she said, urging the board to maintain nursing coverage.

Shelly (identified in the transcript as a longtime district nurse) told the board she has worked at Seattle Children's and in district nursing and said, "These nurses at the elementary school make that happen every single day. They get those kids back in class where all this magical stuff happens." She warned that losing full-time nurses increases liability risk and could harm students with complex medical needs.

Speakers also asked the board to consider what emergency medical services (EMS) can and cannot do: Eastside Fire and Rescue staff, Kawano said she contacted, can administer epinephrine for anaphylaxis and treat severe hypoglycemia, but some anti-seizure medications (e.g., midazolam) typically require ALS-level providers and additional transport; insulin administration in the field is constrained by protocols. Commenters said island EMS staffing levels and response times can vary, and in some multi-incident scenarios rigs may come from off-island, increasing response times.

Why it matters

The board is concurrently considering classified-side reductions and a broader set of program cuts to balance the budget. School nursing and health-room coverage are sensitive lines because the responsibilities include medication administration, seizure response, chronic-condition management and documenting care. Parents and nurses said delegation options exist, but urged the board to preserve as much on-site nursing as possible to protect students.

What the board said

District staff said they have convened a nurse workgroup and will return with a proposed model that could combine health-room assistants and dedicated nursing hours scheduled by acuity, rather than a strict per-school full-time placement model. The board asked for a clear plan of care that guarantees coverage for high-acuity students while giving staff time to propose models that could vary by school based on need.

Ending note

Board members thanked residents for their comments and asked staff to bring back a plan that clarifies minimum medical coverage requirements and how changes would be phased to avoid service gaps.