Thank you to the School Nurses’ Association for providing expertise with its recent articles on safety procedures and mask protocols for students returning to schools.
We are all concerned with the risks that are inherent in returning students, teachers and staff to our schools during this pandemic. The school nurse is the important link in minimizing those risks, performing screenings, advising teachers, staff and administrators and responding to children and to their parents’ needs and concerns. The school nurse is the connection to public health, monitoring and controlling the spread and potential outbreak of this highly communicable diseases in the school.
Yet many New Hampshire schools do not have a nurse in the building or district. The state Department of Education position of school nurse coordinator remains empty. New Hampshire is one of nine states in country, and the only one in New England, that does not have a central, qualified person to give guidance and direction to school nurses or school personnel responsible for student health at the state Department of Education.
The school nurse is the essential worker, the front-line person in the school who is the voice of school health for stakeholders, parents, community health care providers and administrators. The state-level school nurse coordinator is the resource for school health personnel and school nurses, providing guidance on challenging issues and conditions, assisting with interpreting legal issues and legislation, serving as a vital link between the school nurse, the Department of Education, community agencies and the Department of Public Health.
We all want New Hampshire children to be able to get back to school, but we also want them to be safe at school, have their health needs met and control the spread of COVID-19. We need, more than ever, trained school nurses at the local level to help us every day, and a coordinator in the Department of Education to assist those nurses.
LINDA TANNER
Georges Mills
The writer represents the Sullivan 9 district in the New Hampshire House.
The arrival and spread of COVID-19 has brought hard times to many of our neighbors and to our communities. We have each experienced, or have loved ones who have experienced, illness, job loss, food insecurity, grief, and the disorientation that comes from having normal routines and relationships disrupted. The crisis has also made very clear the inequities in our economic system and the gaps in the safety net. We need leaders who will work to create a more equitable system, not block even bipartisan remedies. Dan Feltes is such a leader.
Way before this crisis, he has been a strong advocate and ally for workers and especially low-wage workers, working to raise the minimum wage, provide paid family and medical leave, and invest in job training and apprenticeships. Since the pandemic struck, he has built on those proposals with the COVID-19 Workers Bill of Rights, a 15-point plan to prioritize workers’ safety as they keep our economy alive and moving. He has advocated for extended unemployment insurance and protections for those facing evictions or loss of rental income, as well as emergency relief for small businesses. As governor, Feltes would continue these efforts and work proactively with the Legislature to build a more just and robust economy for all our residents.
I want a governor who cares about all our neighbors, and has a proven track record of advocacy and legislative wisdom. I believe that Dan Feltes will be that governor.
DIANE ROOT
West Lebanon
Having recently moved from Grantham to an apartment close to the center of Lebanon, we have thoroughly enjoyed the convenience of living within walking distance of all of the amenities our new home provides: Colburn Park, a great coffee shop, the Lebanon Farmers market, two excellent restaurants featuring outdoor dining, and proximity to the Northern Rail Trail and the Mascoma River Greenway. Since we own a plug-in Prius, we were particularly excited about the planned charging station near the Carter Community Building Association.
We were saddened by recent news that plans for the installation were canceled due, apparently, from a failure of the installer to reach agreement among the various governmental entities involved (“Effort for car-charging station shorts out,” Aug. 11). However, we are encouraged by the optimistic statement by Tad Montgomery, Lebanon’s energy and facilities manager: “There’s still a good chance that we’re going to make something happen.”
We have had the pleasure of working with the very patient and professional personnel at the Lebanon City Hall, as we have waded through the inevitable paperwork surrounding a move to a new community. Therefore, we are confident that, with the support of our state representatives and senator, the city of Lebanon will get this worked out.
BOB and JUDY MCCARTHY
Lebanon
Some Democrats are worried that former Vice President Joe Biden’s support in the swing states is weak, and that any big event in President Donald Trump’s favor could reverse it. If Biden steps on his tongue in any of the three debates, that would certainly be such an event. Biden is almost surely going to do so.
Get ready for a Trump victory, and the end of democracy in America.
DAVID WYKES
Hanover