Q: How many years have you worked as a nurse?

A: I’ve been a nurse for 27 years.

Q: Have you always been a school nurse?

A: No, I was a labor-delivery nurse for 27. I then worked in Oceanside schools for three years.

Q: How many years have you been in Lynbrook?

A: This is my first year in Lynbrook.

Q: Do you like working in the Lynbrook Schools?

A: Yes, it’s great here! The students and staff are all so nice.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working in a school? 

A: It feels great to educate kids on staying healthy. I also love the relationships I get to form with the students. Watching them grow and mature, being able to see what they can do in life, is a really special thing.

Q: How has your job evolved since the start of the pandemic?

A: My job has changed a lot in the past several months. Of course, we now wear masks everyday, there’s more handwashing, temperature-taking, paperwork, and doctor phone calls. Overall, there’s much more involvement in the students’ lives and in the job in general.

Q: Were you nervous to return to school during the pandemic?
A: No, I wasn’t nervous to return to school.  As a nurse, I am trained to deal with infectious disease, so this isn’t anything new to me.

Q: Do you notice more students calling in sick to school since the threshold for symptoms is so mild?

A: For sure. There are many more parents that choose to keep their students home for one or two symptoms. Lynbrook follows New York State Health Guidelines, so if a student has small symptoms, even a headache or runny nose, they should stay home and contact the nurses.

Q: Have you seen students abide by the health guidelines (like wearing a mask, social distancing, etc)?
A: Yes. I’ve seen LHS students be very good with following the school and state guidelines. Everyone wears their masks and socially distances like they’re supposed to, which is great.

Q: What do you do if a student comes to your office with symptoms?
A: We isolate the student and call their parents to pick them up immediately. We also check temperature to see if they’re running a fever, and we go through the list of symptoms to see which ones they are experiencing.

Q: Are your students receiving easy access to Covid tests when they are symptomatic?
A: Yes, especially in their doctors’ offices.

Q: What is the policy to return to school after exposure or symptoms? 

A: We follow a Covid packet given to us by the school. Depending on if the student has been tested, if they’re negative or positive for the virus, if they haven’t yet been tested, all determines how we go about returning to school.

Q: Do you expect Covid numbers to rise with the return to school?
A: I would definitely expect to see an increase in the numbers as more kids get back into school. Hopefully, we can manage it and keep it under control, though.

Q: Are you optimistic about the future?
A: Yes, definitely! I think we are really vigilant with checking students for signs and symptoms, and I hope we will remain open for the entire school year. We will get through this, and hopefully by spring, there will be a vaccine.

Q: Any advice for the students of LHS?

A: I strongly urge teenagers to remain socially distanced, which I know is difficult during this age. Congregating and having parties is very harmful and risky to the other students, not just yourself — keep that in mind. At the very least, wear a mask if you’re socializing.