We, the parents, family, and caregivers of children at P.S. 290 Manhattan New School, petition the Department of Health and the Department of Education of New York City to provide us with a stable and permanent school nurse.

Our school has had a rotating nurse for the past academic year. This means that there was a different nurse every day.  On some occasions, a temporary nurse was unavailable, which meant no nurse was present that day.  The school was then forced to take extra steps in order to ensure the safety of the children with any health conditions.

This already less than ideal situation is now more pressing.  The unique demands and challenges of re-opening during the global Covid-19 health crisis necessitate a different approach: we need a permanent nurse.

Per diem and temporary rotating nurses at Manhattan New School may lead to mistakes and inefficiencies in the care of students and prevention of disease. 

We demand a permanent high-quality school nurse prior to the start of the 2020-21 academic year.