504 meetings?

[shsnurse]

I am a new school nurse and I have been invited to a long list of 504 accommodation meetings. There are 4 each day and last an average of 30-45 minutes. My question is: do I have to attend every one of them. In my opinion I should only be there if they have an extensive medical hx or a condition like diabetes, seizure etc. I would love to attend but I have other priorities like meds. Of course it was kids looking for me while I was in the meetings. I work at a high school with 1700 students. What's your take?

[schooldistrictnurse]

I only attend 504 and IEP meetings where there are medical issues.

[100kids, BSN, RN]

In my district I attend all 504/IEP Meetings. It can be very time consuming but my administration feels its important for me to be involved in them.

[Wave Watcher]

I do not attend unless it is medical/nursing related.

[coughdrop.2.go, BSN, RN]

It depends on the School's policy. Nurses are/can be part of the 504 team and some Districts require the "team" to attend all meetings or allow the Nurse to attend only if there is a medical issue present. A large majority of 504's involve some type of health issues, whether minor or major so that may be a School's reason for having you attend all meetings. Speak with the 504 Case Supervisor to see if you could only attend meetings where there's a health issue that is a huge factor in the 504 proceedings.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

Similar to others, I attend/am involved in 504 meetings where the accommodation is medical-related.

kenderalla89 makes an excellent point, though. It can be very district specific.

[Nurse ABC]

I also only attend the ones with medical issues. What's the point of being there otherwise? If there's a question about a student possibly needing medication or some type of medical need then sure but otherwise no.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Only medical issues for me as well.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Do you find that when there is even just the mention of meds and none of the accomondations are medically related (ie for ADHD, executive functioning etc) you still get tho case manage because no one else wants to? I have found that if there is even a hint of a medical dx I get it. I do not have time to work with a kid on organization skills etc...frustrating. Some of our plans are questionable, IMHO.

[Nurse ABC]

No we have our own team that has a leader who is in charge of all of them. They basically just consult me if there's a medical issue to sit in on a few of them. You should not have to case manage and should be able to defer to a teacher if you aren't needed. I don't usually sit in on ADHD ones even if they're on meds because that aspect is already being managed by the dr unless a parent is having an issue med related and needs advice.

[fetch, BSN, RN]

(knock on wood)

I haven't been asked to participate in any 504s or IEPs yet, though I've done a lot of auditory screenings as part of the process. But I also have a population with few serious issues.

I agree that if they are asking you to join, and there is no serious medical issue indicated, you should discuss it with the case manager/whoever organizes and remain in your clinic.

[100kids, BSN, RN]

While I attend all the meetings at my school I do not case manage at all unless it is truly a medical issue. My district has me attend because they feel it is important for me as the Nurse to have a good picture of the health and well being of all of the students in the building. I always ask the parents if their child is on any medication (even though it's been asked in beginning of the year paperwork you'd be surprised how often they have not reported it, it has changed or you find out the orders are still current but they are not receiving the meds for 1 reason or another) and if we believe there are compliance issues I will offer the possibility of us giving the meds in school if we think that may help. So often I hear School Nurses complain they are not told of situations or left out of conversations (by Teachers, Administration, Social Workers, etc) so for this reason I am glad I attend these meetings. It makes the day crazy but it helps me to stay in the loop on our kids.