Staff getting overly involved

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

OK, weird complaint, some of my staff is getting overly involved in COVID/illness stuff to the point that it's making my job harder.  I've found middle school teachers making their own COVID/illness spreadsheets with data on students, trying to get info from parents on COVID tests/results, and just totally massacring boundaries between teaching and nursing.  Then I have some staff who will get an email from parents that their child will be out sick.  Instead of forwarding the email to me (like I've asked) or referring the parent to me, they start giving out info saying they need to have a COVID test done.  The problem is they send it out in a confusing way or with inaccurate information THEN cc me in that email. Then I have to go back and correct what they've said.  Our policies keep changing and I'm staying on top of that, but our teaching staff is busy...ya know, teaching...so they aren't reading every single change as it happens.

I feel like a broken record sending out emails.  "Please just send well wishes and forward the email on to me."  "I am tracking all of this data centrally and will inform you if a student in your homeroom is not allowed to be in school." "I cannot give out information on a student's COVID test, alternative diagnosis, etc.  I will tell you as soon as they are cleared to return to school." "All medical information should go through me and is only shared with staff on a need-to-know basis."

I know everyone is on high alert.  I respect that everyone is scared and trying to help out, but I'm only asking them to do less.  I stay in contact with my staff.  I spend hours following up with parents.  I'm very closely tracking every illness and have a spreadsheet with all of the data NASN recommended collecting. I'm working with admin on following any trends in illness/absence.  What's the big problem?  In the past they just forwarded illness stuff to me and forgot about it.  Ugh. Vent over.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

Anxiety and the 24 hr news cycle, that'd be my bet for two major reasons.

Do you have a supportive principal who can/will help you restore the norm?

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

So....need to know.

Do they have a legitimate educational need to know? They don't track flu like this (we barely did, either).

If they do not have a legitimate educational need to know then FERPA laws pretty much cover this. If the parent is voluntarily giving the info, not sure what to do. But that spreadsheet- FERPA.

I second Jed's recommendation. This is an administrative issue. If the admin doesn't come through I'd ride this up the chain. Totally violates my district policies. 

Tell the teachers to add the shields to their masks and sanitize high touch areas if they are so concerned. My peeve is the teacher who needs redirecting about moving her mask to cover her nose and THEN complains.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

Also the policy thing: Since May (when I began volunteering with our health department Medical Reserve group): Exposed? Quarantine for 14 days. Hasn't changed a bit.

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

3 minutes ago, ruby_jane said:

So....need to know.

Do they have a legitimate educational need to know? They don't track flu like this (we barely did, either).

If they do not have a legitimate educational need to know then FERPA laws pretty much cover this. If the parent is voluntarily giving the info, not sure what to do. But that spreadsheet- FERPA.

I second Jed's recommendation. This is an administrative issue. If the admin doesn't come through I'd ride this up the chain. Totally violates my district policies. 

Tell the teachers to add the shields to their masks and sanitize high touch areas if they are so concerned. My peeve is the teacher who needs redirecting about moving her mask to cover her nose and THEN complains.

We're a private school with no federal funding so no FERPA or FERPA training.  I wish we had FERPA training.  We do follow similar procedures and with medical info I act as if we do have FERPA.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

YOWSA! Whelp, "privacy violations" are also a thing!

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

1 minute ago, ruby_jane said:

Also the policy thing: Since May (when I began volunteering with our health department Medical Reserve group): Exposed? Quarantine for 14 days. Hasn't changed a bit.

Our policies have changed on which COVID tests we accept, when siblings stay home, and our state/city added different symptoms to the list.  It's the testing that they get very confused about yet still email the parents "OK, Susie needs a COVID test but not a rapid." Then parents are confused because a few clinics near us advertise "rapid PCR tests" with 24 hour turn arounds.  

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

23 minutes ago, BrisketRN said:

We're a private school with no federal funding so no FERPA or FERPA training.  I wish we had FERPA training.  We do follow similar procedures and with medical info I act as if we do have FERPA.

Isn't it the case that if FERPA isn't in effect, HIPAA applies?

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

10 minutes ago, Jedrnurse said:

Isn't it the case that if FERPA isn't in effect, HIPAA applies?

It's complicated.  I honestly don't understand all of the complexities of it, but the school lawyers basically said just follow the standards set by FERPA and we'll be fine.  I'm going to ask my principal to handle these issues with teaching staff.  He's very supportive.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

EEsh!  Well, rest assured, you're in good company.  I got lambasted during our union meeting here last week that teachers can't believe that I sent a child back (he only complained of a sore throat, which improved after a drink) when he had all these symptoms and then was out by the parent getting a covid test.  I explained that I can only work with the symptoms described by the student and that I didn't feel comfortable speaking about one student in particular.  She kept pushing.  The next day when the child came in with the negative report, I didn't feel it was necessary to discuss with anyone.  By virtue of the fact that I saw him and was allowing him to stay, that should be enough.  NOPE!  Teacher tells office she's going to call the parent herself.  

Fed up, I took it to the supe, who took action.  

[LikeTheDeadSea, MSN, RN]

Sometimes I'm tempted to make the bulletin board something along the lines of "Stay In Your Lane and I'll Stay In Mine."

@Flare I love reminding people that my crystal ball doesn't work in our cinderblock building.  We can only work in our current moment, based on current information.

 

 

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

23 minutes ago, LikeTheDeadSea said:

Sometimes I'm tempted to make the bulletin board something along the lines of "Stay In Your Lane and I'll Stay In Mine."

@Flare I love reminding people that my crystal ball doesn't work in our cinderblock building.  We can only work in our current moment, based on current information.

 

 

This is AWESOMESAUCE. 

Never have I second-guessed myself so much. I am used to the mandate of "do whatever to keep 'em in a seat!" Not this year.