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PSS working on recruiting NMC nursing students before the start of school year
The Public School System wants to recruit and hire nursing student from the Northern Marianas College to perform nursing duties on each campus for the upcoming school year.
Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada said PSS is still in the planning phases to recruit nursing students from NMC.
“We will ask NMC if it is possible for their nursing students to come and do their practicum on a school campus guided by a registered nurse,” he said.
Ada said PSS has been trying to hire nurses, but they have been having a hard time recruiting them. PSS needs the nurses to, among other duties, administer temperature checks on students and staff daily to ensure everyone’s health on campus.
Through the federal Education Stabilization Fund, PSS has been allocated $550,000 to hire 22 part-time nurses for 10 months.
Ada said PSS has enough personal protective equipment or PPE supply and 300 wand thermometers, but will procure more so all classrooms will have one.
Before schools reopen on Sept. 8, he said PSS will hire a janitorial service to do deep cleaning of classrooms, offices and bathrooms.
During the recently concluded summer program conducted at Kagman Elementary School, Ada said that parents provided washable, reusable masks to their children.
“Our families and community members are working together in addressing this pandemic,” he said. Our priority now is to reopen schools with caution,” he said.
Ada said he will also ask the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force to test teachers, again if need be, before the start of the new school year.
