8: School Health Services

In the previous chapter we discussed counseling, psychology, and social services. We now will discuss the services that should be placed in school to help support these professions. Today’s students come to school with health needs that affect their ability to learn and to reach their full potential. Although caregivers have primary responsibility for the health care of their children, schools also have responsibility for promoting the well-being of students. Health services should be placed in schools to help students’ arrive healthy and ready to learn, safe from injuries, given a primary provider for preventive medical and dental services, and receive needed nutrition and mental health, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and other counseling services. A school health service helps students meet these needs. A variety of professionals should be included in a school health service: school nurses, physicians, dentists, dental hygienists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech pathologists; all of which should either have a license or certificate. The services are often supported by community agencies, state revenues, Medicaid, or other federal and state agencies. As with every aspect of a coordinated school health program, there should be a school health coordinator, as well as a health school team with each member having a specific role. The team should support and work to improve the quality of school health services to enhance the learning of the students.
Like I said in the previous chapter, I agree and like everything the chapter has, but I just can not picture all these programs working in a majority of Maine schools. While I was reading this chapter I thought a lot about consolidation of the schools in Maine. I have not liked it for the main reason that I went to a small school and believe it has a lot to offer. For a coordinated school health program to work, I started to think that consolidation might be the best solution. I realize that I pushed for community agencies to help out in the previous chapter, but I have now thought of a better way. Rather than consolidating all the schools that are planned, stick with the idea of having one superintendent for several districts, as well as having other services for all the districts. Instead of trying to consolidate schools, or try to make a coordinated school health program work in a district that it can not. Create a neutral office for schools that share the same superintendent and have services such as a coordinated school health program that supports all the schools within that superintendent’s reign. This could also work for other services and other programs that are unable to be implemented in the schools. Maybe this idea has already been thought of, as they are constantly changing and leaving me behind. I do realize some schools will need to consolidate, but there are some that can still survive with a set up like this.