Screwed in Tornillo Part 3
I've written previously about how the Tornillo ISD lacks a school nurse. I wrote about how bad of situation that is for Tornillo ISD, the parents and the students.
Well call it Murphy's Law, but there was an incident at one of the schools that once again brings this issue to the forefront.
An 11 year old student with special needs was hurt during PE last week. He is in the 5th grade at Tornillo Intermediate School. He sustained a serious injury and will likely need a CT scan next week.
I spoke with Daniel Rivera, the boy's father who told me that he received a call from the school on the day of the incident. They explained that there was a situation that resulted his son being slammed to the ground but that he was okay and was back in the classroom.
Mr. Rivera called his wife and asked her to go check on their son at school. When his wife arrived at the school she was allegedly met by the Principal of the school, Mr. Guerrero. He allegedly told the boys mother that he hadn't seen a school nurse because they don't have one but that he observed the student for 30 minutes before returning him to class. It wasn't until then that she was allegedly informed that her son's head actually hit the concrete after being slammed to the ground.
The Riveras made the decision to take their son home from school because his mother noticed that he was quiet and not himself. He was in a lot of pain and so they drove into town so their son could be seen in the emergency room.
Mr. Rivera says that his son was diagnosed with a concussion. He indicates that the concussion was confirmed at a follow-up appointment with the family physician and that a CT scan will likely be ordered next week.
Tornillo ISD superindent Dr. Jeannie Mesa-Chavez previously indicated that training for faculty and staff in first aid was to start in February as a stop-gap measure until an RN for the district was hired.
Mr. Rivera says that the nursing assistant that is employed by the district never saw his son and he doesn't even know if she was ever even made aware of the situation. So it appears that the only medical evaluation that was provided was observation for 30 minutes by Principal Guerrero before returning the student to class.
Sources indicate that Mr. Guerrero was elevated from teacher to Assistant Principal in October of 2014 and was made Principal of Tornillo Intermediate School the following month. According to requirements of the district the position of principal calls for two years experience as an assistant principal.
Interestingly applicants without the requisite years of experience was part of the reason cited for not having a school nurse in Tornillo ISD. Clearly the superintendent has set a precedent by overlooking the experience requirement for other important positions within the district so one wonders what will be the next course of action for hiring an RN.
The Rivera family has filed a grievance with the Tornillo ISD over the issue. Again, the lack of an RN in the school district is an issue that is potentially a huge liability for the district. Any future payouts would be funded by tax-payer funds.
These leaves me with two very important questions.
1) How long before the superintendent and board members make the safety of the schools their top priority?
2) What steps have been taken to ensure that the district can get an RN in the district soon? (Has the superintendent suggested changing the requirements, raising the salary, or coming up with other incentives to lure talented applicants? Has the Board articulated to the superintendent that this is a priority for the district?)
Well call it Murphy's Law, but there was an incident at one of the schools that once again brings this issue to the forefront.
An 11 year old student with special needs was hurt during PE last week. He is in the 5th grade at Tornillo Intermediate School. He sustained a serious injury and will likely need a CT scan next week.
I spoke with Daniel Rivera, the boy's father who told me that he received a call from the school on the day of the incident. They explained that there was a situation that resulted his son being slammed to the ground but that he was okay and was back in the classroom.
Mr. Rivera called his wife and asked her to go check on their son at school. When his wife arrived at the school she was allegedly met by the Principal of the school, Mr. Guerrero. He allegedly told the boys mother that he hadn't seen a school nurse because they don't have one but that he observed the student for 30 minutes before returning him to class. It wasn't until then that she was allegedly informed that her son's head actually hit the concrete after being slammed to the ground.
The Riveras made the decision to take their son home from school because his mother noticed that he was quiet and not himself. He was in a lot of pain and so they drove into town so their son could be seen in the emergency room.
Mr. Rivera says that his son was diagnosed with a concussion. He indicates that the concussion was confirmed at a follow-up appointment with the family physician and that a CT scan will likely be ordered next week.
Tornillo ISD superindent Dr. Jeannie Mesa-Chavez previously indicated that training for faculty and staff in first aid was to start in February as a stop-gap measure until an RN for the district was hired.
Mr. Rivera says that the nursing assistant that is employed by the district never saw his son and he doesn't even know if she was ever even made aware of the situation. So it appears that the only medical evaluation that was provided was observation for 30 minutes by Principal Guerrero before returning the student to class.
Sources indicate that Mr. Guerrero was elevated from teacher to Assistant Principal in October of 2014 and was made Principal of Tornillo Intermediate School the following month. According to requirements of the district the position of principal calls for two years experience as an assistant principal.
Interestingly applicants without the requisite years of experience was part of the reason cited for not having a school nurse in Tornillo ISD. Clearly the superintendent has set a precedent by overlooking the experience requirement for other important positions within the district so one wonders what will be the next course of action for hiring an RN.
The Rivera family has filed a grievance with the Tornillo ISD over the issue. Again, the lack of an RN in the school district is an issue that is potentially a huge liability for the district. Any future payouts would be funded by tax-payer funds.
These leaves me with two very important questions.
1) How long before the superintendent and board members make the safety of the schools their top priority?
2) What steps have been taken to ensure that the district can get an RN in the district soon? (Has the superintendent suggested changing the requirements, raising the salary, or coming up with other incentives to lure talented applicants? Has the Board articulated to the superintendent that this is a priority for the district?)
Comments
Post a Comment
We encourage constructive community dialogue, debate, and conversation - but we reserve the right to refuse to publish a comment or delete a comment if we feel like it. Be a respectful adult. Use common sense.