We’ve all seen staff and teachers come and go as the years have gone by. Franklin Learning Center has gotten larger, with more students to handle and assist on a daily basis and with added worries like COVID, vaccines, and allergies, a nurse is of big importance.

We’ve had nurses on and off. Everyone gets sick or hurt once in their lives, it isn’t something that is in anyone’s control. When a student reports feeling unwell enough to not be able to focus in class, FLC doesn’t have the proper staff to approach the situation which leads to early dismissals.

This can cause a significant problem, especially if the student is in immediate need of a medical expert. According to a report by Inquirer reporter Oona Goodin-Smith, around 19 Philadelphia schools didn’t have nurses at the start of the school year. Thankfully, for Franklin Learning Center, this isn’t the case. But the inconvenience is that the part-time nurse we have this year is only here with us on every other Monday. Which leaves only 10% of the time with an available nurse at FLC.

An interview was taken with a student named Leo Bender, a sophomore art student that suffers from asthma. His school life is fairly similar to his other classmates, but the added struggles of traveling during a hot day, and walking up the stairs can cause issues.

“Why do you think it’s important that we have a nurse full-time?”

“Because…, if somebody’s really sick and they need something, you can’t just be like, ‘Hey, go to the nurse! they’ll fix you’ because we have no nurse,” Leo expresses.

“Have you or any of your friends had any incidents that have happened due to the lack of a nurse?”

“Yes, a week ago, one of my friends got their period in the middle of school. They couldn’t do anything because the pads are in the office. And no one wants to go into the office, and ask, “can I get some pads?’ in front of a bunch of people.”

“Has your asthma caused you any issues because you didn’t have access to a nurse?”

“During gym, we had to do the mile run. And I had to walk for most of it. Because if I ran the entire time, I’d just collapse on the ground. I didn’t want to risk it since we don’t have a nurse.”

An art sophomore, Gabriella DiGiacomo has ADHD, making it more difficult to focus in school. Ever since she entered FLC, she hasn’t taken her medication, but her mother’s concerns still persist due to her allergies.

Why do you think it’s important that we have a nurse full-time at FLC?

“When my daughter has allergic reactions at school, as a parent I feel terrified and helpless knowing there is no nurse there to help her. I wouldn’t expect a teacher to have the expertise, let alone time to monitor my child’s illness and know when or how to intervene. A medical professional is so necessary.”