Tampa Bay, FL: "About a third of ...Pinellas County students have a chronic health issue..."

Aug 9, 2017, ABC TV Tampa Bay: Pinellas Co. to hire, add school nurses to all schools later this fall http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/pinellas-co-to-hire-add-school-nurses-to-all-schools-later-this-fall About a third of all Pinellas County students have a chronic health issue like asthma or diabetes. The parents we spoke with at McMullen Booth Elementary told us the new nurses hired are a peace of mind. ... Rakaj is a mom of three. Her 13-year-old son has to be very careful about what he eats. He's one of about 33-thousand students who have chronic illnesses in the school district. "Students are very varied with their medications. I don't think it's a secretary's responsibility to administer those medications,” said grandmother and school volunteer Kathy Snyder. Pinellas County is hiring LPNs for every elementary, middle and high school offering full-time jobs with benefits. Last year, the school district had hundreds of 911 calls made from schools and not all of them were for medical reasons but certainly some of them were,” said Sara O’Toole.