School Nurses Prepare For Return To Classroom

WAAY 31 is hearing from nurses in the Huntsville City School system as they make last-minute preparations before high school students return to classrooms on Monday.

The classroom - to september 28th.

New details tonight -- we're hearing from nurses in huntsville city schools... they are making last-minute preparations before high school students return to classrooms on monday.

School nurses say they have been busy contact tracing.

That's since the district announced thursday that 80 people are in quarantine due to the coronavirus.

Waay 31's casey albritton joins us live outside grissom high school... casey what are school nurses doing this weekend to get ready for monday?

Two school nurses who work here at grissom high school tell me the main focus over the next two days will be disinfecting everything in schools one more time and making sure every room has the appropriate personal protective equipment.

Vida walls/ nurse "excited to have the kids back in the school, but also a little bit anxious as to what is going to happen."

High school nurses across huntsville city schools are doing everything they can to prepare for a school year like no other.

Brooke owens/ nurse "being realistic.

We do have this situation; we are in the middle of a pandemic and we have to be extra careful."

And to do that, nurses are spending the next few days cleaning and disinfecting any high-contact surfaces vida walls/ nurse "cleaned with the victory clean and they will be cleaned between every student."

They're also making sure supplies are stocked.

Brooke owens/ nurse "gowns, gloves, masks, face shields that we wear when we have a student who is a suspected case of covid."

While juggling all of these preparations, nurses are having to help with contact tracing for coronavirus cases linked to elementary and middle schools... it's a task that may increase when high school students head back.

Vida walls/ nurse "it's time-consuming, it's doable, but you just have to sit down and take your time and fill it out the proper way."

Nurses say while this year will be more work than usual, they will do what they can to ensure schools are as safe as possible.

Vida walls/ nurse "we are all in this together and we take it one day at a time."

The nurses tell me they are asking high school students to be hyper-aware of their health-- and to go through the coronavirus symptom checklist every day before coming to school.

Live in huntsville, casey albritton, waay 31 news.