STUART, Fla. — An emergency meeting with the Martin County School District. They just approved hiring additional nurses for the coming school year.
"I'm always open to hearing recommendations from our staff and superintendent moving forward," School Board Chair Marsha Powers said.
Superintendent John Millay said the district is working with the local department of health on contact tracing and quarantining issues. Working with the local department of health will require the district to hire five additional nurses for 8 weeks, and one additional registered nurse for eight months of work.
"Each high school will have an additional RN. Our middle schools will have one RN and then at the elementary level, we will also have one RN overseeing the COVID operation," he said.
The contracted nurses will work four and a half days during the week and a half-day on Sunday.
Millay said the nurses are temporary. They're waiting to find out if they've been awarded grant money to take things to the next level.
"That would up an additional nurse at every school. So we thought this was a good measure for the interim period for the next 8 weeks until we find out that extra grant money that we can still provide the services we need," he said.
Millay said they should find out by Aug. 15 if the district has been awarded the money.
He said the nurses will be assigned before the new school year begins on Aug.11 at a cost of just over $200,000.