School & District Management

School Nurses’ Mental Health Is Suffering. Here’s How District Leaders Can Help

By Arianna Prothero — October 04, 2022 3 min read
The front of the Bellefonte Area School District certified school nurses office on Aug. 15, 2016 in Centre County, Penn.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

School nurses are struggling with their mental health. Nearly half said in a recent survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they had been bullied, harassed, or threatened since the beginning of the pandemic. Forty-five percent reported experiencing at least one symptom of an adverse mental health condition, such as depression or PTSD.

Those numbers amount to a cry for help from school nurses, said Donna Mazyck, the executive director of the National Association of School Nurses.

“What these results show us is the need to have support, systems-level support to do the work that they do,” Mazyck said.

What can district leaders do to take better care of their school nurses?

School and district leaders can start by educating their communities on how students’ physical wellbeing connects to their ability to learn—and, therefore, how nurses are key to students’ academic success, said Ben Thigpen, the superintendent of Jones County Schools in North Carolina, and an Education Week 2022 Leader to Learn From.

The school nurse’s job varies from district to district, so it’s also important for school communities to understand the roles of their schools’ nurses. For Thigpen, who leads a district in a rural area of North Carolina, miles and miles away from other medical service providers, that means providing healthcare to teachers and parents as well as students.

Equally important, education leaders must communicate what nurses can’t do, or what falls outside of their responsibilities, said Mazyck. For example, a school nurse may be the one enforcing a vaccine requirement, but they don’t make those policies.

School nurses were often in the position of enforcing COVID mitigation policies in their schools and took the brunt of public and parental backlash for decisions made by superintendents and school boards, said Mazyck.

The CDC’s survey of nearly 8,000 nurses representing every state in the country found that they are more likely to report symptoms of mental health problems if they:

  • work more than 40 hours a week;
  • report discrimination, harassment, or job-related threats;
  • feel unsupported by peers, supervisors, or school leadership;
  • lack adequate staff support or compensation;
  • take on additional duties in times of crisis, such as during a pandemic.

How to provide additional support for nurses

Additional support for nurses can come in a couple of different forms, said Mazyck.

First, there’s the more tangible policies: clear workplace procedures for reporting harassment or threats; providing health insurance that covers counseling or therapy; and adequate leave policies that allow nurses to take time off when they’re feeling unwell—physically or mentally.

Even something as simple as making sure that the school nurses can take a 30-minute lunch break every day can help make their jobs more sustainable, said Mayzck.

A less tangible but equally important measure is to create a healthy working environment—or, in education parlance, a positive school climate.

“And there’s also the systems level, the organizational level need to provide a workplace that focuses on wellness,” said Mazyck. “And we see that with educators, we see that with other school staff, that if adults are struggling with their mental health, what does that mean for the student body?”

See also

Image of a clipboard and stethescope.
YurolaitsAlbert/iStock/Getty

District leaders who build a positive schoolwide culture are, in turn, creating a better workplace for nurses, said Mazyck.

“Are people kind, are they thoughtful? In the end, it’s social-emotional intelligence,” she said. “We’re teaching the children how to do that, it needs to be that way for the adults in the building as well.”

Any initiative or discussion at the district level to address teacher well-being should also include nurses, added Thigpen.

“We spent a lot of time talking with our teachers over the past two years about self-care and taking care of themselves, but we also have to do that with our nurses,” he said.

Even in a small district like his, Thigpen said, just one school nurse will still have 700 or more kids under their care. “You don’t go by a school nurse’s office and see them just sitting there not doing anything,” he said. “They are continually busy and working and they’ve got more to do than they can do.”

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion The Stunning Resignation of UVA President Jim Ryan—and Why It Matters
The university president’s departure is more than just a headline. It’s a lesson in leadership.
2 min read
Opinion Licensed Not for Reuse Wait What FCG
Canva
School & District Management In Their Own Words This Custodian Got Students to Stop Vandalizing and Take Pride in Their School
Andy Markus, the 2025 Education Support Professional of the Year, helped boost behavior and engagement in his Utah district.
5 min read
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year.
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional of the Year for his mentorship of students.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management What the Research Says About School Boards: How Much Conflict Really Is There?
Plus, how competitive are board elections? How much do teachers' union endorsements matter?
7 min read
Houston ISD's appointed school board votes on the "District of Innovation" status during their monthly work session meeting at HISD Central Office on Sept. 7, 2023 in Houston.
Houston's appointed school board takes a vote during a meeting on Sept. 7, 2023 in the district's central office. A number of studies from recent years have answered questions about school boards' makeup, how competitive board elections are, whether conflict is on the rise, and more.
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP
School & District Management Opinion How a Weekly Email to My Staff Made Me a Better District Leader
Writing helps make sense out of what feels messy and focus us on what's most important.
George Philhower
5 min read
Blue hand holding red pen.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty + Education Week