The District of Columbia Nurses Association (DCNA) on Wednesday announced its support for legislation requiring a full-time nurse in every school. Citing recent student deaths in the Philadelphia school system, RN Robin Burns warned that “We cannot have this happen in the District” and urged those concerned to sign a petition. Current DC law only requires a school nurse in every school for 20 hours per week and DCNA is worried that funding cuts by DC government could lead to even fewer nurses. “The nurse is the first line of defense for the health of school children,” said Burns, CSS/DCNA Chairperson, noting that school nurses monitor asthma, diabetes and other chronic diseases. “It is time for the District to put the health of the children first,” said Washington Teachers Union president Elizabeth Davis. “They deserve it.” photo: DCNA member Patricia Tolson, the nurse at Van Ness Elementary School in Southeast D.C. photo by Vera Carothers/WAMU