One parent of a diabetic eighth-grader told me she's thinking of transferring to a school system that has nurses (in high school), because she's worried there won't be anyone to help monitor her child's condition.

There's a lot of orientation that has to be done, because school nursing is a unique discipline.

They're on a clerical pay scale, and Hall County does not take into account past experience when determining salary. Everyone gets paid the same. We had one nurse with 30 years' experience who took a job with Gwinnett County because they offered her $6,000 more.

There's a big misconception about what school nurses do. You have to handle everything from first aid injuries to chronic or acute mental health problems. In addition to the students, we're also responsible for 250 staff.

I've kind of blocked it out, but a good friend affectionately reminded me that yes, I was a dork. I was not a cool kid in high school.

Good disaster response planning requires broad involvement of several community groups. Pediatricians, local school officials, school nurses, public health officials, emergency officials and school physicians should work together to improve the preparedness of schools for the unwelcome possibility of a mass casualty event.