Kudos to the News & Record for running articles devoted to the well-being of children, our greatest resource.
The recent coverage included an excellent piece describing the League of Women Voters’ forum on poverty and academic achievement. Earlier commentary addressed training that school nurses will need for the growing problem of opioid addiction, an important topic even though training will be difficult to introduce given the ongoing shortage of nurses in our public schools.
The answer is simple: Schools need smart policies and enough money to do their job. They also need strong public health programs with a sufficient number of nurses present in schools.
It is time to stop believing we can ignore the complex reasons students fail. When we run out of resources, we can throw in the towel and admit defeat. But we are not there yet. As long as our children are in peril for any reason, we cannot abandon our responsibilities. Neglect comes with a very steep price and lasting consequences.
Robin Lane
Greensboro