School nurse staffing: A key factor in enhancing school quality in Georgia.

BACKGROUND

Social vulnerability is a systemic barrier to student success. School nurses are critical members of the school workforce, yet variation in staffing and their relationship to student outcomes is not well studied.

PURPOSE: The goal of this project was to examine the number of school nursing staff in the state of Georgia for relationships across social vulnerability and school quality.

METHODS

A secondary data analysis was conducted using linear regression followed by moderation and mediation analyses to examine the relationships among the study variables.

DISCUSSION: Linear regression revealed that school nurse staff headcounts and social vulnerability were statistically significant factors in the outcome of school quality in Georgia. Moderation and Mediation analysis revealed that school nurses are key actors in interrupting the negative consequences of social vulnerability but are hindered due to understaffing.

CONCLUSION

School nurses play a key role in student success, and it is essential that all children have access to this precious resource.