Malden school nurses and teachers urge more support as COVID surge strains staff

Members of the public and school staff told the Malden School Committee on Jan. 10 that pandemic-era demands are overwhelming school nurses and undermining services for students.

"We are frustrated, tired and overwhelmed," said Kristina Diggin, a Forestdale School nurse, describing extra hours worked before and after school and on weekends without additional pay. Diggin said nurses sometimes are "disrespected by parents" when they deliver difficult news, that Director of Nursing Patricia Tramondozzi has been covering for absent nurses, and that "important screenings for students have not been provided." She said nurses need "support and help now."

The concern was echoed by teachers and union leaders. Jessica Gold Boots, vice president of the Malden Education Association, urged the committee to make pool testing opt-out rather than opt-in, provide medical-grade surgical masks to staff and students, produce multilingual communications about shifting CDC guidance, offer virtual caregiver conferences and use ESSER funding to support these measures.

Juliana Davidson, a senior at Malden High School, said a student survey she organized of 490 respondents found that "45.9%" fully supported remote learning and said she had sent the results to Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley, the Board of Education and the Board of Health. Salemwood teacher Penny Kalman urged a plan to fill roughly 75 district vacancies, said class sizes at Salemwood are too large in comparison to other schools and asked for promised follow-up on the first day at Salemwood. Rebeccah Griffith, a Malden High School teacher, also spoke in support of additional healthcare professionals for nurses.

Superintendent Noriega-Murphy acknowledged the nurses' work and apologized, and listed district measures in response. She said the district has distributed test kits and KN-95 masks to staff, extended ACCESS testing through March, adjusted lunchroom arrangements to follow safety protocols, and is using family liaisons to help nurses. Assistant Superintendent Pam MacDonald said vaccinated students identified as close contacts do not need to sign up for the district’s test & stay program to attend school, that the district is encouraging caregiver sign-ups for pool testing through online and paper forms, and that the district is working with an outside testing vendor to reduce retesting and improve efficiency.

Why it matters: Nurses and classroom teachers are the on-the-ground staff who administer testing, trace contacts and manage case responses; if they are overburdened, the district’s ability to provide routine care and required screenings can be affected. Public commenters asked the School Committee to press state agencies — including the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education — for clearer guidance and resources.

What the committee did: The School Committee heard the comments and received Superintendent Noriega-Murphy’s update; no formal vote on additional staffing or policy changes took place at the Jan. 10 meeting. Committee members discussed encouraging pool testing sign-ups and working with community partners to broaden outreach.

Next steps: The superintendent said the district will continue outreach efforts to increase participation in pool testing and will work with community partners and the testing vendor to make the process more efficient.