THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 12, 1996 TAG: 9604110139
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
Attendance policy flawed
I am writing to address an issue that I feel needs some recognition - the School Board's attendance allowance.
This may not concern me now, being a graduate from last year, but it almost affected my whole future. I graduated from Ocean Lakes High School by the ``skin of my teeth,'' not because of poor grades (I was a straight A student), but because of absences.
I had a daughter in February last year and with the days I stayed home afterward because of my development of anemia, I failed, already, upon my return a week and a half later. Then my anemia got worse causing dizziness. I would go to school and pass out, having to be taken to the school nurse.
By the time June came, I had to apply for a waiver but even though I had numerous doctor's notes, it was denied. They did not even consider my grades and my attempts to attend school! They only approved it after my mother called to appeal it and from what I heard, anyone who appealed got approved.
That's not the point. Why wasn't I approved right off? My friends who made above average grades also had to appeal their waivers for strep throat, bronchitis, etc.
I believe that if some of the students who knew they failed because of absences anyway, would simply drop out because maybe they didn't have doctor's notes for all days missed. I think, in many ways, this attendance policy will only worsen the problem of ``Generation X'' if good kids with good grades can fail because of absences.
I can see setting limits of full year absences to 25 or 30 but not by semester or grading periods to six or three. It's only going to cause more failure and more McDonald's workers for our generation.
Does anyone agree?
Jamie O'Neill
Virginia Beach
Don't pay board legal fees
When first taught about ethics, the most difficult hurdle for me was gaining an understanding that an action not unethical in and of itself could be considered unethical if, in the eyes of the beholder, that action had the perception of being unethical.
Recent actions by the Virginia Beach School Board are well on the way to helping me understand ``perception'' as it relates to ethics.
That these very people should vote for themselves the use of my tax dollars for their own legal defense is unethical or at the very least fulfills perception of being so.
To me, the path is clear. Either resign or face prosecution for malfeasance. Those choosing not to resign should be responsible for their own legal fees. Should a court of law decide that the charges were wrong and that the defendants were not guilty of malfesance, then I might understand compensation of legal fees on a case-by-case basis as might be decided by the new School Board. Those choosing to resign are, in my opinion, pleading ``nolo contendere'' and should be personally responsible for any legal fees that may result due to their resignation.
Michael R. Dutton
Virginia Beach
Nursing jobs misleading
I am currently a senior in the baccalaureate nursing program at Old Dominion University. I am writing this letter in reference to service support workers, otherwise known as nursing assistants, that are employed within the framework of our hospitals.
Due to a decrease in budgeted positions, hospitals are downsizing by eliminating registered nurses and hiring support workers to fill their positions. The hospitals provide their own name badges and create titles which eliminate the word nurse, thus making it difficult to differentiate a licensed professional from that of an aide.
In 1993, there was a 4.1 percent decrease in the number of qualified staff and a 21 percent increase in the number of unqualified staff. A recent study indicates that managers could construe figures to mean that the employment of more unqualified staff leads to an increase in productivity (McKenna, 1995). This leads to cost-effective care provided by the hospital, but what is the quality of care the patient will receive provided by the unqualified staff member?
I am currently employed as a nursing assistant and have witnessed the quality of care provided by other employees with this title. Most of the procedures being performed by these individuals fall under the scope of nursing practice. The majority of nursing assistants are trained within the hospital in an average of three weeks, whereas the nurse receives four years. The role of the nursing assistant has moved away from providing assistance care into implementing procedures that should only be performed by licensed personnel. Not understanding the implications of a patient's condition could result in a life-threatening situation, which would require the knowledge basis of a licensed professional.
Are you aware of who is providing care for you or your family members upon admission to the hospital? The majority of patients are not aware of the title of the caregiver. They assume that the caregiver is a registered nurse because the individual is wearing a white uniform. If you are unsure of the qualifications of your caregiver, ask! As a patient, you are entitled to receive care by a licensed professional, a registered nurse.
Kim Thompson
Virginia Beach
Board missing expertise
What exactly is the function of the School Board? It seems as if no one on the board has admitted to any kind of expertise.
I'm sure the board members are all honorable people, only wanting the best for the school system, but please tell me how all the millions slipped out of the till without so much as a clue as to its departure.
Do we need a School Board that was willing to sit back, taking everything at face value? They could have served the people better if they had been teacher aides, they would at least had some accomplishment to their credit and at the same time would have assisted the teachers in their performance of their duties.
L. Ray Murray
Virginia Beach by CNB