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After coming back from a much needed Christmas break, it is evident that COVID does not wish to disappear from the limelight as the increasing cases affect many people.

Hamilton City Schools announced their shut down on January 11 until January 18 due to high numbers of their staff having to quarantine. Fairfield Schools were quick to follow and announced their shut down for January 14-18.

With cases on the rise, it is obvious that many students and staff are battling COVID and quarantining. But how does COVID affect the people who take care of the issues surrounding COVID in schools?

Corrine Kreimer, a school nurse for East Central Middle School in Indiana, gives her experience on the matter. A school nurse must keep up with the CDC and school guidelines to give parents proper information on how long their child should be quarantining.

“It is important that I know all the new updates on how long kids should be quaretning, so that I can keep the kids in my school safe,” Kreimer said.

A massive part of Kreimer’s job is calling parents to make sure their kids are out of school for the right amount of time, and telling parents how to properly treat their child’s symptoms. This has taken up a huge part of her day and has affected her day to day routine.

“I have to balance the kids who take medicine every day, kids who walk into my office, and keeping track of all my students who are in quarantine. It makes my day extremely busy,” Kreimer said.

There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into coordinating proper COVID procedures so that students are able to stay healthy and in school. A lot of this work is behind the scenes and can go unnoticed to many, but it is vital to understand the importance of the people handling these issues. Kreimer feels her work is appreciated at her school, but also thinks that many people do not fully grasp the importance of what she does.

“Keeping students in quarantine for the proper amount of time is what keeps the virus from spreading, and that can keep the kids who have family members who are at high risk from unknowingly giving it to them,” Kreimer said.

Dealing with the virus has added a lot of extra stress and work to not only school staff, but medical workers everywhere. At Badin we are very lucky to have such great people in charge that we are able to continue to go to school in person. This insight into a person who has to deal daily with COVID should make us all a little more grateful for the behind the scenes work being done to keep us all healthy.