School Nurse

Jean E. Breiner, a registered nurse who had been the school nurse at Padonia Elementary School for more than two decades, died Friday of myleoid leukemia at her Timonium home. She was 77. The daughter of a truck driver and a homemaker, the former Jean Elizabeth Fedder — a fraternal twin — was born in Lebanon, Pa., and raised in Avon, Pa. "Joan Fedder, Jean's fraternal twin sister, was the youngest by 15 minutes," said a daughter, Nancy A. Sangiorgi of Ellicott City. "You could always tell the twins were coming by their identical outfits, worn from birth through high school.

The following is the text of a letter to parents, dated Friday, April 5, that was sent home with students attending 14 Harford County public schools where a recalled food product, Pepperoni Pizzatas by Rich Products Corp., was served to students earlier in the week: Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s): As a follow-up to the call that was made yesterday evening regarding the food product recall, we wanted to be sure you were aware of the recall details, possible symptoms associated with consumption of contaminated food products and contact information for school system departments that can assist with questions and concerns.

Bernardine Harris Harrison, a school nurse at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School for 26 years, died Friday of cancer at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.She was 71 and lived at Belvedere Towers Apartments.Mrs. Harrison, who retired in 1979 from Dunbar, also had worked at a city health department clinic next to the school and for a short time at other schools in the city. In the mid-1940s, she was a U.S. Public Health Service nurse at a hospital in Richmond, Va.Julia Woodland, principal of Dunbar from 1971 to 1982, described Mrs. Harrison as "the bridge between the parents, students and staff," and as an "unofficial assistant principal."

Mary Esther R. "Essie" Feldmann, a retired registered nurse and pioneering Rodgers Forge resident, died Sunday of complications from dementia at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. Earlier this month, family and friends gathered to celebrate Mrs. Feldmann's 103rd birthday. She was born Jan. 13, 1910, in Baltimore. The daughter of a carriage maker and a homemaker, Mary Esther Roche was raised in Mount Washington. After graduating from Mount St. Agnes High School in 1929, she earned her nursing degree from the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1932.

A memorial service for Elizabeth C. Payne, who had been the first school nurse at Towson High School, will be held at 3 p.m. today at Grace United Methodist Church, 5407 N. Charles St.Mrs. Payne, who was 80 and lived in the Dulaney Towers Apartments, died Sunday at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center of heart disease.She retired as the nurse at Towson in 1971 after working there for 20 years. She had earlier done private-duty nursing and served as assistant nursing supervisor at Church Home and Hospital.

Eleanor W. Serio, a retired Baltimore County school nurse, died Sunday at St. Joseph Medical Center of complications related to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The Owings Mills resident was 76. Born Eleanor Walker in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised on Lyttleton Road in Baltimore, she was a 1945 graduate of Forest Park High School. After attending Goucher College, she earned a degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in 1952. She worked in the maternity ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital and taught nursing until 1961.

Constance A.M. Miller, who worked for the Baltimore County Health Department as a school nurse for more than two decades, died of respiratory failure Sunday at her home in Sparks. She was 72. She was born Constance Anna Marcella Szymborski in Baltimore and raised on Fait Avenue in Canton. She was a 1950 graduate of Eastern High School and graduated from the old Union Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1954. She was an operating room nurse for a year at Children's Hospital and a nurse at what is now Towson University before joining the county Health Department in 1957.

Services for Flossie Y. Jefferson, a retired registered nurse and granddaughter of slaves whose life was defined by helping others, will be held at noon tomorrow at Nutter Funeral Home, 2501 Gwynns Falls Parkway. Mrs. Jefferson, who was 92 and had lived in Windsor Hills for more than three decades, died of heart failure Jan. 24 at Howard County General Hospital. In the late 1930s, Mrs. Jefferson began her nursing career in Washington at Freedman's Hospital, which dated to the Civil War. Later, she was a public health and school nurse in Washington, retiring in the late 1960s.

Forgive Sandee Besser if she has an identity crisis.Her white uniform indicates she's a nurse, but on any given day at Glyndon Elementary School, she's also a teacher, cafeteria monitor, confidante, role model and "mama hen." These days, it's all part of being a school nurse in Baltimore County -- or elsewhere in Maryland.With many families short on time and health insurance, the school nurse often becomes a child's primary health care professional, making the first diagnosis on injuries and illnesses.

About 55 children visit Susan Brock in the health suite at Churchville Elementary School each day. Some of them come in daily to take their medications, while others have abrasions, fevers or sore throats. And some youngsters just come in to talk, or to give Brock a high-five or a hug. "School nurses have to be patient and compassionate," said Brock, 59, who has worked as a nurse for 39 years. "I have some frequent flyers that come in, and they just want to talk. They need attention and kindness."

As the school nurse at a Baltimore County elementary school, I read Dan Rodricks recent column on sick days with some agreement and much outrage ("This looks a lot like playing hooky," Nov. 13). Mr. Rodricks seems have forgotten that many educators are women and that at least some of the 35 percent of teachers who took 10 or more sick days during the 2009-2010 school year may have been on maternity leave. There are also many instances of faculty having to have surgery that cannot be delayed, taking sick days to care for elderly relatives or children, and being sick themselves.

A 17-year-old Baltimore boy has been charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder, among other charges, in the stabbing of a fellow student at Heritage High School on Monday, according to police. Darrell Johns, of the first block of North Potomac Street in the Patterson Park neighborhood, is being held without bond. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for Oct. 30. The student he allegedly stabbed, who has not been identified, was treated by a school nurse and taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital after the incident about 10:45 a.m. Monday, city school officials said in a statement released five hours after the stabbing.

A Baltimore high school student was listed in stable condition Monday afternoon after he was stabbed in his upper body during an in-school confrontation with another student, school officials said. The Heritage High School student was treated by a school nurse and taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital after the incident about 10:45 a.m., city school officials said in a statement released five hours after the stabbing. School officials did not release the grade levels of the students involved.

Jean E. Breiner, a registered nurse who had been the school nurse at Padonia Elementary School for more than two decades, died Friday of myleoid leukemia at her Timonium home. She was 77. The daughter of a truck driver and a homemaker, the former Jean Elizabeth Fedder — a fraternal twin — was born in Lebanon, Pa., and raised in Avon, Pa. "Joan Fedder, Jean's fraternal twin sister, was the youngest by 15 minutes," said a daughter, Nancy A. Sangiorgi of Ellicott City. "You could always tell the twins were coming by their identical outfits, worn from birth through high school.

This couple is expressing the easy, relaxed nature of their relationship with a "beach-y chic" wedding in Ocean City . Wedding date: October 27, 2012 Her story: Megan Strasdauskas, 27, grew up in Towson. Her mother, Leslie Wright, is community coordinator for the Citizen Law Related Education Program. Megan is the jewelry account manager for Radcliffe Jewelers. His story: Brian Nee, 30, grew up in Cockeysville. His father, Richard Nee, is a retired business executive.

A 22-year-old man faces sentencing Wednesday morning for trying to sexually assault a boy in a Dundalk middle school bathroom in 2010. Sean T. Schleigh entered an "Alford plea" to attempted first-degree sexual assault in Baltimore County Circuit Court on Tuesday in the attack on a 12-year-old boy at Holabird Middle School on Dec. 16, 2010. By entering such a plea, Schleigh was not admitting guilt, but acknowledging that the state has enough evidence to convict him. Assistant State's Attorney Stephanie Porter told Judge John G. Turnbull II in a 20-minute hearing Tuesday that she is recommending a sentence of life in prison with all but 40 years suspended, plus five years of supervised probation.

With a sore throat and a rising fever, the boy comes to the grade school sick room just as classes begin. The parents hope the school nurse will look at him, provide some comfort, decide whether he should see a doctor. Why wasn't the child kept at home, the nurse wonders, and will there be anyone there if he is sent home?"Parents are sending sick kids to school, leaving them for the nurse. It's the kind of problem you wouldn't have seen 10 years ago, and it's becoming more common," says Dr. John Krager, Baltimore County's deputy health officer.

Nicole Pace told the school nurse that her daughter was deathly allergic to peanuts and had her 5-year-old's allergist provide Hillcrest Elementary School in Frederick with a pre-measured dose of medicine, just in case. But a cafeteria worker - unaware of the danger peanuts posed to the girl, Liana - gave her a peanut butter sandwich. "The child immediately began experiencing an anaphylactic reaction; her airway and eyelids began to swell, and she became lethargic and confused," according to court records.

Public schools in Maryland have increased the number of breakfasts provided to students over the past year, said an Anne Arundel County schools official Tuesday, as a national survey of teachers was released indicating that children regularly come to school hungry. Jodi Risse, supervisor for food and nutrition services for Anne Arundel County public schools, said that 25.6 million breakfasts were served, according to state Department of Education figures, up from 25.2 million the previous year.