For National School Nurse Day, LACOE spotlights nurse Donna Jones of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. She is LACHSA's first full-time school nurse and a 22-year-veteran in her profession.

"We have never had an internal outbreak at LACHSA," says Nurse Donna. "It's because my co-workers, students, and parents have bought into how we're going to keep each other safe." Donna says LACHSA's students and their families have taken safety seriously during the pandemic.

In August 2021 when more than 500 students returned to in-person learning, she started leading two weekly on-site COVID-19 testing clinics. Whenever Nurse Donna is informed of a positive test, she personally calls parents to plan how the family should isolate and how the student must test negative in order to return to class.

She says her job is more than handing out band aids. Students often visit the nurse's office for a conversation, advice and support. Donna says she's there for anything her students need.