I am shocked and deeply grief-stricken by the recent ICE-related events, including the tragic death of a nurse last week. This moment is not abstract for me. One of my adult children owns a home very close to where George Floyd, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti were killed. After George Floyd's murder, when the National Guard was marching outside of their home, their neighbor was shot in the face with a rubber bullet simply for sitting on her porch. They left for several weeks at that point for their own safety. About six months ago, my child and their spouse rented their home and left the country. While many saw that as an extreme step, they told us then that something like this was coming. They do not believe Minneapolis is a random choice, or that it has anything to do with the number of immigrants in Minnesota (about 130,000, with 10-20 times that number in border states such as Texas and Florida).
Closer to home, like many of you, I have friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family who have come to this country from other places and now live in fear and feel forced into hiding, even if they are here following all the legal processes and procedures. The trauma in our communities is real. It impacts the children and families we serve, as well as those we love.
This is a painful moment. I am questioning what it means to be American, a nurse, and a human. I have come to firmly believe this is not a time for silence. Nursing is inherently political, and we must not shy away from difficult issues.
As school nurses, we know children thrive when they feel secure—in their homes, their schools, and their communities. When community violence, fear, or instability affects families, it affects children directly. These experiences can have profound and lasting effects on students’ physical health, mental well-being, and ability to engage in learning.
School nurses witness these impacts every day. We understand the fear, trauma, and uncertainty many children and families are experiencing at this time. As an organization, we remain steadfast in our responsibility to advocate for environments where every child is treated with dignity and protected from harm.
NASN’s vision is clear: all children are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. As an organization, our responsibility is to advocate for the safety and wellbeing of children in their schools and communities.
NASN’s mission—to optimize student health and learning by advancing the practice of school nursing—guides our actions. In alignment with that mission, our focus now is clear:
- To support school nurses in providing trauma-informed, culturally responsive care to students.
- To advocate for policies that protect the health, safety, and rights of all children, regardless of background or circumstance.
- To elevate the voices of school nurses as essential leaders in school and community health.
NASN encourages policymakers at every level to prioritize children’s safety and wellbeing in all decisions that affect families and communities. Children deserve to learn and grow without fear—and as a nation, we share the responsibility to make that possible.
NASN will continue to monitor developments closely, provide guidance to our members, and advocate strongly for the conditions children need to be healthy and ready to learn. Our commitment to the students and families we serve remains resolute.
Many of you have reached out to me to ask if NASN will be making a public statement. The chaos of this moment makes indiscriminate public statements ineffective. If NASN determines that a formal organizational statement would be valuable in the greater discussion and is necessary, it will remain squarely focused on children’s health, safety, and dignity.
As individuals, nurses, your roles may be broader—and those decisions are personal. If you are compelled, you can use your voice with policymakers. Contacting your federal representatives is one of the most powerful actions you can take right now. You can reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121; an operator will connect you directly with the Senate or Representative office you request. You may also wish to monitor calls to action from other professional organizations, including the American Nurses Association (ANA).
Please continue to care for yourselves, your families, and your communities. And remember that you can always reach out—to your state NASN Director or to me personally—if you want to share your thoughts on NASN’s approach to this or any other policy issue.
Stay strong, and take care of one another.