New law requires parental consent for school nurses to treat students

August 14, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Would you want a nurse tending to your child at school in the event of an injury or medical episode?

Under a new state law (the Family Rights and Responsibilities Act) which went into effect July 1, parental consent is now required before a school nurse can treat students for a wide variety of conditions.

Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said the consent forms are being sent home for parents/guardians to sign.

“They are being sent out this week. Some schools have already sent them so they (parents) will be getting them this week. It’s a new law that requires school nurses to get permission to treat students at the building (schools). We are asking our parents and guardians to please fill out the form and get that back in so that in case treatment is needed we are able to treat students and their needs,” said Director Cripps.

The new law says if there’s an emergency, any person, including a school nurse, can provide a child with medical assistance. This includes treating a wound or taking a child to the emergency room in the event of a serious injury.

However, for non-emergencies, a doctor or nurse must first consult with the parents by phone call or text message.

The new law also applies to school counseling. However, lawmakers said counselors can still listen to student’s problems or concerns without parental consent.

Seven other states have similar laws that require parental consent for non-emergency medical services: Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The consent form being sent home to DeKalb County parents/guardians states as follows:

“Pursuant to the Family Rights and Responsibilities Act and Tennessee Code Annotated, I am the parent/guardian and I hereby

GIVE

WITHHOLD

The school nursing staff of DeKalb County Schools permission to care for my child as follows:

*To render aid and to treat any non-emergency health conditions such as stomachache, headache, vomiting, cuts and abrasions, nose bleeds, etc.

*To render aid and to treat emergency health conditions such as allergic reactions, serious wounds or injuries, etc.

*To dispense over the counter medications as may be required to treat the child

* To follow medical orders received from treating physicians or other health care professionals

I understand that, if I give consent, then I have the right to revoke consent at any time upon informing the school nursing staff in writing.

I also understand that, if I withhold or revoke consent, then I agree that I will come to school immediately to care for my child myself. I also understand that the school staff, in its discretion, may call 911 to deal with any emergency and that, if they do so, then I may be responsible for any charges”.

August 14, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

An investigation continues into the death of a person found inside a car last Friday afternoon in a cornfield on New Bildad Road near the DeKalb/Warren County line.

Investigators are awaiting results of an autopsy to determine the person’s identity as well as the cause of death.

Could the case be connected to a recent missing person investigation?

According to the Southern Standard, Warren County Sheriff Jackie Matheny, Jr. said his department had been requested by the Smithville Police Department to assist in the search effort for a missing person, Rebecca Maxfield, who had been reported missing in DeKalb County last month.

During a search along New Bildad Road Friday afternoon, Sheriff Matheny told the Southern Standard that his investigators located a car in a cornfield containing the body of a deceased person and notified DeKalb County authorities after concluding that the car was not in Warren County but across the county line in DeKalb County.

Again, results of the autopsy have not yet been released and a positive identification of the body has not been made.

Sheriff Patrick Ray issued the following prepared statement.

“At approximately 3:23 pm on August 9, 2024, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department received a call of a body that was found on New Bildad Road Smithville. Members of the Smithville Police Department, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Warren County Sheriff‘s Department, District Attorney General Offices from both DeKalb and Warren County and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents from both DeKalb and Warren County were summoned to the scene. The body which was located in a vehicle was found in a cornfield. The body was sent to Nashville TN for an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the identity of the person. No more details are available at this time. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Smithville Police Department, DeKalb County and Warren County Sheriff‘s Departments are investigating the case”.

August 14, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A major sewer system rehabilitation effort is within a few months of getting started in the City of Smithville.

During last Monday night’s meeting, the Mayor and Aldermen awarded a bid, as recommended by JR Wauford & Company Consulting Engineers, to Cumberland Pipeline, LLC of Columbia Kentucky in the amount of $2,649,513. The scope of the work will be to primarily replace cross country sewer lines in four specific areas of town generally in the following locations: On West Main Street starting behind the Middle Tennessee Tae Kwon Do business (old Piggly Wiggly building) to West Broad Street near the NextGen Auto Inc. business (old Baker’s Body Shop location); From Whaley Street near Patty’s Restaurant to White Oak Drive; From Foster Road across from Doe Lane to West Broad Street; and from Congress Boulevard near Liberty State Bank and DeKalb Christian Academy to NHC Healthcare Center. Again, the work will be done primarily cross country rather than along roadways.

Daniel Tribble, Manager of Field Services for JR Wauford and Company explained that while the low bid for the project was $2.6 million, the city is getting financial assistance to help cover the costs.

“The City of Smithville was awarded a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $300,000 by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. As part of the Build Back Better Act and the American Rescue Plan Act the City of Smithville was also awarded $1,311,999 in non-competitive grant funding to be used for sewer rehab,” said Tribble.

The city’s local funding portion is $1,095,763 from available water and sewer funds.

“We have designed this project that is a continuation of one that began a few years ago to rehab cross country sewer lines, not those that run parallel with roads but that run mostly along creeks and ditches where most gravity sewers end up and terminate,” said Tribble. “We had a bid opening on June 25 where we received four bids. We then had to conduct a mini rebid to satisfy ECD requirements where you allowed us four bidders to rebid on the same project. The low bidder submitted the same price both times at $2,649,513. The low bidder is Cumberland Pipeline, LLC of Columbia, Kentucky. Our firm has worked with them before and we recommend that they be awarded the contract for sewer system rehabilitation,” said Tribble.

The project involves unit price which means the final quantities determine the final contract amount so the final contract amount may differ from the bid amount.

Tribble said the work is expected to start by the first of the year.

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