Mat-Su parent asks school board to protect school nurses, citing her son's care needs

Taryn Carpenter asked the Mat-Su Borough School Board on Wednesday to protect school nurses, saying her first-grade son, Henry, needs trained care every two hours.

Henry has an ileostomy: part of his intestine has been brought through an opening in his abdomen so waste can empty into a bag. She said the school nurse provides that care.

Carpenter said cutting half the district's school nurses and replacing them with uncredentialed health aides in many schools would have real consequences for students with diabetes, seizure disorders, severe allergies, feeding tubes and other complex medical needs. Parents and staff raised similar concerns at a board meeting in September.

Superintendent Randy Trani said a 13-member regional nurse committee first met Oct. 14 to examine health service delivery models. It meets again Dec. 10 and Jan. 4.

Trani thanked the Mat-Su Health Foundation, whose grant remains in place for 2026-27, for giving the district a year to find a model that "will both meet the needs of students and that we can afford."