Maine School Bans Quadriplegic Teen’s Nurse From Attending Classes With Her

In Hermon, Maine, a high school freshman who is paralyzed isn’t allowed to have one of her nurses at school with her, and the reason is raising some eyebrows.

According to an article from WGME 13, Natalia Scovil was just three years old when a gun accidentally went off, leaving her with a spinal injury that caused permanent paralysis. Now 14, she needs around-the-clock care, and her family has a team of nurses who rotate shifts to make sure she always has the medical support she needs, including while she’s at school.

But one of those nurses, Haily Keezer, is not allowed to be with Natalia during the school day. That’s because Keezer also sits on the Hermon School Committee, the news station reported.  According to Superintendent Barbara Sargent, state law says school board members or their spouses can't be employed by the school system they help oversee.

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WGME went on to explain that which nurse can be with Natalia at school all comes down to how people interpret a state law that got updated back in 2021.

Natalia has an IEP in place that includes private nursing care, and her nurses are paid through an outside agency her family works with. The school itself doesn’t pay Haily Keezer for her time with Natalia.

The whole issue boils down to how a state law is being read. That law says school board members can’t work for the same school they help run. The superintendent says Haily Keezer counts as a school employee since she’s working inside a classroom.

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But the family disagrees, saying Keezer, like the other nurses, gets paid through a private agency they hired. The school isn’t part of the hiring or payment process at all, according to Natalia’s mom, Joline Scovil.

WGME reports that there was a recent meeting about the matter, but that no real progress was made. Natalia spoke up at the meeting and said she doesn’t want just some random person taking care of her.

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Because of all this, she’s missing out on time with her friends and falling behind in class. Right now, she doesn’t even go to school on the day Keezer is scheduled to be her nurse.

WGME concluded by explaining that Natalia's family is prepared to take legal action against the school if the issue can't be resolved outside of the courtroom.

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