Cumberland Schools Approve Physician Agreement

The Cumberland County School Board approved a Consulting Physicians Agreement Thursday.

Director of Schools Janet Graham said the agreement will guarantee that the schools can communicate with a physician.

“These are consulting type things when there is something outside the norm,” Graham said. “And I don’t particularly know what that would be because I am certainly not a nurse. Plateau Pediatrics Physicians has agreed to consult if Nurse Marsha [Polson] needs.”

Attorney Earl Patton said the agreement is not a full contract between the schools and the physicians.

“They have to have a supervising physician, I think that was some of the rush to get this approved,” Patton said. “If there is any problem with the document, it is that it doesn’t really set forth specifics.”

Patton said the consulting physician will review district health-related policies and converse with the school nurse regularly.

“The document goes through the scope of serves,” Patton said. “It sites examples where the school physician consultation may be useful.”

The Cumberland County School Board approved the agreement on the contingency that it may be revisited in the future.