School Nurse

  The case gained international attention and became a rallying point for anti-bullying advocates. But investigators have found no evidence that a school-yard fight had anything to do with the death of sixth grader Bailey O'Neill, the Delaware County district attorney said Monday. The death was the result of epileptic seizures, District Attorney Jack Whelan said. He said his office did plan to file juvenile-level simple-assault charges. Whelan said an autopsy by Edwin Lieberman of the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office revealed "no physical finding of trauma or evidence that trauma played a role" in the boy's death on March 3 at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

ACTOR John Lithgow 's next role? Ballerina. Lithgow, the Tony Award-winning actor known for his time on sitcom "Third Rock," is the narrator of the Pennsylvania Ballet's performance of "Carnival of the Animals," running May 9-12 at the Academy of the Music. Lithgow collaborated with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon on the story of a little boy who hides in the Museum of Natural History and imagines all of his friends as animals. "It's a wonderful notion, being locked-in," Lithgow said, adding that when he films in museums, he'll often wander off so he can experience the exhibits in peace and quiet.

Coming over the holiday break to about a third of Philadelphia high schools: clear plastic dispensers chock-full of free condoms. The dispensers will be placed in the 22 high schools whose students had the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases, and condoms will be available to any student - so long as their parents did not sign a form opting them out of the program. It's a pilot designed to address "an epidemic of sexually transmitted disease in adolescents in Philadelphia," said Donald F. Schwarz, the deputy mayor for health and opportunity.

New Jersey ranks among the bottom states for school-breakfast participation. And when Garden State schools do serve breakfast, it's typically at the wrong time. That needs to change. Across the state, 525 school districts provide the most important meal of the day to low-income students who otherwise might not get breakfast. But most serve breakfast before the first classes begin, and many students who can't get to school that early start the day hungry. Their learning often suffers as a result.

Chester High School senior Robert Johnson has his blood pressure checked by school nurse Kathy Culp. A health fair at the school yesterday offered many different kinds of screenings.

Edith Fore, 81, the Mount Ephraim resident who turned a hip injury into the famous television commercial line "I've fallen and I can't get up," died Thursday at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Camden. The cause of death was heart failure following multiple illnesses, said her daughter, Patricia Fore Logan. Mrs. Fore had suffered from osteoporosis for many years. A native of Scranton, she lived in Mount Ephraim for 43 years before moving to Collingswood Manor two years ago. Mrs. Fore became nationally known when she was featured in commercials for Lifecall America Inc., a medical-alert system.

In the second incident of its kind in just over a week, a student in a Philadelphia school shot a classmate with a pellet gun Tuesday afternoon and was suspended and arrested, authorities said. School District spokesman Fernando Gallard said a seventh grader brought a plastic pellet gun to Henry A. Brown Academic Plus School, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade facility at Sergeant and Jasper Streets in Kensington. The student shot a classmate in the back of the head about 11:30 a.m., officials said.

THE STAFF of the Philadelphia's Roberto Clemente Middle School just got a reminder that terrorist attacks on the nation's health don't come only in powder-filled envelopes. When dozens of students started acting sick and lethargic at the school on Tuesday, their quick-thinking teacher called the school nurse. And the nurse's fast call to the police got the sickest kids to the hospital for treatment of what turned out to be the misuse of Xanax, a prescription anti-depressant. In addition to the commendable action of the school staff, the district turned the crisis into a chance to get a lesson across, flooding the school with anti-drug counselors.

IT IS VERY unfortunate that Philadelphia has decided to reduce the number of school nurses. All children benefit from the expertise provided by the school nurse. However, for the child with diabetes, a number of other caregivers can be trained to administer insulin and to recognize and treat low blood sugar. Parents of newly diagnosed children with diabetes quickly learn to care for their child. They also train others, such as family members and babysitters, to provide care. And, of course, older children can usually administer their own insulin.

About 200 people organized by Occupy Philadelphia protested state funding cuts for education outside School District headquarters Thursday afternoon. Some speakers addressed other issues, but the main thrust was education during the rally of Occupy protesters and union leaders at 440 N. Broad St. Gov. Corbett's proposed budget would eliminate $21 million in funding - mainly used for full-day kindergarten and prekindergarten programs - for the Philadelphia School District. The district already faces a $61 million shortfall this school year.