Beth Hasley has been a registered nurse for 15 years. Before joining the Arkadelphia School District, she served as a NICU nurse and part of the NICU Flight Team in Little Rock. When she became the school nurse in 2020, she added to that title, Point of Contact (POC) for the Arkadelphia Public School District. It was not just new to Beth, it was new to the Arkansas Department of Education and school districts. The position of POC was developed as part of the communication strategy to initiate the contact tracing process when positive COVID-19 cases are reported at school. She has been available to give advice and guidance to parents, students, and school staff.
Beth has cared for the school district’s staff, students, and families 24 hours a day and 7 days a week as the POC. She works in cooperation with the district and campus administrators as well as assisting the other two school nurses with their campuses when working COVID cases, screenings, and flu shots.
Beth stays informed of the current CDC guidelines. She tracks the case and quarantine numbers that are posted weekly on the APSD COVID-19 webpage. Beth has presented to the Arkadelphia School Board as the members make critical decisions in the fight to keep students safe. Beth does all this while also serving as the campus nurse at Goza MIddle School and Arkadelphia High School. AHS Principal Callie Hunley recognizes Beth and the tremendous job she has done serving our students, staff, and community.
One of the reasons Beth says she decided to become a school nurse is to reconnect with the Arkadelphia Community she was raised in. In her new role as POC, Beth has done exactly that. She led the district in partnering with Baptist Health in Arkadelphia to host a COVID Vaccination Clinic on the campus of Goza Middle School that served over seventy individuals in one evening.
Beth has been a difference maker not only in the Arkadelphia School District but in the community as a whole. Preventing the spread of COVID in the schools helps our community stay well. Beth knows her duties include more than COVID. She strives to do what it takes to help students and their families during uncertain times brought on by the unsteady job market during the pandemic. Beth has seized the opportunity to provide students and their families resources when they have needed it most. Dr. Karla Neathery, superintendent, emphasizes the impact Beth has made: “She has played an integral role in taking on significant responsibilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in support of students and staff. Because of her, we live in a happier, healthier world.”
Thank you Beth for all you have done for the Arkadelphia Public School District.
The Arkadelphia Public School District school nurses were recognized at the regular September Board Meeting with a Badger Pride Award, but the appreciation did not stop there. APSD Board Members presented gift baskets full of local business products and gift cards to Nurses Spenser O'Brien, Macy Jones, and Beth Hasley. Nicole McGough with Patterson Federal Credit Union was also there to present the nurses with a gift card. Thank you to our school nurses for your dedication and hard work to our district. We appreciate our APSD Board and community for recognizing the efforts of our school nurses.
