Minnesota School Nurse of the Year 2008

Jeanne Fleming Sedgwick, RN, BAN, LSN, MS, NCSN of St. Paul was honored as Minnesota’s School Nurse of the Year at the School Nurse Organization of Minnesota's Annual Fall Conference, held October 16 at the Sheraton Minneapolis West in Minnetonka. As a nurse for thirty years in St. Paul Schools, Jeanne has demonstrated excellence in her school nursing practice and leadership for the health of schoolchildren at local, state, and national levels.

Jeanne currently practices at Bridgeview School, where she works with children who have special health care needs and their families. Her previous nursing positions included Early Education Special Education nurse, elementary school staff nurse, lead nurse at Student Placement Center, and District Wide Special Education Health Resource. In addition to mentoring fellow school nurses in the district and providing health resources to teaching staff, she has been a trainer for the Minnesota Department of Education for Other Health Disabilities. As an Executive Board Member of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers, Jeanne has taken many leadership opportunities to advocate for and direct changes that affect the role, practice, and recognition of school nurses at the district and Education Minnesota levels.

Jeanne chairs the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Healthcare School Nurse Sub Committee and is a member of AFT’s Program and Policy Council. Her stellar work has contributed to healthcare policy, publications, resolutions, and programs that affect school nursing issues, promotes leadership and benefits for school nurses nationwide.

Jeanne’s professional writing contributions include a chapter entitled “Using Individual Healthcare Plans with 504 Plans and Accommodations” in the School Nurses’s Source Book of Individualized Healthcare Plans published in 1999 and her assistance in the development of “Disability Fact Sheets” for the Minnesota Department of Health.

As a result of this award, the Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation is pleased to provide a Community Scholarship to Jeanne to attend an Executive Education Program at Harvard University in the amount of up to $4000.

Congratulations, Jeanne, on your demonstrated excellence in school nursing practice and leadership in school health!