Baby boom in the nurse’s room: 2023 and 2024 deliver big for 11 LCPS Health Services staff
Las Cruces Public Schools Health Services Department celebrates 11 new arrivals while maintaining full nursing coverage across the district
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - Between 2023 and 2024, there has been a lot of exciting news for Las Cruces Public Schools, including 11 new bundles of joy in the Health Services Department.
“I had to keep a spreadsheet!” joked Shawna Bailey, Director of Health Services for LCPS. “We are thrilled for each of them.”
Of the 11, the expectant mothers included RNs, health assistants and one athletic trainer. The boom started with the first baby born on April 4, 2023. The births continued through Sept. 16, 2024 — the most recent baby added to Health Services.
In all, LCPS employs 44 school nurses across the district, and historically, the district has been one of few across the country to staff a registered nurse at each school. Having to juggle maternity leave was a task, but not impossible for Bailey, who relied on former LCPS staff to fill in.
“We were fortunate to have some of our retired school nurses come back to help out and substitute while the new moms were on maternity leave,” added Bailey, who recently learned of another baby due in 2025.