School nurses are at the forefront as school districts prepare to welcome staff and students back into classrooms.

Nurses at White Plains schools say they have a set of new responsibilities and challenges now in their hands, and they say parents must be vigilant.

Maggie Racioppo, nurse coordinator for White Plains schools, says parents need to be responsible for making sure their children do not go to school if they are sick.

Kids showing coronavirus symptoms or simply not feeling well will be separated from other children in an isolation room.

That's where they'll be assessed with a temperature and oxygen level check before school nurses decide the next step.

If a child is deemed sick enough to be sent home, the student will be required to see a doctor before he or she returns to school. It will be up to the physician to decide if a COVID-19 test is necessary.

If a child does test positive for the virus, he or she must quarantine for at least 10 days, and after that quarantine ends the student must be fever-free for at least 72 hours without medication.

Nurses say another crucial part of their job will be to follow-up on students who are sick. They say that is the key to contact tracing, making sure those affected are quarantined as quickly as possible.