The Hiawatha School Board heard that the district will begin offering a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class on the high school campus next fall, designed to run during the regular school day and provide both high school and college credit. "Next year, we will offer our own CNA class on our campus during the regular school day," Speaker 5 said, adding that students will be able to earn six hours of college credit and sit for the CNA credential with testing in Atchison.

The program is targeted to juniors and seniors who have completed the intro to health science course; enrollment is limited to 10 students per section, a cap Speaker 5 described as an external requirement rather than a district limit. Maple Heights will host labs and clinicals, Nurse Heather Gildersleeve will teach classroom content, and HCC will provide compensation for instructors, Speaker 5 said.

Speaker 5 said the district received a grant of about $6,000 to purchase simulation equipment — including a patient mannequin, a bed, stethoscopes and mobility aids — and that Highland will provide textbooks for the class. The first-time CNA testing will be free for students; retakes will carry a fee. If students pass the course and the credentialing exam, they will be eligible to work as CNAs upon completion.

The district expects the program to address local shortages in long-term care staffing and to create a pathway into postsecondary nursing programs. "A CNA is a high demand job in Kansas, but especially in Brown County," Speaker 5 said, noting local employers' difficulty in recruiting and retaining CNAs. The board and presenters indicated additional administrative steps remain — such as getting Maple Heights approved as a facility and certifying the classroom instructor — but no board action was requested at the meeting.

The district will bus students to Atchison for credential testing and will manage scheduling and equipment setup before the class begins next year. No enrollment timeline beyond 'next fall' was specified.