A nurse in the Bradford Area School District did not act in a
professional manner regarding a student in need, according to
papers filed in the Department of State’s prothonotary’s office in
July.

Karolyn Graves, a current Floyd C. Fretz Middle School nurse,
reached an agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bureau
of Professional and Occupational Affairs, after an investigation
into claims by a 13-year-old female student and her parents that
she neglected to help the diabetic student.

The incident occurred in October of 2003, when the student,
whose name was not released by her parents, went to Graves and told
her that her blood sugar levels were 45, which constitutes
hypoglycemia, a potentially dangerous and life threatening
condition, according to court papers.

The documents also indicate Graves asked the student if she had
glucose tablets. The student explained that she didn’t have any
because she had taken her last one. The student then asked Graves
for juice or money to buy juice.

Graves, according to documents, instructed the student to call
her mother, which she did. Her mother was working at the time as a
nurse in the operating room at Bradford Regional Medical
Center.

The student’s mother asked her daughter to hand the telephone to
Graves so she could talk with her.

When Graves was on the line, the student’s mother asked her to
give her daughter some juice or pop from the cafeteria. Documents
indicate Graves told the mother that she could not do that, and the
student’s mother hung up the phone.

The records said Graves then instructed the student to go the
cafeteria to get some juice. Graves did not go with the student to
the cafeteria, and after she received the juice from a cafeteria
worker, the student went to class by herself.

The student’s mother then arrived at the school and approached
Graves as to the whereabouts of her daughter. Graves told the
student’s mother that she had sent the student to the cafeteria.
The mother then went to the administrative office to ask for her
daughter, the court papers said.

Once united, the mother found that her daughter was
unharmed.

Court papers reveal that Graves did not perform a follow-up
assessment of the student to check her status of for a hypoglycemic
condition.

The papers state, “The activities of Respondent, described
above, violated the Act at 63 P.S. 224 (a) (9) in that respondent
has been guilty of unprofessional conduct by failing to conform to
a quality standard of the profession.”

The papers further state that if the issue had gone to a
hearing, Graves would have said that she had also told the student
to return to her office after obtaining the juice. Graves also said
the school cafeteria was a short distance from the nurse’s office.
Additionally, the papers said that Graves would have called a
witness that would have offered positive testimony concerning
Graves’ conduct in the matter.

The matter did not proceed to a hearing; instead of a hearing,
Graves signed a consent agreement and order on June 2.

Graves faces paying a civil penalty of $1,000, which will be
payable in four $250 payments to the prosecuting attorney Margaret
A. Sheaffer, and has to complete at least 24 hours of continuing
education within one year.

According to the court papers, a public reprimand has also been
placed on Graves’ permanent board record.

Graves’ license to practice professional nursing in Pennsylvania
expires in October and will be up for renewal.