WPS: Nursing Services Update

	WILTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS 395 Danbury Road Wilton, Connecticut 06897

September 22, 2026

Dear Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, and Staff, 

Last week I received a letter from a group of our school nurses detailing a number of employment concerns. This letter came on the heels of two abrupt resignations from newly employed nurses assigned to Wilton High School and another letter I was copied on from a nurse assigned to Miller-Driscoll who, at the end of August, notified Waveny Lifecare Network of her intent to resign. 

I write this letter to provide accurate information about our school nurses and nursing program.  First and foremost, we care deeply for our school nurses and have had a very long and positive relationship with them. Wilton Public Schools has benefitted from the stability provided by the long-term presence of a generation of nursing staff that has been serving our schools for over two decades. Our students have received exceptional care from the health professionals serving our schools and we are committed to preserving this relationship. 

Nursing services have been provided to the Town of Wilton and Wilton Public Schools on a contract basis for many, many years. Currently, Waveny LifeCare Network/Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County provides our nursing services. While our nurses are not expressly our employees, we value their work immensely and view their role in the organization as critical to our mission.

Our staffing levels at each of our schools have been constant for many years and remain unchanged. Across the district, 6.5 nurses and 2.0 health aides serve our students. The nursing staff at Cider Mill and Middlebrook remains stable and in place. Even with the resignations at WHS and Miller-Driscoll, Waveny has provided our district the required amount of nursing services stipulated in our contract through the provision of temporary nurses. The guarantee of daily nurses and nurse substitutes is one benefit of working with an outside contractor like Waveny, where the pool of qualified staff is deep. 

Members of my senior leadership team and I met with an executive from Waveny LifeCare this morning to review all of the concerns that have been raised by our nurses, concerns related to wages, management infrastructure, recruitment, and retention. The Waveny executive shared with us steps that Waveny has already taken, including augmenting wages, meeting with our existing nursing staff, and initiating a review of school nurse responsibilities. The Waveny executive also shared that, in addition to actively recruiting permanent nurses, the Waveny leadership team continues to study the compensation landscape and is re-evaluating their current onsite leadership structure. 

I am confident that Waveny LifeCare has heard the concerns raised by our nursing staff and are responding proactively. The temporary nurses that have been assigned to our schools remain in place and our students’ needs are being met.  I expect that the steps Waveny has taken and is planning to take will effectively address the issues that have been raised, and I look forward to updating the community as remaining issues are resolved. 

Sincerely, 

Kevin J. Smith, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools