The practice of school nursing began in the United States on October 1, 1902, when a school nurse was hired to reduce absenteeism by intervening with students and families regarding health care needs related to communicable diseases. After one month of successful nursing interventions in the New York City schools, Lina Rogers, the first school nurse, was able to provide leadership to implement evidence based nursing care across the city. The school nurse's role has expanded greatly from its original focus, the essence and goals of the practice remains the same. Photo originally captioned: School nurse, circa 1910, New York City.