Two first-grade teachers at Adams Elementary watched closely as Corvallis School District nurse Christine Kulonis demonstrated the use of an EpiPen.

Cindy Taylor and Claudia Raleigh learned how to use the device - used to quickly inject medication in the case of a severe allergic reaction - before they headed out with their classes on a field trip to a pumpkin patch. Each teacher has children in her class with serious food allergies.

Taking a safety cap off the end of the device, Kulonis showed the women how they would jam the needle end of the EpiPen forcefully into the thigh of a student having an anaphylaxic reaction.

"Put it on the thigh at a 90 degree angle," Kulonis explained. "Hold it there and count to 10."

After a tutorial of about 30 minutes, the teachers rushed back to their classes, prepared with new skills should an emergency arise.

Before Kulonis was hired in September, the district contracted with medical professionals for such training. The district hadn't had a full-time nurse since 1993. No one at the district office can recall a time when most schools had on-site nurses.

During recent contract negotiations, teachers made it clear that they often do not feel comfortable administering routine or emergency medical care. Asked to calculate insulin doses for diabetics, facilitate tube-feeding for students who need it, or be ready to treat a student having a seizure, teachers are often resistant to taking responsibility for these duties.

"The discussion is, are these in the realm of teaching or are these medical profession issues?" said Eneke Warnke, Adams kindergarten teacher and former Corvallis Education Association president.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which originated in 1975 and has expanded repeatedly since then, mandates that school districts make education available to children with special needs.

Teachers and school office staff bear the bulk of the responsibility for making this happen. Each school has teachers and staff trained in administering medicines, as well as first aid and CPR. Only four of Corvallis' 13 public schools have health-room aides, Kulonis said, and those aides are only scheduled to work in the health rooms a few hours per day.

"These kids' lives are literally in your hands sometimes," Warnke said, remembering a field trip a few years ago. A diabetic girl's blood sugar went dangerously low. Warnke gave the girl a sugary treat and monitored her closely.

Kulonis, who said she's received a enthusiastic welcome from relieved teachers, makes the rounds to each district school each week. She has spent a lot of time gathering information about children's medical needs, making sure records and procedures are in order and giving medical training to teachers and staff.

"They always say 'We're so glad you're here,'" Kulonis said. "Then usually the next words out of their mouth are 'We have this student with this issue.'"