Although three of the nine lawful absences in N.C.G.S
115-C-378 (2009)—illness or injury, quarantine, medical,
or dental appointments—involve the health care system and
may require expertise beyond the scope of social work or
educational practice, the statute does not include nurses as
part of absence protocol. Historically, this has been the purview
and role of the social worker. At the elementary level,
the daily report lists reasons for absence, but traditionally the
school nurse has not been involved in the process to contact
parents for absences due to illness.