School Nurse Hailed For Saving Student From Choking In East Brunswick

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Not all heroes make the news. Especially school staff, who go above and beyond for the students in their care.

A nurse from the East Brunswick School District was lauded recently for saving the life of a preschool student who was choking on a grape.

During the last Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Victor Valeski told the community that Jessica Logan’s “quick thinking and reflexive professional actions” helped ensure a safe outcome for the student.

Logan, a staff at the Lawrence Brook Elementary School, was contacted on her walkie-talkie by a teacher informing her that a student at the Early Learning Academy was choking in the classroom. Students at the Early Learning Academy are 3-and 4-year-olds.

When Logan reached the classroom, she found the child choking on a grape.

“I performed the Heimlich maneuver and tried to get the child’s gag reflexes to work. That was the best solution at the time and after multiple tries, the grape finally dislodged,” Logan told Patch.

The nurse also credited the support staff for helping with the situation.

“The security guard removed the children from the classroom, so they didn’t have to see and get upset. The teacher called 911. And our principal, Elizabeth Dunn, was very calm. She made the parents aware of the situation,” Logan said. “Everyone did their job and there was an end result that was the best result.”

Logan joined the school district a year ago after staying home with her children.

“I went back to school during COVID-19 from my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I finished that and started subbing. I wanted to see if I liked school nursing or if I should go back to the hospital,” Logan said.

“I ended up loving it. I love working with the little kids and being in that environment.”

The best part about working at the East Brunswick School District is that Logan has a team of nurses to reach out to for support, she said.

“Everyone works together and is very helpful. If I have a question, I can call any one of them and they'll answer. It's a good working environment and our supervisor and staff are great,” Logan said.

Although she thanked the school board and community for acknowledging her, Logan said she feels awkward talking about the incident.

“I just feel a little awkward about the whole situation because that's my job. And I'm just so happy that this little person is okay.”

During the board meeting, Valeski thanked and praised Logan.

“We are proud of her and we are grateful she was the right person at the right time,” Valeski said. "On behalf of me and a grateful community, thank you for your efforts.”

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com