PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine has decided to give its “School Nurse of the Year” award to all the school nurses in the state.

Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and the Maine Department of Education said Wednesday they and the Maine Association of School Nurses are recognizing all school nurses as the “School Nurse of the Year” for the 2020-21 school year.

Mills and the education department said the coronavirus pandemic has taxed resources at school districts throughout the state. School nurses have had to take on new responsibilities to help keep students healthy and schools safe, they said.

School nurses “have helped adapt with grace and grit to protect the health of our children,” Mills said.

Wednesday was National School Nurses Day.