Sponsors (6)
The bill would expand access to full‑time school nurses—improving student health, chronic care management, and equity in high‑need districts—but requires sustained funding, creates added costs and administrative burdens, and risks unequal implementation if resources or program design are insufficient.
Students in participating schools will gain access to at least one full‑time registered nurse, improving day‑to‑day care, emergency response, and reducing health‑related absences.
Parents and families of students with chronic conditions (e.g., asthma, diabetes) will face fewer emergency visits and lower caretaking burdens because on‑site nurses can manage chronic care and medication administration.
High‑need and low‑income districts receive funding priority, directing resources to schools with persistent nurse shortages and helping reduce disparities in access to school health services.
Taxpayers, states, and local school budgets will face higher costs to hire and retain full‑time nurses, and federal grant spending increases without offsets.
Many districts will face administrative and logistical burdens to recruit nurses, adjust staffing models, meet grant requirements, and provide competitive salaries.
If funding is temporary or implementation favors districts that can move fastest, wealthier districts may staff nurses sooner while under‑resourced districts lag, potentially widening disparities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a competitive five‑year grant program to recruit, hire, convert to full‑time, and retain registered nurses so every K–12 school has at least one full‑time RN and meets recommended ratios.
Official title: To authorize the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to assist local educational agencies with ensuring that each elementary and secondary school has at least one registered nurse on staff.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Frederica Wilson · Last progress January 9, 2025
Creates a five-year competitive grant program to help states and local school districts recruit, hire, convert to full-time, and retain registered nurses so that every elementary and secondary school has at least one full‑time registered nurse and meets recommended nurse‑to‑student ratios. The Department of Education must set up the program and regulations within 12 months, consult with HHS and Labor on staffing standards, and provide guidance and technical assistance. Eligible local educational agencies or consortia of state and local education agencies apply with a needs assessment and hiring plan that prioritizes community-based and underrepresented recruitment; grantees report annually with disaggregated workforce data and progress toward full‑time nurse staffing and the Secretary‑defined ratios.