After a task force found that Michigan ranked last in the ratio of school nurses to students, the state’s two U.S. senators are introducing legislation to allow schools and state agencies to apply for federal grants to hire more nurses.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan are joining Jon Tester of Montana and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, all Democrats, in the Nurse Act, which will make school districts eligible to apply for additional nurses based on the number of their students who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals -- an across-the-board indicator of poverty in districts.
In 2012, the Michigan School Nurse Task Force found that Michigan ranked last among states in the ratio of school nurses to students with one nurse for every 4,411 students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a ratio of one nurse to every 750 students.
“School nurses play a vital role in fostering a learning environment that keeps students healthy and thriving,” Peters said. “I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Nurse Act so that we can better address school nurse shortages and expand access to health services and management of chronic health issues to promote wellness in the classroom.”
“Whether it’s responding to an emergency or diagnosing a health issue early on, school nurses provide critical health care services for our children,” said Stabenow. “By helping schools with additional resources to hire a nurse, we’re giving students in need of care a better chance of succeeding in the classroom.”
According to the National Association of School Nurses, only 45 percent of public schools have a full-time nurse available to students and another 30 percent of schools only have a part-time nurse.
The grants established in this bill will be administered by the U.S. Department of Education. A school district can apply for the grant individually or as a group with other school districts. State agencies are also eligible to join school districts in applying for the grant to support individual districts along with statewide school health initiatives.
To encourage state agencies and school districts to continue investing in school nurses after the grant expires, the Nurse Act requires school districts to provide matching funds. The federal share of the grant will start at 75 percent of the overall cost of hiring a school nurse and gradually shrink over the succeeding years of the grant.
The legislation is supported by the National Association of School Nurses, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, American Nurses Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Trust for America’s Health.