School Nurse to Student Ratios

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

I am writing today because I am concerned that too many schools are not appropriately staffed with enough school nurses to take care of students with routine and chronic healthcare needs.

School nurses are the watchful eyes and ears for our nation's children during a large chunk of each day. More and more children with special healthcare needs and illnesses are now in regular classrooms. In fact, 10 percent to 20 percent of the nation's 52 million students have chronic social, emotional or other health problems, and 5.6 percent of all students receive prescription medications during the school day. If there is no nurse on the premises, the responsibility to administer these medications and to monitor the children afterward often falls on the shoulders of school personnel ill-prepared to perform these tasks.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 39 percent of schools nationwide, someone other than an RN administers student medications, resulting in an unsafe situation. A study by Dr. Ann Marie McCarthy, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, showed that medication errors in schools are three times more likely to occur when someone other than a school nurse is involved.

In the United States, there are approximately 45,000 employed school nurses--way too few to properly care for millions of students nationwide. The caseload for school nurses should be determined by a needs-based formula. Yet, on average, there is only one school nurse for every 1,155 students.

Some school nurses are responsible for several schools--often miles apart. Many students have only a part-time school nurse or no nurse assigned to their school at all. In fact, almost half of all school nurses are responsible for students attending three different schools.

Legislation to address this issue (Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2009) has been reintroduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) in the House of Representatives. I urge you to support and co-sponsor H.R. 2730, which would provide grant money to states for the sole purpose of improving the ratio of school nurses to students. At a time when many states are struggling to adequately fund education and health services, this legislation could help save the life of a child.

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