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. 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 purpose of improving the ratio of
students-to-school nurses and studying the outcomes. At a time when many states are struggling to adequately fund education and health services, this legislation could help save the lives of children.

School nurses are an important part of the educational and public health systems in America. Ninety eight percent of our nation's children attend school each day. School nurses make sure that they can see, hear, and are in school and ready to learn. School nurses screen for disease and ensure that children are vaccinated to prevent the spread of disease through our communities. Increasing numbers of children with special, complex healthcare needs and illnesses are now in regular classrooms. In fact, 16 percent of the nation's 52 million students have chronic physical, emotional or other health problems, and 13 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 treatments and to monitor the children afterward often falls on the shoulders of teachers and secretaries who are ill-prepared to perform these tasks.

In the United States, there are approximately 65,000 employed school nurses--way too few to properly care for millions of students nationwide. According to the National Association of School Nurses, the caseload for school nurses should be determined by a needs-based formula. There is wide disparity between states and within states. Children in Vermont have 1 school nurse per 275 students. Children in Utah rarely see a school nurse, with only 1 school nurse per 4,839 students. (2008, NASN) On average, there is only one school nurse for every 1,151 students. Currently, 45 percent of U.S. public schools have one or more full time school nurses caring for students' health needs. This is a foundation which must be built upon, as 30 percent have only a part-time school nurse and 25 percent have no nurse assigned to their school at all.

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