School nurse qualifications would loosen amid shortage, under NC bill favored by committee

Bradford said officials with Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools brought the idea to him because the school system was struggling to hire school nurses, even when they had the money to hire a nurse.

The committee approved the bill Tuesday with bipartisan support, sending it to the House Rules Committee for another vote. If it becomes law, it would be effective immediately.

With nearly 3,000 individual public schools, North Carolina would need to nearly double its nurses to meet the goal of one in every school.

Tiffany Gladney, director of policy and governmental relations for NC Child, said school nurses play a critical role in students' mental health, as well. Nurses often know which students are struggling emotionally, because they visit the nurse.

“Our babies are in crisis,” Gladney said. “And this bill will certainly save lives, and it’s time to meet children where they are or where they should be, which is school.”

During the 2021-22 school year, public school systems or their counties employed 1,630 full-time equivalent school nurses, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data. School systems reported another 131 school nurse positions were vacant for at least six months out of the school year.

Just about half of charter schools — 104 schools — employed a registered nurse at least part-time.

The committee also approved a bill that would require schools to form “medical condition action plans” for students who have a disorder — diagnosed by a doctor — that can lead to medical emergencies. Such a plan would include information about the condition, steps that should be taken and who should be responsible for taking them.

North Carolina encourages character education, but does not require it. Character education includes “instruction on respect for school personnel, responsibility for school safety, service to others, and good citizenship,” according to a bill summary.

The bill would also require health curriculum for third through ninth grade students to include “age-appropriate” information and resources on recognizing, preventing and reporting suicide, abuse and neglect.

The bill would authorize training for educators on child sex abuse and sex trafficking prevention. That training could only be provided by nonprofits with 10 years of experience.