One School, One Nurse Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.8220 | Sponsor: Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. (D-FL)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
One School, One Nurse Act of 2022
This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive grants to eligible entities for recruiting, hiring, and retaining school nurses. An eligible entity is a local educational agency (LEA) or a partnership between a state educational agency and a consortium of LEAs in the state.
Further, ED must specify in regulation the recommended nurse-to-student ratios for elementary and secondary schools.

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``One School, One Nurse Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to assist States and local 
educational agencies with ensuring that every elementary and secondary 
school has at least one full-time registered nurse on staff, and to 
maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios, including through the 
recruitment, hiring, and retention of registered nurses.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, every 
        elementary and secondary school should have at least one full-
        time registered nurse on staff.
            (2) According to the National Center for Education 
        Statistics, during the 2015-2016 school year, only about half 
        of all public schools had a full-time registered nurse and 
        nearly 20 percent did not have any nurse on staff. Schools with 
        higher free or reduced-price lunch program eligibility rates 
        had lower rates of school nurses.
            (3) According to the Georgetown University Center for 
        Children and Families, in 2019, roughly 6 percent of children 
        in the United States were uninsured.
            (4) For children who lack health care coverage, a school 
        nurse is often a critical source of health services.
            (5) Studies suggest that schools with a full-time 
        registered nurse experience far-reaching benefits including 
        fewer student absences, students spending more time in class, 
        more accurate medical records, higher immunization rates, fewer 
        student pregnancies, and better health outcomes for students 
        with asthma or diabetes.
            (6) School nurses play a critical role in helping to manage 
        the chronic physical, emotional, mental, and social health 
        needs of students, conduct health screenings, facilitate 
        vaccinations and immunization compliance efforts, reduce 
        burdens on educators and other school staff, and support a 
        positive and healthy school climate.

SEC. 3. ONE SCHOOL, ONE NURSE GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant Program Authorized.--Not later than 12 months after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a 
program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities 
to carry out the activities under subsection (d). Grants awarded under 
this section shall be for a period of 5 years.
    (b) Application.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under this 
section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require. Such application shall include--
            (1) a needs assessment of the eligible entity that 
        demonstrates the existence of persistent shortages of school 
        nurses or persistent shortages of full-time school nurses;
            (2) a description of the health and wellness needs of the 
        student population served by the eligible entity;
            (3) a comprehensive plan for the use of grant funds to 
        address persistent shortages described in the needs assessment 
        under paragraph (1), including a description of how such 
        activities shall address the health and wellness needs 
        described under paragraph (2) and how such funds will be used 
        to ensure that the eligible entity will continue to employ and 
        retain school nurses after the completion of the grant period; 
        and
            (4) a description of how the eligible entity will 
        prioritize recruiting individuals from the communities served 
        by the eligible entity and from underrepresented populations in 
        public health professions (as determined by the Secretary by 
        regulation), and how the eligible entity will track progress in 
        meeting any specified hiring goals.
    (c) Selection and Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
            (1) are a high-need local educational agency, or are a 
        partnership between a State educational agency and a consortium 
        of high-need local educational agencies; and
            (2) describe and set specific hiring goals towards 
        increasing the share of school nurses who are from 
        underrepresented populations in public health professions.
    (d) Activities.--Grant funds awarded under this section shall be 
used by an eligible entity to carry out one or more of the following 
activities:
            (1) Recruit and hire school nurses.
            (2) Provide resources necessary to convert part-time school 
        nurse positions at elementary or secondary schools served by 
        the eligible entity into full-time school nurse positions.
            (3) Support the retention of school nurses, including by 
        increasing salaries.
            (4) Maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios (as 
        determined by the Secretary by regulation).
    (e) Reporting.--Each eligible entity awarded a grant under this 
section shall submit to the Secretary an annual report for each year of 
the grant award. Such report shall include--
            (1) a summary of the eligible entity's progress in 
        employing at least one full-time registered nurse at each 
        elementary and secondary school served by the eligible entity 
        and maintaining recommended nurse-to-student ratios (as 
        determined by the Secretary by regulation);
            (2) data on the number and percentage of full-time and 
        part-time school nurses, disaggregated by major racial and 
        ethnic groups and gender, employed at each elementary and 
        secondary school served by the eligible entity; and
            (3) a summary of any progress made by the eligible entity 
        in addressing the health and wellness needs identified in the 
        needs assessment required under subsection (b)(2) as a result 
        of activities carried out with a grant under this section.
    (f) Regulations Required.--Not later than 12 months after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall--
            (1) in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services--
                    (A) specify in regulation the recommended nurse-to-
                student ratios for elementary and secondary schools;
                    (B) provide for guidance and other technical 
                assistance to eligible entities with respect to 
                achieving and maintaining such ratios; and
                    (C) specify in regulation the definition of 
                ``underrepresented populations in public health 
                professions'' for the purposes of this section; and
            (2) in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services and the Secretary of Labor, specify in regulation the 
        definition of ``full-time'' with respect to school nurses for 
        the purposes of this section.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a local educational agency; or
                    (B) a partnership between a State educational 
                agency and a consortium of local educational agencies 
                in the State, entered into for the purposes of a grant 
                under this section.
            (2) High-need local educational agency.--The term ``high-
        need local educational agency'' has the meaning given such term 
        in section 200 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1021).
            (3) Local educational agency; state educational agency.--
        The terms ``local educational agency'' and ``State educational 
        agency'' have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (4) School nurse.--The term ``school nurse'' means a 
        registered nurse who is employed by a school or local 
        educational agency or State or State educational agency and is 
        qualified under State law to provide assessment, diagnosis, 
        counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other health services 
        to meet student needs.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
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