The "One School, One Nurse Act of 2025" aims to ensure every school has a full-time registered nurse by establishing a grant program to help schools recruit, hire, and retain nurses, and maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios. This act prioritizes high-need schools and those that focus on hiring nurses from underrepresented populations.
Frederica Wilson
Representative
FL-24
The "One School, One Nurse Act of 2025" aims to ensure every school has at least one full-time registered nurse by establishing a grant program. This program will provide funding to recruit, hire, and retain school nurses, especially in high-need areas. The grants will also support converting part-time positions to full-time and maintaining recommended nurse-to-student ratios, with priority given to entities focused on hiring from underrepresented populations. The Department of Education will oversee the grant program and set nurse-to-student ratio guidelines.
One School, One Nurse Act of 2025: Grants to Put a Full-Time Nurse in Every School
The "One School, One Nurse Act of 2025" (SEC. 1) aims to tackle a pretty straightforward problem: not enough nurses in schools. The bill sets up a grant program (SEC. 3) designed to get a full-time registered nurse into every elementary and secondary school. It's all about making sure kids have access to the healthcare they need, right where they spend most of their day.
Prescription for Reform
The core of the bill (SEC. 2) lays out the problem: only about half of public schools had a full-time nurse in 2015-2016, and nearly 20% had none. Schools with more low-income students were even less likely to have a nurse. This bill, referencing the American Academy of Pediatrics, wants to change that by making sure every school has at least one full-time RN. The bill acknowledges that school nurses are vital, especially for the roughly 6% of kids in the US who don't have health insurance (in 2019), as they are a critical source of health services.
Who’s Covered Now
This 5-year grant program (SEC. 3), run by the Secretary of Education, prioritizes schools that need nurses the most. Think "high-need local educational agencies" – basically, schools and districts where resources are stretched thin. To get the grants, schools need to show they have a shortage of nurses and lay out a plan for how they'll use the money to hire and, importantly, keep those nurses on staff even after the grant runs out. There’s also a focus on hiring nurses from the communities they serve and from underrepresented groups in public health. The bill requires the Secretary of Education to define "full-time" and "underrepresented populations" within 12 months. The grant money can be used to recruit new nurses, bump part-time nurses to full-time, and boost salaries to keep nurses around.
Real World Rollout
Imagine a school where, instead of a teacher juggling basic first aid with lesson plans, there's a dedicated nurse handling everything from asthma attacks to diabetes management. Or picture a student from a low-income family, without regular doctor visits, getting a crucial health screening at school. That's the kind of impact this bill is going for. The bill specifically mentions how school nurses improve attendance, increase time in class, ensure accurate records, boost vaccination rates, and even lead to better health outcomes for chronic conditions.
Schools getting the grants have to report back annually (SEC. 3) on their progress. They need to show they're moving towards that one-nurse-per-school goal and provide data on the number of nurses they have, broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender. The Secretary of Education will also set recommended nurse-to-student ratios within 12 months, giving schools a clear target to aim for. While the goals are positive, potential challenges include making sure the grant money is used correctly and that schools can accurately report their staffing data.