H-4019.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2604

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Brough, Dorn, B. Thomas, Dyer, Eide and Talcott)

Read first time 02/04/94.

Allowing school nurses not to be certificated employees.

    AN ACT Relating to the hiring of school nurses; adding a new section to chapter 28A.210 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that schools are being asked to play an increasing role in protecting our children's health.  Schools are responsible for monitoring the immunization of children, evaluating children's hearing and vision, and screening for scoliosis.  Medically fragile children often require medically ordered treatment to enable them to attend school.  Prescribed medication is often required to be given to children during the school day.  Schools are also responsible for identifying and reporting child abuse, identifying drug and alcohol problems, treating emergencies, providing counseling and assistance for teenage parents, and providing AIDS education.  Current demands on schools require them to teach anger management, work to prevent teen suicide, and reduce violent behaviors among the school-age population.  The legislature finds that expertise is needed in our schools to protect the health of students in our schools and to help students learn healthy behaviors.  In order to meet these increasing demands, the legislature finds that the ratio of school nurses to full-time equivalent students needs to be improved.  School nurses play a vital role in meeting the special needs of today's students by accessing, monitoring, evaluating, coordinating, supervising, and teaching.  In addition, the use of classified health care providers will ease the burdens placed on teachers and classified and administrative staff while acting to improve both the health and the healthy behaviors of the students in our educational system. In addition, schools should be provided additional flexibility in meeting the health needs of children.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.210 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Beginning with the 1995-96 school year, each first class school district shall maintain a ratio of at least one certificated school nurse for every two thousand five hundred full-time equivalent students.

    (2) School districts may hire classified health care providers for the purpose of protecting the health of children in the district.  Classified health care providers shall include licensed practical nurses, noncertificated registered nurses, and health aides.  However, such classified health care providers shall be supervised by a certificated school nurse.  The supervisor, however, is not required to be located in the same building or location as the classified health care provider.  Certification requirements shall not apply to individuals hired in second class districts under RCW 28A.210.300.

    (3) School districts are encouraged to have at least one certificated school nurse or classified health care provider in each school building.

                            --- END ---