BILL REQ. #:  S-3681.1 

Read first time 01/09/2006.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to improving the delivery of health care services for school-aged children; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that schools are increasingly required to play an expanding 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. Chronically ill children often require medically ordered treatment to enable them to attend school. Medication is often required to be given to children during the school day. Schools are asked to coordinate with families and community services to manage students with significant health problems and to make referrals to appropriate community services. Schools are required to abide by rules of confidentiality and to properly maintain health care records.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The office of superintendent of public instruction and the department of health shall collaborate and develop a work group to assess school nursing services in class I school districts. The work group shall consult with representatives from the following groups: School nurses, schools, students, parents, teachers, health officials, and administrators.
     (2) The work group shall:
     (a) Study the needs of students for school nursing services by acuity levels, including the necessary skills to meet those demands. The work group also shall recommend to the legislature best practices in school nursing services, including the application of nurse delegation models in the public school setting with particular attention to the needs of small, rural schools, and geographically isolated schools and school districts. The work group shall make recommendations for school nursing services and may examine school nursing services by grade level. The work group shall assess whether funding for school nurses should continue as part of basic education;
     (b) In collaboration with the school nurse corps and with public health departments in rural geographic areas, evaluate the feasibility of collaboration between school districts, educational services districts, and local public health departments or districts to provide school nursing services; and
     (c) Explore the feasibility of blended funding options.
     (3) As used in this section, "school nurse" means a person who:
     (a) Holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing;
     (b) Holds a valid license as a registered nurse (RN) in Washington state; and
     (c) Is certified as an educational staff associate under the requirements established by the office of superintendent of public instruction.
     (4) The office of superintendent of public instruction shall report its findings and plans for implementation to the legislature by March 1, 2007.
     (5) This section expires June 30, 2007.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The school nurse account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from gifts, grants, or endowments obtained under section 4 of this act must be deposited into the account.
     Expenditures from the account may be used only to increase the nursing services in class I school districts. School districts with more than one thousand five hundred students for every school nurse shall receive priority for these funds. As used in this section, "school nurse" does not include nurses in the school nurse corps.
     Only the superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   The office of the superintendent of public instruction may receive gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources that are made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, for the use and benefit of the purposes of section 3 of this act and spend gifts, grants, or endowments or income from the public or private sources to support the purpose in section 3 of this act, unless the receipt of the gifts, grants, or endowments violates RCW 42.17.710.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2006, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.