Bill Text: NJ A2262 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires each school district to have certified school nurse at each school building in district.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A2262 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A2262-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman YVONNE LOPEZ
District 19 (Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Danielsen
SYNOPSIS
Requires each school district to have certified school nurse at each school building in district.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning public school nurses and amending N.J.S.18A:40-1 and P.L.1999, c.153.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. N.J.S.18A:40-1 is amended to read as follows:
18A:40-1. Every board of education shall employ one or more physicians, licensed to practice medicine and surgery within the state, to be known as the medical inspector or medical inspectors, and any board, not furnishing nursing services under a contract pursuant to [section 18A:40-3.1] N.J.S.18A:40-3.1 shall employ one or more certified school nurses at each school building in the school district, and it may also employ one or more optometrists, licensed to practice optometry within the state, to be known as the school vision examiner or school vision examiners, and the board shall fix their salaries and terms of office.
Every board of education shall adopt rules, subject to the approval of the state board, for the government of such employees.
(cf: N.J.S.18A:40-1)
2. Section 2 of P.L.1999, c.153 (C.18A:40-3.3) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. A school district shall only utilize or employ for the provision of nursing services in [the public schools] each public school building of the district persons holding an educational services certificate with an endorsement as a school nurse issued by the State Board of Examiners, except for those non-nursing personnel who are otherwise authorized by statute or regulation to perform specific health related services. Special education students and those with medical needs requiring specialized care shall have that care rendered by an appropriate provider as appointed by the State Board of Education. No person shall be issued such certificate unless the person is licensed as a registered nurse pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1947, c.262 (C.45:11-23 et seq.) and meets all of the requirements prescribed by the board for a nursing endorsement. A school district may supplement the services provided by the certified school nurse, employed at each school building in the district pursuant to N.J.S.18A:40-1, with non-certified nurses [, provided that the non-certified nurse is assigned to the same school building or school complex as the certified school nurse].
b. A medically fragile student requiring clinical nursing services shall have those services rendered by a provider of clinical nursing services as defined in this subsection. Nothing in this section shall be construed to exclude a licensed health care service firm that is approved to provide private duty nursing under the Medicaid Program and is in compliance with State Board of Education regulations. The parent or legal guardian of a medically fragile student shall have the option to choose a provider to render clinical nursing services to the student, and the State Board of Education shall allow the provider chosen by the parent or legal guardian to render such services to the student only if the cost to the school district remains neutral.
As used in this subsection:
"Medically fragile student" means a school-aged child who suffers from a life-threatening medical condition, and as a result of such condition, requires more individualized and continuous care than is available from a school nurse.
"Clinical nursing services" means specific health care services, based on a medically fragile student's individualized education plan and a physician's or advanced practice nurse's orders, as provided by a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse with specialized pediatric training who attends to the student.
"Provider of clinical nursing services" means an agency that renders clinical nursing services and is approved to provide private duty nursing under the Medicaid program pursuant to P.L.1968, c.413 (C.30:4D-1 et seq.) or the NJ FamilyCare Program pursuant to P.L.2005, c.156 (C.30:4J-8 et al.).
(cf: P.L.2012, c.5, s.2)
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each school
district to employ a certified school nurse at each school building in the
district. Current law requires every school district to employ one or more
school nurses. Current law also provides that a school district may only employ,
for the provision of nursing services, candidates holding an educational
services certificate with a school nurse endorsement issued by the State Board
of Examiners. Under the law, however, a school district may supplement the
services provided by a certified school nurse with non-certified nurses
provided that the non-certified nurses are working in proximity to the
certified nurse. Specifically, the law requires a non-certified nurse to be
assigned to the same school building or school complex as the certified school
nurse.
This bill amends current law to specify that each school district is required to have a certified school nurse located at each school building in the district. A school district may continue to supplement the services provided by the certified school nurse employed at each school building in the district with non-certified nurses.
