BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AJR 24
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AJR 24 (Bonilla)
As Amended April 10, 2012
Majority vote
EDUCATION 7-3
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Ammiano, | | |
| |Buchanan, Butler, Carter, | | |
| |Eng, Williams | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Norby, Grove, Halderman | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Urges the members of California's congressional
delegation to sign on as cosponsors of, and requests the
Congress and the President of the United States enact, the
proposed federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts
of 2011 and 2012. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes findings and declarations relative to the crucial role
the school nurse has as the leader and coordinator of the
school health services team in providing health services to
children and youth.
2)Makes findings and declarations relative to the lack of school
nurses in 15 California counties and the 2,172:1
student-to-school nurse ratio statewide.
3)Makes findings and declarations relative to the increasingly
severe and chronic health conditions, such as autism, asthma
and diabetes that children across the nation and in California
are experiencing.
4)Makes findings and declarations relative to the fact that
schools are the only source of health care for many children
and adolescents in the United States and that the presence of
a school nurse leads to an increase in student attendance at
school.
5)Resolves that the Legislature urges the members of
California's congressional delegation to sign on as cosponsors
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of the proposed federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio
Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012.
6)Resolves that the Legislature requests that the Congress and
the President of the United States enact the federal
Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and
2012.
7)Resolves that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the
United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United
States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has been keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : This resolution resolves that California's State
Legislature urges the congressional delegation from California
to sign on as cosponsors of the federal Student-to-School Nurse
Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012. Further, this
resolution resolves that California's State Legislature requests
the Congress and President of the United States to enact the
Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012.
The federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of
2011 and 2012: Introduced on June 16, 2011, in the United
States Congress as H.R. 2229 and on January 31, 2012, as S.
2047, this federal legislation would authorize the Secretary of
Education to provide demonstration grants to local educational
agencies (LEAs) in order to reduce the ratio of students to
school nurses in public elementary and secondary schools. It
would provide priority for grants to LEAs that serve a high
number or percentage of impoverished students and demonstrate
the greatest need for new or additional nursing services for
their students. Currently, H.R. 2229 has been referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce as well as the
Committee on Energy and Commerce within the United States House
of Representatives; and, S. 2047 has been officially introduced.
Among the co-sponsors of H.R. 2229, four representatives are
from California's congressional delegation. S. 2047 was not
introduced by and has not been cosponsored by any California
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senators.
School nurses in California: According to Children Now, only
17% of California's schools have a school nurse or school health
center. Statistics from 2010 indicate that California's
student-to-school nurse ratio is 2,172:1. This ratio is far
higher than the recommended ratio by the National Association of
School Nurses (NASN). The NASN recommends guidelines of 750:1
for students in general population; 225:1 in the student
population that may require daily professional school nursing
services or intervention; and, 125:1 in the student population
with complex health care needs. In addition, the NASN
recommends there be a school nurse in each school all day, every
day.
In 2009, according to the author, 15 entire counties within
California did not have a single public school with a school
nurse. In comparison to other states across the nation,
California ranks 45th in student-to-school nurse ratio.
California, therefore, stands to benefit tremendously from the
proposed federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts
of 2011 and 2012.
Districts with high numbers of impoverished students and low
numbers of school nurses: The federal legislation provides
districts with high student-to-school nurse ratios and high
numbers of or a high percentage of impoverished students to
receive preference for demonstration grants. California is home
to many districts that would fit these priority characteristics.
Lack of trained and certified individuals: It is unclear if
enough credentialed school nurses would be available to take on
these new positions or if the augmentation of recruiting efforts
for school nurse credentialing would be required. According to
the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, between 2002 and 2009,
the average number of credentials issued was 247 credentials per
year. It appears possible that in order to take full advantage
of the federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of
2011 and 2012, California may need to increase recruitment
efforts and program offerings for such credentials.
Analysis Prepared by : Mark Murphy and Chelsea Kelley / ED. /
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(916) 319-2087
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