# Plain Language Summary: One School, One Nurse Act of 2023

This bill creates a federal grant program to help schools hire and keep registered nurses on staff. Right now, many schools don't have nurses available to students during the school day. According to the bill, only about half of all public schools have a full-time nurse, and nearly 20 percent have no nurse at all. Schools serving poorer communities are hit hardest—they're even less likely to have nursing staff. This bill aims to change that by giving money to school districts that need it most, with the goal of ensuring every elementary and secondary school has at least one full-time registered nurse.

The federal government would award five-year grants to school districts and states that apply and demonstrate they have a real shortage of school nurses. To get the money, schools have to show they have a plan to hire nurses, convert part-time positions to full-time, raise nurse salaries to keep experienced nurses from leaving, and maintain healthy ratios of nurses to students. The bill also encourages schools to hire nurses from the communities they serve and from groups that are underrepresented in nursing, to build a more diverse healthcare workforce.

Why does this matter? The bill points to research showing that schools with full-time nurses see real benefits: students miss fewer days of school, spend more time in classrooms, get better immunizations, and students with chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes get better health outcomes. For kids without health insurance—about six percent of American children—a school nurse is often their only access to healthcare. Nurses also handle health screenings, manage medications, and help reduce stress on teachers and administrators.

Schools that receive grants would have to report back to the federal government each year about their progress, including how many nurses they hired, whether they're meeting recommended nurse-to-student ratios, and whether they're actually improving student health outcomes. The bill gives priority to the poorest school districts and those that commit to hiring nurses from underrepresented backgrounds.

One School, One Nurse Act of 2023

Wilson, Frederica S.

One School, One Nurse Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive grants to eligible entities for recruiting, hiring, and retaining school nurses. An eligible entity is a local educational agency (LEA) or a partnership between a state educational agency and a consortium of LEAs in the state. Further, ED must specify in regulation the recommended nurse-to-student ratios for elementary and secondary schools.