The Virginia School Health Services Committee moved forward a bill that would require every public school to have a licensed nurse on site by July 1, 2028. The proposal, introduced Wednesday, seeks to address the roughly 8% of Virginia schools that currently operate without a nurse and to strengthen public‑health capacity in schools.
How the bill would work
Under the measure, each school board must provide at least one licensed school nurse per building or per 325 students. Districts that can demonstrate a good‑faith effort to hire nurses would be eligible for a two‑year waiver if they face documented shortages.
Support from educators and health officials
“School nursing is public health,” said Paula Nichols, school health administrator for Washington County Public Schools, during a video call to the committee. Nichols recalled how school nurses responded during Hurricane Helene, delivering water and medical care to flooded neighborhoods and coordinating community supply drives. “When the next emergency comes, we need those relationships already in place,” she added.
Senate Education and Health Committee Chair Barbara Favola, D‑Arlington, who also chairs the school health services committee, praised the bill as a compromise that supports teachers and administrators. “A nurse is there to help with health issues that more and more of our children are facing every day,” Favola said.
Committee member Betsy Looney emphasized that school nurses are more than “band‑aids and ice packs.” She called the presence of a nurse “the professional infrastructure necessary to safely and effectively implement the health responsibilities Virginia has already placed on its schools.”
Concerns about nurse shortages
Stacy Haynie, a lobbyist for the Virginia School Board Association, voiced caution about the statewide shortage of nurses. She noted that many districts struggle to find qualified applicants even when they want to hire. “Regardless of what this committee does with this particular proposed legislation, we need to keep in mind the shortage of nurses across the Commonwealth,” Haynie said.
The Virginia Department of Health Professions reports that schools compete with hospitals, clinics, academic institutions and nursing homes for nursing talent, making recruitment challenging.
Next steps
The committee will vote on whether to send the proposal to the General Assembly for consideration in the upcoming session beginning in January. If approved, the law would take effect on July 1, 2028, giving districts time to address staffing gaps and secure the necessary funding.
Local school boards, parents and community partners are expected to weigh in during the public comment period, highlighting the importance of health services in keeping Virginia’s children safe and healthy.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
