Houston Republic

State Rep. Shawn Thierry (D-Houston) has filed a bill that would require every school district in the state to employ at least one full-time nurse on every campus.

Thierry recognizes the importance of nurses – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic – and has authored House Bill 181, also known as the “We Love School Nurses Bill.” 

“It’s so much more than offering a band-aid for a scraped knee or paper cut," Thierry said in a statement. "Texas school nurses can quickly diagnose conjunctivitis, the flu, severe food allergies, and strep throat which left untreated can be fatal. For many working parents, and children who do lot have a designated pediatrician, the school nurse is a front line access to a health care provider. House Bill 181 protects school-aged children, teachers, and faculty. Most of us grew up with having a school nurse on deck and it’s beyond time to return to that gold standard.”

Texas law doesn't require public schools to have full-time nurses, reported The Texas Tribune. According to state data, over 8,000 public schools across Texas only employed approximately 6,100 full-time school nurses meaning that there is a significant number of schools that do not have a full-time nurse on staff

“I can’t imagine what it’s like during this time to not have a nurse," Thierry said. "A lot of times it falls to the front office staff to take care of the kids and send kids home who may be sick. The advocacy group is also asking the state to track how many schools have nurses and whether they are covering more than one campus, a current hole in available state data."