School systems must have school nurses, with staffing ratios and funding rules set for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.
(a) The State Department of Education and the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind shall require the employment of school nurses in each local school system. (b) There shall not be greater than five licensed practical nurses to one registered nurse within each school system. However, based upon individual circumstances, including specific medical needs and tasks which must be performed by a registered nurse as set forth in the Nurse Practice Act and the Administrative Code rules of the Alabama Board of Nursing, there may be a lower registered nurse to licensed practical nurse ratio within each school system. (c) The allotment of school nurses shall be distributed so that each school system shall receive one registered nurse and an additional nurse or nurses or fraction of a nursing allocation based upon the average daily membership during the first 20 scholastic days after Labor Day of the preceding school year. (d) Each local school superintendent shall designate one registered nurse for the entire school system whose responsibilities shall include annually providing a full and comprehensive assessment of all student health needs within that system. Based upon the assessment findings, the designated nurse shall make a recommendation to the local school superintendent concerning the implementation and coordination of student health needs. (e) The State Department of Education shall employ a School Nurse Consultant, who shall be a registered nurse, to provide supervision of programs statewide and implement school nursing programs as established by the State Board of Education. (f) At a minimum, all school nurses shall be paid according to the statewide salary schedule for school nurses which shall be included in the annual budget act for the public schools. (g) The amounts necessary to meet the requirements of this section shall be appropriated in the annual budget act for the public schools and in the annual budget act for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. The funding for this requirement is contingent upon available revenue in the Education Trust Fund and appropriation by the Legislature. (h) Funding provisions of the School Nurses Act shall be met once every public school in Alabama has a school nurse and a ratio of one state-funded school nurse for every 500 pupils exists statewide. (i) This section shall be construed in pari materia with other laws, but to the effect that this section specifically conflicts with other laws in direct conflict with this section, then those laws or parts of laws are hereby repealed.