HB1132_S_Cmte_Amend

SECTION 1. This act shall be known as the Mary Sprayberry School Nurse Reorganization Act of 2007.

SECTION 2. (1) The State Department of Education is designated as the state agency responsible for the administration and supervision of the school nurse program as an education and wellness curriculum in the public schools of the State of Mississippi. It is the intent of the Legislature that all funds made available to the State Department of Education for the purpose of employing school nurses shall be administered by the State Department of Education.

(2) The State Department of Education, through the Office of Healthy Schools, shall develop standards, procedures and criteria for the public school nurse programs in Kindergarten through Grade 12. The Office of Healthy Schools of the State Department of Education shall assume the responsibility for promoting a statewide school nurse program designed to prepare local school districts to incorporate the school program into their local educational programs.

(3) From and after July 1, 2007, the School Nurse Intervention Program administered and funded by the State Department of Health shall be transferred to the Office of Healthy Schools of the State Department of Education. Any administrative personnel employed by the State Department of Health for the administration of school nurses under the School Nurse Intervention Program may be considered for employment by the Office of Healthy Schools of the State Department of Education for the purpose of coordinating the employment of school nurses in the school districts. Any administrative personnel formerly employed by the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, Inc., for the administration of school nurses in the public schools may be considered for employment by the Office of Healthy Schools of the State Department of Education for the purpose of coordinating the employment of school nurses in the school districts. All records and unexpended balances of accounts in the School Nurse Intervention Program relating to the employment of school nurses shall be transferred to the Office of Healthy Schools in the State Department of Education in accordance with the transfer of responsibility under this act.

(4) The nurses in the public school nurse program shall have the following specific responsibilities:

(a) Serve as the coordinator of the health services program and provide nursing care;

(b) Provide health education to students;

(d) Identify health and safety concerns in the school environment and promote a nurturing social environment;

(e) Administer medications and help students manage their health problems;

(f) Support healthy food services programs;

(g) Promote healthy physical education, sports policies and practices;

(h) Promote dropout prevention programs; and

(i) Participate in allied health programs to introduce students to health careers.

(5) The Office of Healthy Schools of the State Department of Education shall provide resources to all public school nurses so that those schools with school nurses will be prepared to provide health education in Mississippi schools and support the Mississippi Comprehensive Health Framework, Mississippi Physical Education Framework, Wellness Policy, coordinated approach to school health, and other resources required by the State Board of Education.

(6) In administering the public school nurse program, the Office of Healthy Schools of the State Department of Education shall perform the following duties:

(a) Execute any contracts, agreements or other documents with any governmental agency or any person, corporation, association, partnership or other organization or entity that are necessary to accomplish the purposes of this act;

(b) Receive grants or any other contributions made to the State Board of Education to be used for specific purposes related to the goals of this act;

(d) Submit to the State Auditor any financial records that are necessary for the Auditor to perform an annual audit of the commission as required by law;

(e) Adopt any rules or regulations that are necessary to carry out the purposes of this act;

(f) Develop criteria to measure the effectiveness of a school nurse;

(g) Communicate to superintendents and principals how to maximize the effectiveness of a public school nurse;

(h) Report to the Senate and House Public Health and Welfare and Education Committees' Chairmen annually on the number of public school nurses, in which schools they are employed, results of their work in relation to the measures in (f);

(i) Develop recommended salary structure for school districts to use when hiring a school nurse; and

(j) Take any other actions that are necessary to carry out the purposes of this act.

SECTION 3. (1) There is established in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the School Nurse Program Fund, which shall be comprised of the funds specified in subsection (2) of this section and any other funds that are authorized or required to be deposited into the special fund.

(2) The Legislature shall annually appropriate the funds in the special fund to the Office of Healthy Schools of the State Department of Education, which shall expend the funds solely for the purposes specified in Section 2 of this act. None of the funds in the special fund may be transferred to any other fund or appropriated or expended for any other purpose.

(3) All income from the investment of the funds in the special fund shall be credited to the account of the special fund. Any funds in the special fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2007, and shall stand repealed from and after June 30, 2007.