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HB 464

Healthy Students - A Nurse in Every School.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 28 co-sponsors

Every public school must have at least one full-time, permanent nurse from 2025–26, funded by $95M/year to DPI to expand nurse staffing and boost student health and safety.

Passed 1st Reading
0
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Bill Summary · HB 464

Summary — HB 464: "Healthy Students — A Nurse in Every School"

Status note: HB 464 (Healthy Students — A Nurse in Every School) was introduced in the 2025 session and has moved through initial readings and committee referral. (Always check the official legislative website for the bill’s current status.)

Purpose

To require every public school in the State to be staffed with at least one full‑time, permanent school nurse beginning with the 2025–2026 school year, and to provide state recurring funding to support hiring those nurses.

Key provisions

  • Adds a requirement across multiple education statutes that each school must be staffed by at least one full‑time, permanent school nurse:
    • Amends G.S. 115C‑47 (local boards of education duties) and related statutes governing boards of trustees, charter schools, regional schools, and laboratory schools.
  • Appropriates recurring state funding:
    • $95,000,000 (ninety‑five million dollars) in recurring General Fund for FY 2025–2026 to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
    • These funds are designated to increase the School Health Personnel Allotment and to create/increase positions for school nurses.
  • Spending rule:
    • Funds must supplement and not supplant existing funds provided for school nurses (i.e., they cannot replace local or other existing state funds).
  • Effective date and application:
    • The act becomes effective July 1, 2025.
    • The school‑nurse staffing requirement applies beginning with the 2025–2026 school year.

Who is affected

  • Local school administrative units and local boards of education (must ensure each school has a full‑time permanent nurse).
  • Charter schools, regional schools, and laboratory schools (subject to the same requirement).
  • Department of Public Instruction (receives appropriation and is responsible for allotment increases).
  • Students and families (intended beneficiaries via improved health services and in‑school care).
  • Existing and prospective school nurses (increased hiring demand).

Fiscal and implementation considerations

  • The bill specifies a recurring $95M appropriation for 2025–26 to expand nurse positions but does not detail the allocation formula or hiring timeline at the district level.
  • Recruiting sufficient licensed school nurses—especially in rural or workforce‑short areas—may be a practical challenge.
  • No enforcement mechanism or penalties for noncompliance are detailed in the bill text; implementation and monitoring mechanisms (e.g., reporting requirements) are not specified.

Potential impacts

  • Expected benefits: better management of chronic conditions, improved school attendance and readiness to learn, faster response to medical incidents, and strengthened health screenings/referrals.
  • Risks/challenges: workforce shortages, uneven distribution of nurses across districts, and the need for local implementation plans to absorb and correctly use the allotted funds.

For the latest procedural status, amendments, and fiscal analyses, consult the state legislature’s official bill page and DPI guidance once available.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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