C.R.S. Section 25-1.5-406
School nurse grant program

  • creation
  • eligibility
  • award of grants
  • rules
  • report
  • legislative declaration
  • definitions

(1)

Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a)

The general assembly finds that:

(I)

School nurses play a vital role in a child’s health and educational welfare in school, acting as a health-care safety net for children;

(II)

When a school nurse is in a school, fewer children are sent home sick or miss school, fewer children are sent to emergency rooms for asthma, fewer 911 calls are made, and teachers and principals have more time to teach and lead;

(III)

School nurses are trained to handle medical emergencies and to provide advanced first aid, as well as to provide advanced care to children who depend on medical devices, medication, or medical interventions to remain in school;

(IV)

School nurses are also crucial to children’s mental health and spend nearly one-third of their time on the mental health concerns of children, including referring children for critical mental health services; and

(V)

In addition to providing services in schools, school nurses provide education and training to school staff, promoting healthy behaviors and creating a safe and healthy school environment for children, including children with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and severe allergies.

(b)

The general assembly further finds that:

(I)

Despite the demonstrated benefit to students and school staff of having school nurses in schools, according to the Colorado department of education, there are approximately only six hundred thirty school nurses in Colorado serving over nine hundred thousand school-aged children;

(II)

On average, this requires one full-time school nurse to serve fifteen hundred students, with some nurses serving fewer students and some nurses serving up to three thousand students; and

(III)

The number of school nurses serving students is determined by the school district and largely paid for from limited school district funding.

(c)

Therefore, the general assembly declares that providing critical funding to increase children’s access to school nurses is vital to the health and well-being of Colorado’s school children.

(2)

As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a)

“Grant program” means the school nurse grant program created in subsection (3) of this section.

(b)

“Local education provider” means a school district, other than a local college district, organized and existing pursuant to law; a board of cooperative services; a charter school authorized by a school district pursuant to part 1 of article 30.5 of title 22; or a charter school authorized by the state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article 30.5 of title 22.

(c)

“Rural school district” means a school district in Colorado that the department of education, created in section 24-1-115, determines is rural, based on the geographic size of the school district and the distance of the school district from the nearest large, urbanized area.

(d)

“School” means a public elementary, middle, junior high, or high school.

(e)

“School nurse” means a registered nurse who holds a current nursing license through the department of regulatory agencies and who has applied for or holds a special services license from the department of education pursuant to article 60.5 of title 22.

(f)

“Small rural school district” means a school district in Colorado that the department of education, created in section 24-1-115, determines is rural, based on the geographic size of the school district and the distance of the school district from the nearest large, urbanized area, and that enrolls fewer than one thousand two hundred students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

(3)

There is created in the department the school nurse grant program to award grants to local education providers to increase the number of school nurses in Colorado public schools. The grant program is administered by the primary care office in the department. The state board may promulgate rules, as necessary, to implement the grant program.

(4)

Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a)

Except as provided in subsection (4)(b) of this section, a local education provider awarded a grant pursuant to this section shall use the grant money to hire a school nurse or nurses in the selected school or schools. The grant shall supplement, not supplant, a local education provider’s funding for school nurse positions and student health-care services existing in the local education provider’s most recent fiscal year prior to the year of the application to the grant program.

(b)

A small rural school district or rural school district awarded a grant pursuant to this section shall first make reasonable efforts to use the grant money to hire a school nurse for the selected school or schools. If a small rural school district or rural school district can demonstrate to the department that it is unable to find a school nurse to fill the school nurse position, the small rural school district or rural school district may use the grant money to contract with a local public health agency established pursuant to section 25-1-506, a federally qualified health center as defined in section 25-3-101 (2)(a)(III)(A), or other similar community health-care provider, or a registered nurse, to provide health services to the selected school or schools. The person providing health services must meet or exceed the academic and professional qualifications of a school nurse.

(5)

In applying for a grant, in addition to complying with the application process and requirements established by the department or state board rule, a local education provider seeking a grant shall include the following information in the grant application:

(a)

The ratio of school nurses to the number of students served by the local education provider in all schools and in each school of the local education provider;

(b)

The local education provider’s number and percentage of schools that are eligible to receive money under Title I, part A of the federal “Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965”, 20 U.S.C. sec. 6301 et seq.;

(c)

Whether a school district applicant is a small rural school district or rural school district;

(d)

The school or schools in which the local education provider intends to use the grant money to hire a school nurse;

(e)

The amount of money necessary to attract and retain a school nurse in the school or schools of the local education provider for the grant cycle and whether the local education provider intends to supplement a grant with any additional money to hire the school nurse position or positions; and

(f)

The local education provider’s plan for continuing to fund the increases in school nursing services following expiration or nonrenewal of the grant.

(6)

Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a)

Subject to available appropriations, the department shall annually award grants in the grant program. The department may fund more than one school nurse position per grant recipient. The amount of the grant must cover up to the cost of hiring a school nurse position or positions in the local education provider’s selected school or schools.
(b)(Deleted by amendment, L. 2022.)(c) The department shall give preference to an applicant that:

(I)

Is a small rural school district or rural school district; or

(II)

Is eligible to receive money under Title I, part A of the federal “Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965”, 20 U.S.C. sec. 6301 et seq.

(7)

The department may expend a portion of the grant money to offset the department’s reasonable and necessary expenses in administering the grant program.

(8)

Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a)

In any fiscal year in which the general assembly makes an appropriation to the department for the grant program, each local education provider that receives a grant pursuant to the program shall provide information to the department on or before June 30 concerning the number of school nurse positions hired through the grant program, the number of students served through the school nurse position, an explanation of services provided by the school nurse, and the impact of the grant program-funded school nurse position on the local education provider and the students it serves.

(b)

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I) to the contrary, on or before September 1, 2020, and on or before September 1 in each fiscal year thereafter in which the state board has awarded grants in the prior fiscal year, the department shall submit a report to the education and the health and insurance committees of the house of representatives and the education and the health and human services committees of the senate, or any successor committees, that includes, at a minimum, a summary of the information reported by grant recipients pursuant to subsection (8)(a) of this section.

(9)

The general assembly shall appropriate three million dollars from the economic recovery and relief cash fund created in section 24-75-228 to the department for the grant program. Any money remaining at the end of the 2022-23 state fiscal year from this appropriation is further appropriated to the department for the purposes of this section. Any money that is not expended or obligated by December 30, 2024, reverts to the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” cash fund created in section 24-75-226 (2) in accordance with section 24-75-226 (4)(d). Any money obligated by December 30, 2024, must be expended by December 31, 2026.

(10)

The department and any person who receives money from the department shall comply with the compliance, reporting, record-keeping, and program evaluation requirements established by the office of state planning and budgeting and the state controller in accordance with section 24-75-226 (5).

Source: Section 25-1.5-406 — School nurse grant program - creation - eligibility - award of grants - rules - report - legislative declaration - definitions, https://leg.­colorado.­gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2023-title-25.­pdf (accessed Oct. 20, 2023).

25‑1.5‑101
Powers and duties of department - laboratory cash fund - office of suicide prevention - suicide prevention coordination cash fund - report - dispensation of payments under contracts with grantees - definitions
25‑1.5‑102
Epidemic and communicable diseases - powers and duties of department - rules - definitions
25‑1.5‑103
Health facilities - powers and duties of department - rules - limitations on rules - definitions - repeal
25‑1.5‑104
Regulation of standards relating to food - powers and duties of department
25‑1.5‑105
Detection of diseases - powers and duties of department
25‑1.5‑106
Medical marijuana program - powers and duties of state health agency - rules - medical review board - medical marijuana program cash fund - subaccount - created - “Ethan’s Law” - definitions - repeal
25‑1.5‑106.5
Medical marijuana health research grant program
25‑1.5‑107
Pandemic influenza - purchase of antiviral therapy - definitions
25‑1.5‑108
Regulation of dialysis treatment clinics - training for hemodialysis technicians - state board of health rules - definitions - repeal
25‑1.5‑109
Food allergies and anaphylaxis form for schools - powers and duties of department
25‑1.5‑110
Monitor health effects of marijuana - report
25‑1.5‑111
Suicide prevention commission - created - responsibilities - gifts, grants, or donations - reimbursement for expenses - definition - repeal
25‑1.5‑112
Colorado suicide prevention plan - established - goals - responsibilities - funding - definition
25‑1.5‑113
Crisis and suicide prevention training grant program - creation - process - reporting requirements - fund - definitions
25‑1.5‑114
Freestanding emergency departments - licensure - requirements - rules - definitions
25‑1.5‑115
Opiate antagonist bulk purchase fund - creation - rules - report - appropriation - definition - repeal
25‑1.5‑115.3
Non-laboratory synthetic opiate detection tests - appropriation - definitions - repeal
25‑1.5‑115.5
Fentanyl prevention and education campaign - website
25‑1.5‑116
Costs associated with living organ donation - definitions
25‑1.5‑117
Hospitals - standardized health benefit plan - participation - penalties
25‑1.5‑118
Training for staff providing direct-care services to residents with dementia - rules - definitions
25‑1.5‑120
Natural medicine testing and standards - rules
25‑1.5‑201
Definitions
25‑1.5‑202
Water - minimum general sanitary standards
25‑1.5‑203
Water - powers and duties of department - rules
25‑1.5‑204
Inspection for violations of minimum general sanitary standards relating to quality of drinking water
25‑1.5‑205
Advice to other entities
25‑1.5‑206
Applicability
25‑1.5‑207
Damages and injunctive relief to prevent or abate release of contaminants in water
25‑1.5‑208
Grant program for public water systems and domestic wastewater treatment works - small communities water and wastewater grant fund - rules
25‑1.5‑209
Drinking water fee - drinking water cash fund - repeal
25‑1.5‑210
Best practices for residential rooftop precipitation collection
25‑1.5‑301
Definitions
25‑1.5‑302
Administration of medications - powers and duties of department - record checks - rules
25‑1.5‑303
Medication reminder boxes or systems - medication cash fund
25‑1.5‑401
Legislative declaration
25‑1.5‑402
Definitions
25‑1.5‑403
Primary care office - creation
25‑1.5‑404
Primary care office - powers and duties - rules
25‑1.5‑405
Visa waiver program fund
25‑1.5‑406
School nurse grant program - creation - eligibility - award of grants - rules - report - legislative declaration - definitions
25‑1.5‑407
Practice-based health education grant program - creation - primary care office to administer
25‑1.5‑501
Legislative declaration
25‑1.5‑502
Definitions
25‑1.5‑503
Colorado health service corps - program - creation - conditions
25‑1.5‑503.5
Scholarship program for addiction counselors - creation - eligibility - conditions
25‑1.5‑504
Colorado health service corps advisory council - creation - membership - duties
25‑1.5‑505
Advisory council - report
25‑1.5‑506
Colorado health service corps fund - created - acceptance of grants and donations - annual appropriation from marijuana tax cash fund - repeal
25‑1.5‑601
Short title
25‑1.5‑602
Definitions
25‑1.5‑603
Applicability to volunteer health practitioners
25‑1.5‑604
Regulation of services during emergency
25‑1.5‑605
Volunteer health practitioner registration systems
25‑1.5‑606
Recognition of volunteer health practitioners licensed in other states
25‑1.5‑607
No effect on credentialing and privileging
25‑1.5‑608
Provision of volunteer health or veterinary services - administrative sanctions
25‑1.5‑609
Relation to other laws
25‑1.5‑610
Rules
25‑1.5‑611
Civil liability for volunteer health practitioners - vicarious liability
25‑1.5‑612
Workers’ compensation coverage
25‑1.5‑613
Uniformity of application and construction
25‑1.5‑701
Health survey for birthing parents
Green check means up to date. Up to date

Current through Fall 2024

§ 25-1.5-406’s source at colorado​.gov