New Jersey § 18a:40-3

§ 18a:40-3.

a. The Legislature finds and declares that school nursing is a separate and distinct

specialty within the nursing and educational professions and that therefore competence

in specified areas of health and education is needed in order for school nurses to

act as health advocates for school-age children. b. The Legislature further finds and declares that medically fragile students are

often diagnosed with medical conditions and life-threatening diseases, including cerebral

palsy, seizure disorder, and other neurological diseases, that require mechanical

ventilation and emergent intervention by providers of clinical nursing services while

attending school. Medically fragile students who require clinical nursing services while attending

school should expect and receive the same level of care they receive at home. Maintaining a continuity of care for medically fragile students creates a safer

environment at school, fosters learning, and gives parents confidence that their children's

medical needs are being met by qualified health care providers. Currently, there are no standards of practice in place for providers of clinical

nursing services. As a result, the quality of care medically fragile students receive in school is

often inadequate to meet their health care needs. Therefore, it is in the public interest that, in order to guarantee the health and

safety of medically fragile students while attending school, providers of clinical

nursing services for such students meet the same qualifications as providers of clinical

nursing services certified to participate in the State's Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare

programs, and that parents should be given the option to choose the provider who will

render clinical nursing services to their children while attending school, if the

cost remains neutral to the school district.