Less than half of Minnesota school districts employ a licensed nurse, report says

Kristi Miller, Pioneer Press
·2 min read

A comprehensive study by the Minnesota Department of Health shows that many of the state’s schools, particularly those who serve more low-income families, don’t have a licensed school nurse.

The “Minnesota School Nurse Workforce: A 2022 Snapshot” report analyzed data from 94% of the public and charter schools in the state.

“This is the first time we’ve had such a comprehensive data picture about school nurses and health services staff in Minnesota,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham in a release about the report. “What we’ve learned is students in smaller districts, charter schools, and schools that serve more families with lower incomes just aren’t getting that same access to a school nurse as other students in Minnesota.”

Findings

The survey found concerning differences between districts. In the 162 school districts where 40% or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, students were three times less likely to have access to nursing or health services than other schools.

The study found that slightly under half of Minnesota school districts, 49%, employ a licensed school nurse, or LSN. To be a licensed school nurse in Minnesota requires a bachelor’s degree in nursing and current registration through the Board of Nursing as both a licensed registered nurse and a public health nurse.

Most of those LSNs are working in larger districts, since a state law requires districts with more than 1,000 students, about 34% of the state’s districts, to employ a licensed school nurse. The report says 93% of the districts covered by that law did have a fully licensed school nurse, but only 26% of districts below that threshold did, meaning that students’ access to care at school varied significantly.

Some schools that did not employ an LSN still had a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse working in the district, but at 26% of Minnesota’s schools, there were no staff fully dedicated to students’ health care.

“Access to quality health care is critical for students in Minnesota, no matter their ZIP code,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Education Willie Jett. “School nurses play an important role in the overall health and well-being of our young people.”

Funding

The study’s recommendations included requests for more thorough and regular data on school nurses, and better strategies to fund smaller districts and those with higher student needs. And since the data was collected in 2022, funding has changed.

“During the past two legislative sessions, Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature made significant investments in school support personnel – including school nurses. Investments included $74 million in the ’24-25 biennium and $127 million in the ’26-27 biennium to support hiring new or increasing current school counselors, psychologists, social workers and licensed school nurses,” the release said.

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