ST PAUL, Minn — A new study prompted by the pandemic revealed that more than half of Minnesota school districts do not employ a licensed school nurse, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH.)
The Minnesota School Nurse Workforce: A 2022 Snapshot report was in response to the impact "the COVID-19 pandemic had on the health and well-being of students, families, school nurses and educators," according to the MDH news release.
The report found that 49% of Minnesota school districts employed a licensed school nurse. Researchers emailed, called and studied websites to collect the school nurse staffing data from 94% of public and charter schools across the state.
MDH officials said the "survey found concerning differences between districts."
For example, in the 162 school districts where 40% or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the study revealed students were three times less likely to have access to a nurse than other schools.
"This is the first time we've had such a comprehensive data picture about school nurses and health services staff in Minnesota," Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham said in the news release. "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."
Here are some additional findings from the study.
- Due to their enrollment of more than 1,000 students, only 34% of Minnesota school districts are required by state law to employ a nurse. Of these large schools, 93% had a nurse but only 26% of districts below that threshold did.
- Students in small school districts (less than 500 students) and charter schools had lower access to a nurse.
- About one in four school districts (26%) did not provide health services for students.
- Staffing levels and roles varied greatly by district size.
The study was funded through the COVID-19 Public Health Workforce supplemental finances from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was a collaboration between MDH, the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Service Cooperatives, BrightWorks Educational Cooperative, the School Nurse Organization of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Education.
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