The Formal Health Services Plan

HUMAN RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS of the Health Services Plan

The formal plan of the school's Health Services program identifies human resource requirements essential to a quality program by:

• specifying staffing patterns,
• delineating individual responsibilities in job descriptions,
• designating supervision and evaluation requirements.

Staffing patterns are set in accordance with national standards for ratios of School Nurse to students (1:750).

Different ratios have been established for populations of students with special needs (1:225 -- mainstreamed, 1:125 -- severely/profoundly disabled)* wherein school nurses participate in the development of individualized education plans (IEPs) which explicitly address each unique student's health need.

(*Note: Although this ratio is the recommended standard nationally, Nebraska's School Health Advisory Committee recommends a ratio of 2:125 -- i.e., 2 nurses for every 125 severely/profoundly disabled students.)

MATERIAL RESOURCES REQUIRED by the Health Services Plan

The formal plan also identifies material resources which include appropriate facilities.

The school's health office must assure that the nurse has privacy for verbal communication with students and staff, as well as for confidential telephone communication with parents and medical providers.

It is also imperative that restrooms and handwashing facilities be within or immediately adjacent to the health room.

Funding must be designated for equipment, supplies, and professional educational materials.

Nebraska's Comprehensive School Health Education Plan