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May 2025
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In this newsletter
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) celebrates and acknowledges the accomplishments of school nurses in Minnesota not just on National School Nurse Day, but at every opportunity throughout the year. School nurses meet the needs of students by providing and advocating for quality student-centered care. MDH offers gratitude for the state’s school nurses who contribute to our local communities by supporting students to stay healthy, in school, safe, and ready to learn, and keeping parents and guardians at work.
"School nursing, a specialized practice of nursing, protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidenced-based practice are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care and collaborate to design systems that allow individual and communities to develop their full potential." - National Association of School Nurses.
Access to a school nurse is a health equity issue. School nurses are often the most utilized and sometimes the only health care provider for students. Those without access to a school nurse are at a distinct disadvantage. School nurses strive to provide quality health care for all students and address health disparities.
Minnesota school nurses have served a critical role in improving public health and in ensuring student’s academic success, addressing the home and community factors (e.g., social determinants) that impact students’ health, and acting as a liaison to the school community, families, and health care providers on behalf of children’s health by promoting wellness and improving health outcomes.
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 To know the history is to know the foundation on which school nursing was built. Knowing the foundation is key to understanding why it is necessary to continue to affirm and grow our profession.
MDH is excited to announce the launch of our new The History of School Nursing e-learning module, now available for professional development and one continuing education unit.
In this module, you will explore the origins and evolution of school nursing from its early days to its current role in supporting the health and wellbeing of students. Understanding this rich history is essential for appreciating the important contributions school nurses make in today's educational environments.
This self-paced course will:
- Highlight key milestones in the development of school nursing.
- Examine the impact of school nursing on student health outcomes.
- Explore the challenges and triumphs that shaped our profession.
Upon completion, participants will receive one continuing education unit, further enhancing their professional growth and commitment to the field.
Access the History of School Nursing module.
Note: You will need to create a MN.TRAIN account to access the module. Course ID: 1128664
Tuesday and Wednesday, August 5-6
Location:
St. Catherine University – Rauenhorst Ballroom
2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105
The School Nurse Organization of Minnesota (SNOM) is the professional organization for the specialty practice of school nursing dedicated to advancing excellence in school nursing to promote student health for student success.
Sponsored by SNOM, this conference provides foundational information for Registered Nurses who are just beginning or within the first five years of school nursing practice. The conference objectives include:
- Apply the Nurse Practice Act and Scope and Standards of Practice for school nursing including the legal issues related to supervision and delegation and documentation.
- Describe nursing assessment and strategies for management of population-based and individual student education-related health needs such as children’s episodic illnesses, chronic diseases, injuries and infectious disease control and prevention.
- Summarize the school nurse role in development of student individualized health care plans, emergency care plans, crisis response plans, individualized education program plans and 504 plans.
This program is designed to meet the Minnesota Board of Nursing continuing education requirements for registration renewal. The hours may also be applied to Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board school nurse licensure renewal requirements that are approved by the local continuing education committee.
Additional information and registration is available on the SNOM website.
The Child and Teen Checkups program at MDH provides best practices training for vision and hearing screening. Training is open to nurses, school health para personnel, or volunteers in school who perform vision and hearing screening with students. This training helps ensure consistency in screening and the referral process. It is highly recommended to complete this training before providing screening.
Monday, August 4, and Thursday, August 8
8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location:
St. Catherine’s University
2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105
Cost: $105
Every participant must set up an account before registering for the training by following the MDH Learning Center Registration Instructions.
Register and pay separately through the MDH Learning Center.
Registration opens May 1 and is limited to 20 participants for each session so register early. Continuing education units are offered. Contact health.childteencheckups@state.mn.us with questions.
For additional training information and opportunities, visit MDH C&TC Trainings or C&TC Training Registration.
Mental Health Awareness Month provides a dedicated time for people, organizations, and communities to join their voices to broadcast the message that mental health matters.
This year’s theme is “Turn Awareness into Action.” The theme celebrates the progress we’ve made in recognizing the importance of mental health and challenges us to turn understanding into meaningful steps toward change.
MDH has created a messaging toolkit that includes ideas and resources to raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention. It includes key messages organized around four weekly themes that can be used for emails, newsletter content, social media posts, images, as well as additional resources to supplement existing activities. Help promote wellbeing activities and tag your positive initiatives using #YouMatterMN.
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 Air Quality Awareness Week will be observed May 5-9. Increase your air quality awareness and encourage others to do the same. Be aware and be prepared!
To help school leaders make decisions that will protect children and young adults, MDH has developed outdoor activity guidance linked to the Air Quality Index. This document provides guidance on when and how to adjust outdoor activities when air pollution levels are elevated, such as when wildfire smoke moves into the area. The goal is to help kids stay active while protecting their health.
Through generous grant funding, 80 licensed school nurses and registered nurses were gifted the essential resource book Individualized Healthcare Plans for the School Nurse. This valuable tool is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of school nurses, supporting them in developing effective care plans for students with both acute and chronic health conditions. The book will serve as a critical resource in ensuring the best possible care for students in our schools.
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Every Student Counts! is a data initiative by the National Association of School Nurses to collect standardized data about school health including school health staffing, student chronic conditions, and health office visits – disposition.
This is Minnesota’s second year contributing to this national data set with a total of 164 districts submitting their data, representing 477,016 Minnesota students in 80 counties.
2024-2025 School Year
The School Health Team will host the last monthly webinar on Wednesday, May 21 from 2-3 p.m. All school health service personnel are invited to participate. There is no pre-registration required. These webinars provide a variety information including what’s new in school health and school nursing services from MDH or the Minnesota Department of Education, upcoming events, trainings or education from state agencies or national organizations, and new resources, tools, or articles from the literature like the MMWR or AAP.
The monthly webinars will resume next August for the 2025-26 school year.
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