Congress Urged to Include Legislation as Part of Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
(Silver Spring - June 1, 2011) - The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) applauds U.S. Representative David Loebsack (D-IA) on the reintroduction of the Reducing Barriers to Learning Act. This legislation would provide the leadership to ensure every student receives the critical supports necessary for school success.
"We have to give every student the opportunity to succeed, and for some children that means providing services to address their safety, health, and wellbeing in addition to meeting academic needs. This legislation will help schools and teachers better serve their students and comprehensively address their needs," said bill sponsor Loebsack.
The bill (H.R. 1995) will enable the U.S. Department of Education to establish the Office of Specialized Instructional Support to provide leadership, guidance, and technical assistance to State education agencies and local school districts in providing specialized instructional support services in schools. This effort will also improve cross-agency coordination of services and programs supporting students who face barriers to learning.
"School nurses see firsthand the need for state agencies to have a vehicle which can build their capacity to recruit and retain coordinators of specialized instructional supports at the local and state levels," said NASN President Sandra Delack. "In addition, leadership at the federal level would greatly assist state and local levels enhance and streamline health and other services needed to help students meet academic and behavioral challenges."
NASN urges Congress to pass the Reducing Barriers to Learning Act and include it in the ESEA reauthorization for the improvement of academic outcomes for all students.NASN
The National Association of School Nurses is a non-profit specialty nursing organization, organized in 1968 and incorporated in 1977, representing school nurses exclusively. NASN has over 15,000 members and 51 affiliates, including the District of Columbia and overseas. The mission of the NASN is to improve the health and educational success of children and youth by developing and providing leadership to advance the school nursing practice. To learn more about NASN, please visit us on the Web at www.nasn.org or call 866-627-6767.
###
