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A brand new state regulation requiring faculties to acquire parental consent earlier than administering well being care providers to college students has triggered confusion amongst campus nurses who fear they might face punishment for routine acts like providing bandages or handing out ice packs.
The confusion is in response to Senate Invoice 12, a sweeping regulation banning range, fairness and inclusion practices; instruction on sexual orientation or gender id; and LGBTQ+ scholar golf equipment. SB 12 comes as half of a bigger effort by Texas Republicans to form how public faculties have interaction with college students and their households on subjects like race, racism, gender and intercourse.
Included into the regulation are what Republican lawmakers name “parental rights” provisions, which embody a requirement for Texas faculties to get written approval from dad and mom earlier than providing routine well being help and drugs or conducting medical procedures. Faculty districts are required to take disciplinary motion in opposition to any staff who present such providers with out consent.
In response, enforcement of the laws has different extensively throughout the state’s greater than 1,200 faculty districts. Some have interpreted the regulation as nonetheless permitting for normal care, like first-aid therapy and harm analysis. Others have indicated they won’t assess or deal with a scholar besides in life-threatening emergencies.
“If you write such a strict enforcement mechanism right into a regulation, individuals are going to take discover,” mentioned Becca Harkleroad, govt director of the Texas Faculty Nurses Group and authorized faculty nurse. “Now you’ve bought nurses who’re questioning if they’ll put a basket of Band-Aids on their countertop.”
Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Allen, and Sen. Brandon Creighton, the Conroe Republican chair of the Senate training committee, the authors of SB 12, despatched a letter on Thursday to Texas Training Commissioner Mike Morath, calling on his company to “present clear and constant steerage” to colleges throughout the state.
“Whereas we anticipate our educators to adjust to the clear provisions of the invoice, we additionally anticipate them to not droop widespread sense relating to offering fundamental take care of the youngsters at their faculties,” Leach wrote in a social media submit.
Neither Leach nor Creighton responded to requests for remark from The Texas Tribune. The Texas Training Company mentioned in an announcement that it’s revising its steerage to make sure faculties obtain clear route. Up to date data will exit early subsequent week, mentioned Jake Kobersky, the company’s spokesperson.
As SB 12 made its means by way of the legislative course of earlier this yr, nurses warned lawmakers that with out extra specificity, the invoice may have unintended penalties. Harkleroad, the college nurse group’s govt director, mentioned she beneficial the regulation require consent for under the actions the Legislature discovered most “questionable or objectionable.” However lawmakers’ response over the course of this yr’s common legislative session was that folks have the suitable to know precisely what’s taking place to their children in class.
After the regulation handed and because the 2025-26 faculty yr bought nearer, some districts started getting ready their consent insurance policies. Others awaited steerage from the Texas Affiliation of Faculty Boards and state training officers, the latter of which didn’t arrive of their inboxes till 4 days earlier than the regulation took impact on Sept. 1.
The training company’s steerage famous that folks retain the suitable to make medical choices for his or her kids and that consent was obligatory prior to colleges offering medical or well being help, except it’s for life-saving care.
Implementation has been inconsistent. Some district officers supplied strong consent varieties to households, detailing the assorted providers faculty nurses might present college students and giving them the choice to choose in or out of every one.
Others, faculty nurses instructed the Tribune, took an all-or-nothing method.
“If you select ‘no’ at that time, then we have now to clarify to the guardian, ‘you now know that anytime I see your little one, I should name you,’ then additional making dad and mom extra upset, as a result of they don’t perceive why you are able to do this however you possibly can’t do this,” mentioned Diana Rios-Rodriguez, board president of the Texas Faculty Nurses Group and director of well being and wellness for the Manor Unbiased Faculty District, close to Austin.
Nurses instructed the Tribune the confusion could be attributed to state lawmakers not listening to the college professionals who know precisely how their campuses perform. And the answer will not be so simple as folks suppose.
“They need us to make use of widespread sense. After all, we’re completely happy to make use of widespread sense,” mentioned Hollie Smith, president-elect of the nurses group and director of well being providers at North Texas’ Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. “However the query at all times is, is my license in jeopardy? And that’s the place a whole lot of, I feel, our nurses are attempting to follow from proper now and feeling actually uneasy.”
This text initially appeared within the Texas Tribune.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and interesting Texans on state politics and coverage. Be taught extra at texastribune.org.
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This text seems in Sep 3-17, 2025.
