Welcome to the School Nurse Connection!
The School Nurse Connection is a new NYSUT program designed to support essential school personnel with valuable training, on-the-job support, and advocacy for this underrepresented professional sector.
See below to register for virtual events on critical topics.
School nurses, NYSUT Has Your Back
Just in time for the beginning of the school year, comes a new resource from the NYSUT School Nurse Connection.
A downloadable scoliosis poster includes information on scoliosis screening assessment. The poster also provides guidance on key indicators and warning signs to observe.
DOWNLOAD (PDF)
AFT Serving the Medically Fragile in School Settings
We must advocate for children with special healthcare needs to obtain the best possible education. Because each child is unique, their educational
program must be determined by their individual needs.
DOWNLOAD (PDF)
Desha’s Law - Cardiac Arrest Emergency Response Plans
- View the new requirements of recent amendments to State law regarding cardiac arrest procedures and automated external defibrillator (AED) equipment.
- Desha’s Law FAQ Available ( FAQs) - Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Desha's Law
To assist schools in meeting the requirements of Desha’s Law, NYSED has developed a Frequently Asked Questions document available through the Office of Student Support Services.
Topics include:
- Student and staff training requirements
- AED placement requirements
- CPR and AED training expectations
- Implementation considerations for districts
2026-2027 NYS School Immunization Requirements Chart can be found Here
NYS Public Health Law §2164 and Title 10 of New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCCR), Subpart 66-1, require all Pre-K-12 school to meet immunization requirements within 14 days of their first day of school.
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Students transferring from another state or from another country may be granted an extension up to 30 days to provide the required immunization documents.
- Reminder letters must include district's immunization exclusion policy and procedure as well as your county Health Department information as a resource for obtaining required immunizations.
- Notify the County Health Department when a student is excluded for missing immunizations and identify the specific immunization(s) needed.
- Additional immunization resources and guidance are available through NYSED.
Guidelines for Medication Management in Schools
Student Diapering and Toileting: Regulations and Frequently Asked Questions
Updated New York State Education Department (NYSED) Managing Allergies and Anaphylaxis in Schools Guidelines:
The updated guidelines comply with Public Health Law 2500-H*2, which requires the NYS Commissioner of Health in consultation with the NYS Commissioner of Education to establish an anaphylactic policy for school districts, setting forth guidelines and procedures to be followed for both the prevention of anaphylaxis and to be used during a medical emergency resulting from anaphylaxis (encompassed in these guidelines).
Schools must implement or update, as appropriate, their anaphylactic policy within 6 months of receipt of the guidelines.
Schools must notify parents/guardians to make them aware of the allergy and anaphylaxis policies.
Outlined in the guidelines are additional provisions and requirements in the law, including but not limited to:
- written procedure and treatment plans
- dissemination of information related to allergies,
- strategies to reduce exposure to allergens,
- and a communication plan to students and parents/guardian.
New York State Center for School Health
For NYSUT school nurses, we recommend you explore the New York State Center for School Health, a contracted office of the NY State Education Department housed at Monroe2-Orleans BOCES in Spencerport, NY.
The center provides technical support, resources and professional development to support coordinated school health services in the areas of nursing and school health practice, laws, guidelines, and chronic health conditions, wellness, health and safety.
The center maintains a website at www.schoolhealthny.com, provides an email and telephone hotline to answer questions and maintains a listserv which sends out information from NYSED, NYSDOH and updates from the center several times a week. Listserv registration is available on the website. The center also provides professional education both on-line and on-site throughout New York State.