It is a professional responsibility of school nurses to be engaged with their elected officials and the legislative process. Legislative contact can be an intimidating process, but nurses and the public in general can be prepared through their elected official’s website and professional association resources. Background information and voting history from legislative sessions along with current bills can guide the conversation leading to a productive encounter for all participants.
GalemoreC.BowlenB.CombeL.OndeckL.PorterJ. (2016). Whole school, whole community, whole child—Calling school nurses to action. NASN School Nurse, 31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1942602X16651131
4.
H.R. LD 657, 127th Maine Legislature. (2015).
5.
H.R. LD 1380, 127th Maine Legislature. (2015).
6.
HundemerK.DurandoD. (2014). One NASN state affiliate’s perspective of legislative advocacy: How the California School Nurse’s Organization successfully guided AJR 24 into law. NASN School Nurse, 29, 12-17. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24624752
MazerM. E.VannJ. C.LamannaB. F.DavisonJ. (2014). Reducing children’s exposure to school bus diesel exhaust in one school district in North Carolina. The Journal of School Nursing: The Official Publication of the National Association of School Nurses, 30, 88-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1059840513496429
9.
MontgomeryT. M.FolkenL.SeitzM. A. (2014). Addressing adolescent pregnancy with legislation. Nursing for Women’s Health, 18, 277-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1751-486X.12133
10.
National Association of School Nurses. (2011). NASN position statement: The role of the school nurse and school based health centers. NASN School Nurse, 26, 196-197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1942602X11406246
National Association of School Nurses. (2015b). School nurse workload—Staffing for safe care. NASN School Nurse, 30(5), 290-293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1942602X15594143
ShubertA. (2012). NASN Board of Directors discusses legislative ties on Capitol Hill. NASN School Nurse, 27, 199-200. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22908448
17.
TannerA.ClarkeC. (2016). Epinephrine policies and protocols guidance for schools: Equipping school nurses to save lives. NASN School Nurse, 31, 13-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1942602X15607604