Health care providers providing excused absences under the compulsory school attendance law

What it does

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Generally, the compulsory school attendance law requires persons with children between the ages of six and 18 years to ensure the children attend school regularly. Under one exception, however, a child may be excused because the child is temporarily not in proper physical or mental condition to attend school if the child can be expected to return to a school program upon termination or abatement of the illness or condition. In that case, the school attendance officer may request that the parent or guardian of the child obtain a written statement from one of several types of health care providers, including physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses who satisfy certain criteria, and others.

This bill removes registered nurses as one of the types of health care providers that can provide a written statement excusing a child from school. The bill retains advanced practiced registered nurses and the other health care providers as health care providers that may sign such a statement.

Who's behind it

Rachael Cabral-Guevara, a Republican, is its author⁠.

2 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.