House Bill 1675 amends Tennessee Code Annotated to classify school nurses employed by local education agencies (LEAs) as licensed personnel, ensuring they are compensated according to the salary schedule for licensed personnel. The bill stipulates that school nurses must receive the same base salary as licensed teachers with a bachelor's degree and no experience, provided they meet specific criteria, including holding a valid nursing license and being credentialed as a Nationally Certified School Nurse. Additionally, the bill allows for variations in salary based on the training and experience of the school nurses, while ensuring that the adoption of a new salary schedule does not result in a reduction of current salaries for existing school nurses.

The act also clarifies that LEAs retain the ability to contract with the Tennessee public school nurse program for health services and set the terms of such contracts, including compensation for contracted nurses. The provisions of this bill will take effect on July 1, 2026, and will apply to the 2026-2027 school year and subsequent years.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-3-306