MONDAY, JUNE 29

TBD

The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continues to rise (CDC, 2024), positioning school nurses as essential advocates for the health, learning, and social-emotional well-being of neurodiverse students. This presentation explores the pivotal role of school nurses in recognizing early signs of autism, fostering inclusive environments, and addressing Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) that influence health equity and educational outcomes.Students from racially and ethnically marginalized groups, low-income households, and non-English-speaking families often experience delayed diagnoses and reduced access to autism-related services (Miller et al., 2024; Zuckerman et al., 2023). These inequities stem from systemic barriers including healthcare inaccessibility, cultural stigma, and language differences. School nurses are uniquely positioned to mitigate these disparities through early identification, advocacy, and culturally responsive care coordination.Aligned with the "NASN Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice", this session emphasizes equitable, student-centered care through the core principles of Standards of Practice, Care Coordination, Leadership, Quality Improvement, and Community/Public Health. By applying these principles, school nurses can address the complex needs of neurodiverse students—especially those facing poverty, language, culture, and healthcare barriers.Through culturally responsive care and collaboration, school nurses promote health equity and create school environments where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. This session will provide practical strategies for embedding autism awareness into daily nursing practice, engaging families through culturally attuned communication, and leveraging community partnerships to address SDOH. Outcomes include improved family participation in individualized education plan (IEP) processes, strengthened trust with families, and more equitable access to support for neurodiverse learners.

School nurses are uniquely positioned at the intersection of health and education, yet their voices are often underrepresented in the policy decisions that shape student and community health. In response, the Good Trouble Coalition was founded in Indiana in 2022 to give health professionals a platform for advocacy and collective action.This presentation introduces the mission and work of the Indiana Good Trouble Coalition, a grassroots movement created by and for health professionals to advance health equity through political advocacy and policy engagement. The coalition supports nurses and other school health professionals in stepping into advocacy roles by offering tools, guidance, and a supportive community focused on driving systemic change at both local and state levels.Participants will explore the coalition’s origins and evolution, review real-world examples of nurse-led advocacy efforts, and gain practical strategies for engaging in policy work, no matter their level of experience. Emphasizing NASN Framework components such as Leadership, Quality Improvement, and Policy and Advocacy, the session connects school nursing practice to broader systems of change. Attendees will examine how policies affect social drivers of health such as housing stability, food access, environmental safety, and school climate, and how these factors influence student health and academic success. The presentation will provide concrete examples of how school nurses can address these upstream determinants by building coalitions, communicating with legislators, mobilizing school communities, and leveraging clinical expertise to promote equity.Attendees will leave with actionable insights, resources, and renewed confidence to use their clinical expertise and lived experience to influence policy, promote equity, and create sustainable change in their schools and beyond. Whether just beginning or already active in advocacy work, school nurses will find inspiration and encouragement to engage in what the late Congressman John Lewis called “good trouble.”

School nurses are an integral part of the team that anchors students’ health and wellness, providing guidance, stability, and safe care for all students, ensuring equitable access to both the students’ learning environment and the healthcare system. This session offers a critical and timely shift in how we understand and address chronic absenteeism, not as a stand-alone attendance issue, but as a reflection of deeper, often overlooked health and equity challenges. By using NASN’s School Nursing Practice Framework and CDC’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model as guiding frameworks, the material empowers diverse audiences to reframe attendance as a health equity issue. Real-life case studies will highlight how integrated, interdisciplinary teams, especially those that include school nurses, can uncover and address root causes of absenteeism. In addition, the case studies will be used to share real-life examples illustrating the interplay between chronic health conditions, mental wellness, student attendance, school policy, and community partnerships, highlighting the unintended consequences when the school nurse is not included in the student’s coordinated plan of care.The session will discuss considerations for schools to ensure attendance policies align with federal requirements for individual student disabilities and reflect empathy, flexibility, and equity. Additionally, this presentation discusses the increased prevalence of poor mental health in some student populations, like LGBTQ+, females, and Black students, and the considerations for recognizing and supporting disproportionate student groups (CDC YRBS, 2023).This presentation equips participants with actionable strategies, collaborative tools, and a systems-level perspective to create more inclusive, coordinated, and compassionate student-centered support. It breaks down silos, fosters shared understanding across roles, and provides a roadmap for advancing whole-child health and educational equity.

Every school year brings new challenges for school nurses, whether navigating evolving health policies, managing budget constraints, addressing emerging public health concerns, or advocating for equitable student care. In this ever-changing environment, leadership is not defined by a title but by the courage to inspire change, champion equity, and transform passion into purposeful action.This breakout session will empower all school nurses to recognize and embrace their leadership potential, using it to create meaningful and sustainable impact across their schools and communities. Through real-life stories from school nurses across the nation, participants will explore how colleagues have successfully led initiatives to address mental health disparities, safety concerns, food insecurity, and access to care, demonstrating the power of leadership to improve student health outcomes.Leadership in school nursing extends far beyond managing health services. It is about igniting transformation that reaches students, families, and communities. By embracing their unique voice and purpose, school nurses can be the catalyst that drives healthier and more equitable futures for all students.Aligned with NASN’s School Nursing Practice Framework™, this session reinforces the essential principles of Leadership, Community and Public Health, and Care Coordination as foundational components of effective and equitable practice.Participants will learn how to align their professional passion with school health priorities, strengthen resilience in the face of systemic barriers, and foster collaborative partnerships that sustain positive change. Practical strategies, reflective dialogue, and real-world examples will inspire attendees to rekindle their leadership purpose and renew their commitment to advocacy and innovation in school health.

Ensuring that children are healthy and ready to learn requires a team approach in the delivery of health services. The Illinois School Nurse Capacity Study was conducted by the Illinois Association of School Nurses in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education through a legislative mandate to describe school health services and its distribution across Illinois K-12 public schools. Nurses from all 862 districts were asked to identify the education and training of the school health team and describe each school’s staffing model. A total of 1,268 surveys were completed, representing a robust 34% response rate. To understand school health services in relation to social drivers of health, responses from rural and high poverty schools were compared to statewide distributions. Approximately 96% of respondent schools employ health staff, and 70% of schools have some contact with a registered nurse (RN). After controlling for school size, data indicate that rural schools employ significantly fewer RNs and significantly more licensed practical nurses (LPN) than urban schools. When the total number of hours of health care coverage (RN, LPN, and unlicensed staff dedicated to the health room) were computed, rural schools received significantly fewer hours of health care coverage. High poverty urban schools received significantly fewer hours of coverage compared to low-poverty urban schools. Findings underscore the critical importance of 1) examining health services through the social drivers of health, using rigorous research designs to uncover inequities and 2) emphasizing the need to educate schools on the NASN School Nursing Practice Framework to illustrate the comprehensive role school nurses play in promoting health and reducing disparities. Participants will engage in thoughtful discussion about how to build teams of RNs, LPNs, and unlicensed staff to efficiently provide high quality care to students and contribute to potential policy recommendations for their respective states.

In recent years, school nurses have seen an increase in the number of students who have been diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES), and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). These conditions are often difficult to diagnose, causing delays in treatment that adversely impact quality of life. This Essential Toolkit was developed in response to the lack of resources available to manage POTS, FND, PNES, and hEDS in the school setting and aimed to provide a continuing education resource for school nurses. Tools include educational materials for the school nurse to expand their knowledge and to present to fellow school nurses, administrators, staff, parents, and students, increasing awareness of these conditions. The Toolkit also includes IHP/Response Plan templates, an accommodations guide, a one-page Quick Reference sheet, a visual symptoms chart, and educational handouts for parents. The Toolkit will be presented to a group of school nurses during an Illinois Association of School Nurses Town Hall on November 20th, 2025. We hypothesize that this toolkit will enable school nurses to feel more prepared to manage and respond to students with these conditions, advocate for students with hidden disabilities, and care for their complex health needs. We hope that this Toolkit will be used by school nurses to improve access to education for students with hidden disabilities, thereby improving their quality of life and enabling them to reach their full potential.

Background Violence in K–12 schools has risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 12 children die each day from gun violence, and since the 1999 Columbine High School tragedy, more than 390,000 students have experienced gun violence at school. School nurses are uniquely positioned to help curb school violence and promote a culture of safety and well-being. However, many report feeling powerless to implement interventions due to organizational barriers that limit their effectiveness.

This study examined the impact of school nurses on school quality across Georgia communities with varying levels of social vulnerability. The goal was to capture the ecological influence of school nursing, as outlined in the School Nursing Practice Framework™, and demonstrate the reach and potential of nursing interventions. The research questions were:

Where is school nursing helping the most in Georgia?

How can school nursing be leveraged more effectively across the state?

Methods
Secondary data were drawn from the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), USDA Rural–Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC), and Georgia Department of Education district metrics and nurse headcounts. Descriptive statistics and linear regression explored relationships between school nurse staffing and school quality. Moderation and mediation analyses examined the influence of SVI and nurse headcounts on school quality outcomes.

Results
Descriptive findings revealed disparities in nurse staffing and district quality statewide. Regression showed a significant positive association between school quality and nurse headcounts. Moderation indicated that benefits were concentrated in lower-SVI (higher-income) communities. Mediation suggested that understaffing in vulnerable areas limits impact, yet improved staffing could markedly enhance school quality.

Discussion
Georgia lacks a law mandating a nurse in every school, and state funding covers only half a position per district. This structural inequity perpetuates disparities. To ensure every child’s right to a quality education, every child must have access to a school nurse.

School nurses play a critical role in advancing student health, safety, and readiness to learn, yet their own well-being is often compromised in the process. High workloads, limited resources, and the increasing complexity of student health needs place school nurses at elevated risk for burnout, fatigue, and chronic stress. These challenges not only impact personal health but can also diminish professional effectiveness and sustainability in practice.This session introduces The Healthy Nurse Blueprint, a functional medicine and root-cause approach to nurse wellness. Functional medicine shifts the focus from symptom management to understanding why imbalances occur, addressing factors such as nutrition, movement, rest, stress resilience, and connection. Participants will learn how to apply 3–5 evidence-based, low-cost strategies to protect their own physical and mental health, while also considering the broader role of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, and age that shape both student outcomes and nurse resilience.Importantly, this blueprint aligns with the NASN School Nursing Practice Framework™, reinforcing evidence-based, student-centered practice by connecting personal wellness with professional standards of care coordination, leadership, and community/public health. Practical tools, such as the Daily Nurse Resilience Checklist and guided stress-management practices, along with case examples, will equip attendees to make immediate changes that build resilience and vitality.By the end of this session, participants will be able to identify strategies that prioritize nurse wellbeing, implement functional medicine practices that strengthen professional capacity, and model sustainable wellness behaviors that inspire students, staff, and families. Ultimately, caring for the caregiver ensures healthier nurses — and healthier school communities.

Student success in today’s educational landscape relies on seamless collaboration among multidisciplinary teams. This session explores the critical role school nurses play in building strategic partnerships with administrators, educators, support staff, and contracted professionals to create student-centered systems of care. Through applied scenarios, participants will examine how collaborative practices enhance equity, address Social Drivers of Health (SDOH), respond to Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN), and support optimal health for learning.Health equity ensures every student has a fair chance to reach their highest level of health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024a). In schools, this requires proactive identification of SDOH and HRSN—such as housing instability, food insecurity, transportation barriers, and limited healthcare access—which directly affect students’ well-being (Schroeder et al., 2018). School nurses recognize these needs through attendance trends, health visits, screenings, and family engagement, positioning them as frontline equity advocates.By leveraging health data, nurses elevate underserved students’ needs and guide inclusive, evidence-based interventions (Dickson et al., 2025). Adequate staffing in school health services is essential for promoting wellness and equitable education access (Dickson et al., 2025). Nurses collaborate with educational teams to develop individualized plans that remove health-related barriers to learning (National Association of School Nurses, 2023). Their participation in IEP and Section 504 teams is legally and ethically vital, as they conduct assessments that inform eligibility and accommodations (Halbert & Yonkaitis, 2019).Grounded in the NASN School Nursing Practice Framework™, this session highlights nurses as system-level leaders advancing equity through clinical expertise and collaboration. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to strengthen communication, align cross-departmental goals, and build sustainable partnerships that prioritize integrated student well-being.

Providing quality school nursing care for hundreds to thousands of students involves myriad stressors including supervision, time/resource (Davis et al., 2021), workload, students’ social drivers of health, and emotional exhaustion concerns (Jameson & Bowen, 2020). This stress can negatively impact school nurses’ health and professional well-being (Jameson & Bowen, 2020; Khaled & Ali, 2022; Powell et al., 2018). A mind-body medicine skills (MBMS) group intervention has been tested in other health professions to support health and well-being (Ram et al., 2023; Weinlander et al., 2020), but not with school nurses. Therefore, we conducted a pilot randomized control trial to explore the feasibility and effect of an MBMS group intervention on school nurses’ health (mental, physical, and behavioral) and professional well-being (professional quality of life, workplace wellness support, burnout, and moral distress).

Intervention (n=20) and control (n=20) group members completed online surveys 1) pre-intervention, 2) post-intervention, and 3) three months post-intervention. The intervention included eight weekly group sessions. School nurses discussed work and life experiences and learned/practiced mindfulness skills (breathing, drawing, journaling, and active meditation activities).

Statistically significant differences in perceived stress were identified, with a medium effect size (.42) at Time 2 and large (.73) at Time 3. Medium effect sizes were also noted in favor of the intervention group at Time 3 for depressive symptoms (.50), anxiety symptoms (.45), self-rated mental health (.49), and moral distress (.49). Scheduling and attendance challenges impacted intervention feasibility. School nurses reported that the skills learned would be useful in supporting students.

The MBMS group intervention is a promising approach to 1) addressing school nurse mental health and professional well-being and 2) equipping school nurses with coping strategies to share with their students, which reflect the Leadership (model self-care) and Care Coordination (care for mental health needs) principles within the School Nursing Practice FrameworkTM.

Diabetes is a chronic health condition which affects students of all ages, and rates of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are on the rise. School nurses caring for students with diabetes must juggle complex and ever-changing variables while keeping students’ minds toward learning and thriving with their peers.< br>Diabetes care and technology continue to change rapidly, and children’s needs also change rapidly as they develop from childhood to adolescence and find ever-changing hobbies and interests. While core diabetes care principles are standardized, state laws vary, pediatric endocrinology clinics deliver the nitty gritty practical care with approaches that vary by institution, and local pediatric diabetes clinicians are not always accessible to troubleshoot real-world in-the-moment situations. For all these reasons, ongoing, high-quality, locally vetted school nurse education is essential. < br>Diabetes in School Health (DiSH®) is a collaborative telementoring program created in 2019 to address these educational needs, by creating a community of practice and shared learning platform between school nurses and pediatric endocrinology clinicians within a state to improve diabetes care in schools and reduce health disparities.< br>Social drivers of health (SDOH) are associated with diabetes outcomes, and negative SDOHs detrimentally increase diabetes disparities in children and adults. We present geographic and qualitative data from DiSH® programs in four regions in the USA. The aim of this project is to help understand (1) the possible impact the program can have on local SDOHs as well as (2) the current geographic limitations - areas not yet being reached. We plot this data in the context of publicly available SDOH information in regions DiSH® is reaching (and not yet reaching) to drive future strategies and programmatic updates to reduce diabetes disparities.

Children with diabetes require skilled, consistent support during the school day to ensure safety, academic participation, and long-term well-being. Social drivers of health—including family income, access to nutritious food, healthcare availability, and community resources—can significantly impact a child’s ability to manage diabetes effectively. In Delaware, a lack of access to updated training left school nurses underprepared to manage increasingly complex diabetes care, further widening disparities for vulnerable student populations. In response, the Delaware Department of Education, Delaware Diabetes Coalition, and Lions Club District 22D collaborated to provide free, evidence-based diabetes education to school nurses statewide. Through a grant from the Lions Clubs International Foundation, the Salus University course "Diabetes Care at School: Bridging the Gap" was offered to all Delaware school nurses. One year into implementation, 242 nurses—representing just over 60% of the state’s school nurse workforce across all 19 school districts—completed the training. Pre- and post-test scores improved from 78% to 94%, demonstrating significant gains in diabetes knowledge and preparedness. This initiative aligns with the National Association of School Nurses School Nursing Practice Framework by strengthening evidence-based practice, enhancing care coordination, and advancing leadership and advocacy to promote equitable, school-based diabetes care. Overall, this statewide model highlights the impact of strategic partnerships and targeted education in addressing social drivers of health and improving care management for students with diabetes.

Blending compassionate care for children with the multitude of tasks within the role of school nursing can be a challenge. Taking the time to remember the WHY behind what we do and making sure to find moments to treasure, we build our capacity and elevate compassion in the care we provide. Explore ways of discovering the meaning and deeper purpose of school nursing by aligning school nursing practices with relationship building strategies. Build an understanding of practices to address the social determinants of health, improve long term outcomes of children, and increase a sense of connectedness to the community that you serve. Learn concepts of Adverse Childhood Experiences, neuroscience, and how the school nurse framework supports the work of school nurses to address behavioral and health outcomes. < br>< br>Come join in a workshop style breakout session to bring actionable steps to improve your heartfelt work as you serve children as a school nurse in the 2026-2027 school year! Participants will be given tools that facilitate the benefits of taking a step backward and looking up from a task-oriented mindset to find the beauty of the moment of meeting children where they are at. By allowing our focus to shift, nurses will be prepared to recognize the science behind the heartstring work that we dream of doing and will be empowered to act on what they know is best for children. As nurses, we have one of the greatest opportunities in medicine when we meet children in their day to day lives to build knowledge and health habits that will last a lifetime!

School nurses often underestimate the profound influence they have on students, families, staff, and their professional growth. Amid managing complex health needs with limited resources, their daily accomplishments, big or small, can easily go unnoticed. This presentation explores empowerment as a critical pathway for school nurses to recognize, embrace, and expand their impact while fostering resilience and leadership. By reframing daily actions as meaningful contributions to student health and academic success, nurses begin to view every step forward as a “win.” Recognizing these wins not only strengthens student outcomes and family trust but also enhances professional satisfaction and well-being.Empowerment fosters autonomy, motivation, and job satisfaction, helping to reduce burnout and professional isolation (Hashemi et al., 2025; Shin et al., 2025). Empowered school nurses are better positioned to lead systemic change, promote health equity, and collaborate effectively with educators and community partners. In today’s educational landscape, empowerment also enables school nurses to address social drivers of health such as access to nutrition, housing stability, mental health supports, and community resources that profoundly influence student learning and wellness outcomes. By recognizing how these social drivers impact students’ ability to thrive, school nurses can advocate for equitable systems and targeted interventions that close gaps in care and opportunity.Nursing research underscores that empowered nurses are catalysts for positive change within school systems, advocating for equitable access to health care and improved learning environments (Kalaimathi, 2025; JAMA Health Forum, 2024). This session aligns with the NASN Framework for School Nursing Practice (NASN, 2024), emphasizing school nurses as data-driven leaders in student health and well-being. Using this framework, participants will explore practical strategies to build empowerment from within, celebrate professional “wins,” and advance leadership skills that strengthen their influence across the educational setting.

Every encounter, health office visit, and care plan entry reflects more than clinical activity—it tells a story about a student’s well-being and the social and environmental factors that shape their ability to learn. This session empowers school nurses to transform documentation into meaningful insights that drive equitable practice and advocacy. Using data points from NASN’s Every Student Counts initiative—such as chronic conditions, absenteeism, screenings, and referrals—participants will learn practical strategies to recognize patterns and Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) within the data they already collect.Through approachable examples and discussion, attendees will explore how to organize, interpret, and present data using simple tools like spreadsheets or EHR exports. Ethical documentation, privacy considerations (FERPA/HIPAA), and data storytelling will also be addressed to ensure responsible and impactful data use.Grounded in NASN’s School Nursing Practice Framework™, this session emphasizes Quality Improvement, Leadership, and Community/Public Health, demonstrating how every data point contributes to a larger story of student equity and outcomes. Participants will leave equipped to use existing documentation to inform decisions, advocate for resources, and communicate the true value of school nursing through evidence and story.