Outline of the state of Massachusetts
State
Massachusetts
Required

Category
School Nurse Qualifications

Category
School Nurse Qualifications

State law requires or recommends that all school nurses be properly certified by the state.

603 Code of Massachusetts Regulations 44.06 Professional Development Requirements

(5)Additional requirements for the school nursing and speech, language, and hearing disorders teacher licenses: possession of the relevant registered nurse or speech language pathologist license in good standing.

Policy Type
Regulation

Chapter 1 NEW DIMENSIONS OF SCHOOL HEALTH

This is a gigantic manual for all things school health, and includes components on health education in the state. It does specify requirements for school nurses

Policy Type
Non-codified

General Laws of Massachusetts 71.38G Certification for certain teaching and administrative positions; provisional and standard certificates; policies and guidelines regarding requirements and qualifications; applications; recommendation

No person shall be eligible for employment as a teacher, guidance counselor, director, school psychologist, school adjustment counselor, school social worker, school nurse, library media specialist, school business administrator, principal, supervisor, director, assistant superintendent of school, and superintendent of schools by a school district unless he has been granted by the commissioner a provisional, or standard certificate with respect to the type of position for which he seeks employment; provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed to prevent a school committee from prescribing additional qualifications; and provided further, that a superintendent may upon request be exempt by the commissioner for any one school year from the requirement in this section to employ certified personnel when compliance therewith would in the opinion of the commissioner constitute a great hardship in securing teachers for that school district. During the time that such a waiver is in effect, service of an employee of a school district to whom the waiver applies shall not be counted as service in acquiring professional teacher status or other rights under section forty–one.

Policy Type
Statute

General Laws of Massachusetts 71.53 School physicians and nurses

Section 53. The school committee shall appoint one or more school physicians and registered nurses, shall assign them to the public schools within its jurisdiction, shall provide them with all proper facilities for the performance of their duties and shall assign one or more physicians to the examination of children who apply for health certificates required by section eighty–seven of chapter one hundred and forty–nine, but in cities where the medical inspection hereinafter prescribed is substantially provided by the board of health, said board shall appoint and assign the school physicians and registered nurses. The department may exempt towns having a valuation of less than one million dollars from so much of this section as relates to school nurses.

Policy Type
Statute

General Laws of Massachusetts 71.53A Employment of medical personnel by superintendency district or union; compensation; removal

A superintendency district formed and conducted under the provisions of section sixty, or a superintendency union formed and conducted under the provisions of sections sixty-one to sixty-four, inclusive, may employ one or more school physicians and may employ one or more school registered nurses; determine the relative amount of service to be rendered by each in each town; fix the compensation of each person so employed; apportion the payment thereof among the several towns; and certify the respective shares to the several town treasurers. A school physician or registered nurse so employed may be removed by a two thirds vote of the full membership of the joint committee. The joint committee of any superintendency union may employ clerical and secretarial help, special teachers and supervisors, fix the compensation of each person so employed and apportion the payment thereof among the several towns; and certify the respective shares to the respective town treasurers.

Policy Type
Statute

Responsibilities of School Health Services

"Support the Massachusetts Department of Education School Nurse Certification Requirements, including a BSN/MSN on entry, successful completion of the literacy exam and attendance at the SHI MDPH school nurse orientation program, entitled Introduction to School Nursing in Massachusetts."

Policy Type
Non-codified