Parents could be required to receive notice when their child’s public school goes without a full-time nurse under legislation filed by a Houston lawmaker ahead of the 2027 Texas legislative session.
State Rep. Jolanda Jones, a Democrat, filed House Bill 133, which would require school districts to notify parents if their child’s campus goes more than 30 consecutive instructional days without a full-time nurse or equivalent nursing coverage during regular school hours.
Texas currently does not require public schools to have a nurse on every campus, meaning some students attend schools where a licensed medical professional is not consistently available.
The proposal comes as school nurse staffing remains a concern in Houston, where a recent KPRC 2 investigation found dozens of campuses operating without nurses.
In September, KPRC 2’s ENOUGH team reported that 60 of Houston ISD’s approximately 273 campuses did not have a school nurse, according to records obtained through a public information request.
That represents roughly 22% of the district’s campuses.
The investigation began after a mother whose daughter has diabetes discovered her child’s school did not have a nurse at the start of the school year.
Some campuses relied on other staff members to assist students, although those employees were not necessarily licensed nurses.
School nurses who spoke with ENOUGH described responsibilities extending beyond basic first aid, including managing chronic medical conditions, recognizing serious illnesses and responding to emergencies.
HB 133 would introduce a notification requirement rather than mandate that every public school employ a full-time nurse.
Under the proposal, the notification requirement would take effect only after the campus goes more than 30 consecutive instructional days without a full-time nurse or equivalent coverage. A shorter staffing shortage would not trigger the requirement.
Jones has pursued similar legislation before. During the 2025 legislative session, she filed House Bill 692, which would have required schools to notify parents after an extended period without full-time nursing coverage.
That earlier proposal included provisions allowing schools to meet staffing requirements through multiple nurses whose combined schedules covered regular instructional hours. It also included an exemption for districts and charter schools enrolling fewer than 10,000 students.
The previous legislation did not become law.
For now, parents can already find some school nurse staffing information through existing district disclosures, but the newly filed proposal would establish an additional notification requirement.
Lawmakers are scheduled to convene for the 2027 legislative session in January. HB 133 would need approval from both legislative chambers and the governor before becoming law.
