2010 Tennessee Code
Title 68 - Health, Safety and Environmental Protection
Chapter 1 - Department of Health
Part 12 - Public School Nurse Program
68-1-1202 - Duties of executive director.

68-1-1202. Duties of executive director.

It is the duty and responsibility of the executive director of the program to:

     (1)  Assist local education agencies (LEAs) in the development, implementation and coordination of student health policies with regard to first aid emergencies, medications, acute illnesses and infection control;

     (2)  Provide LEAs with information, advice and technical assistance pertaining to student and parental instruction on topics related to health and wellness, including, but not necessarily limited to:

          (A)  Family life education;

          (B)  Sexually transmitted diseases;

          (C)  Substance abuse;

          (D)  Nutrition;

          (E)  Infection control; and

          (F)  Depression;

     (3)  Assist LEAs in the provision of student health services, including, but not necessarily limited to:

          (A)  Medical screenings;

          (B)  Acute care;

          (C)  Health opinions for teacher referrals;

          (D)  Child abuse assessments;

          (E)  Counseling for students with chronic diseases; and

          (F)  Counseling for students who are engaging in, or who may be at risk of engaging in, behavioral patterns that jeopardize physical or mental health and well-being;

     (4)  Assist and encourage LEAs in developing and implementing efficient and effective policies and procedures to ensure parental notification, knowledge and endorsement of school health services and programs, including, but not limited to, efficient and effective policies and procedures to require and obtain prior parental consent for student participation in the health services and programs offered by each LEA; to fully encourage and maximize parental interest and involvement in all matters pertaining to the physical and mental health and well-being of students; and to ensure full parental access to the school health records of their children;

     (5)  Promote the exchange of information and referrals between LEAs and physicians, health care professionals and sources of health care financial assistance;

     (6)  Assist the department of education in planning, developing and implementing the program of family life education technical support and assistance, as required by § 49-1-205;

     (7)  Assist the department of mental health and developmental disabilities in providing suitable programs of alcohol and drug education and prevention for LEAs, as required by § 68-24-103;

     (8)  Report, on or before December 31 each year, to the governor, to each member of the general assembly, and to each member of the state board of education concerning implementation of the provisions of this section, and also concerning issues and recommendations relating to the physical and mental health and well-being of the state's public school students;

     (9)  Promote and encourage awareness and involvement of parents, civic groups, community organizations, private businesses and religious institutions on matters pertaining to the physical and mental health and well-being of the state's public school students;

     (10)  Engage in such other activities to improve and safeguard physical and mental health and well-being as may be necessary in order to attain the highest level of school attendance, to promote excellence of academic performance and achievement, and to significantly reduce school dropout rates;

     (11)  (A)  (i)  Encourage and support public and nonprofit agencies in the development of model rural and urban comprehensive school health programs through a system of competitive, state administered grants.

                (ii)  The availability of grants during any fiscal year shall be subject to the ability of the executive director to raise sufficient funds from other than state sources, including, but not limited to, federal sources and private foundations. To qualify for receipt of any such competitive, state administered grant, each model comprehensive school health program must provide preventive and primary health care services designed to attain the goals set forth in § 68-1-1201(c), and must also conform to the policies set forth in § 68-1-1205. The staff of each model program must also include, at a minimum, a certified pediatric or family nurse practitioner with adequate physician backup, and, when possible, should also include a certified health education specialist and a master social worker with adequate psychiatric backup. Each model program must also form a local advisory committee that includes, but is not necessarily limited to, representatives of the LEA and the local offices of the departments of health and children's services. Each advisory committee shall strongly encourage active participation of parents and community-based providers of children and adolescent services. Each advisory committee shall undertake appropriate activities to encourage coordination of services and continued support for the model program. Each model program shall adopt and implement policies and procedures to assure parental consent, confidentiality, quality assurance and program evaluation.

          (B)  (i)  Organize and convene, acting jointly with the commission on children and youth, an interdepartmental committee to:

                     (a)  Develop policies, procedures, and criteria to govern selection of model comprehensive school health programs;

                     (b)  Undertake appropriate activities to solicit grant applications from qualified public and nonprofit agencies;

                     (c)  Develop policies, procedures and criteria for ensuring that grant recipients fully utilize all available sources of federal, state and local financial assistance and assistance from private foundations; and

                     (d)  Design and implement policies to assure collection and analysis of data needed to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of individual model programs as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of the grant program.

                (ii)  The interdepartmental committee shall include representation by the departments of mental health and developmental disabilities, education, children's services, labor and workforce development, the health equity commission, the governor's council on physical fitness and health, the governor's drug-free task force, and the division of health access within the department of health, and shall also include one (1) citizen member who shall be a parent of a school-aged child, the citizen member to be appointed by the executive director of the public school nurse program, who, prior to making the appointment, shall receive recommendations pertaining to the appointment from interested persons and groups; and

     (12)  Make available to the department of education educational materials appropriate for distribution so that information about meningococcal disease and the effectiveness of vaccination against meningococcal disease can be provided to parents and guardians. This information shall include the causes, symptoms, and the means by which meningococcal disease is spread and the places where parents and guardians may obtain additional information and vaccinations for their children. The department of education may provide this information, at its discretion, electronically or on its web site. Nothing in this subdivision (12) shall be construed to require the department of education to provide or purchase vaccine against meningococcal disease.

[Acts 1988, ch. 988, § 1; 1989, ch. 373, § 1; 1991, ch. 508, § 1; 1996, ch. 1079, § 147; 1999, ch. 520, § 46; 2000, ch. 947, § 6; 2005, ch. 177, § 5; 2008, ch. 748, § 6.]