Senate Education Committee advances bill to expand emergency epinephrine access in Vermont schools

The Senate Education Committee on May 14 heard testimony on H.209, legislation to expand access to emergency epinephrine in Vermont schools and to clarify which school personnel may manage that stock.

Courtney O'Brien, interim operations director at the Agency of Education, said the agency "is very much in support of the consensus language that was reached and is reflected in the most updated version of the bill." She said the changes "will allow for the verification of roles and responsibilities for school administrators and school nurses" and "allow for expanded access to emergency epinephrine stock in multiple approved forms."

The bill’s language, O'Brien said, was revised to avoid overly specific wording that might have restricted schools’ ability to obtain epinephrine. "The updated language does address the agency's previous concerns that any overly specific language around school nurse inclusion may have inadvertently created barriers or limitations to allowing all schools access to epinephrine stock," she said.

Caitlin Pazas, a student consultant with the Family and Child Health Division at the Vermont Department of Health, explained how school‑nurse credentials are handled in state licensure. She said school nurses work under an educator's license with an endorsement for school nurse or associate school nurse, and that "in order to be a school nurse in Vermont, you have to have a registered nurse license, and then you have to have a certain amount of hours that you have as an RN." Pazas noted the associate school nurse endorsement reflects differences in degree (associate vs. bachelor) but both can hold an RN license and be included under the bill’s provisions.

Caitlin Cozza, the state wellness consultant at the Vermont Department of Health, told the committee the Department of Health supports the current draft and that it reflects consensus among the Department of Health, the Agency of Education, the Office of Professional Regulation (the Board of Nursing), and the Vermont State School Nurses Association. Cozza said the bill "would allow schools if they choose to be able to stock intranasal epinephrine or any other types of epinephrine that may come around in the future." She added that many schools are completing planning for the 2024–25 school year and, if passed, the bill would enable schools to stock epinephrine for 2025–26 if they opt to do so.

Committee members asked about training and who pays for it. One committee member noted training often "comes out of a local budget," and O'Brien and Cozza said the answer depends on the type of training. O'Brien and Cozza both referenced an existing memorandum of understanding between the Agency of Education and the Department of Health that can delegate responsibility for health‑specific training; O'Brien said staff would need to "take a closer look at that" MOU to confirm how training responsibilities are allocated.

Witnesses emphasized the need for high‑quality training for school nurses and designated personnel, and for continued interagency conversations about the Agency of Education’s and State Board of Education’s roles in training and implementation. O'Brien said the Agency of Education "is committed to continuing to discuss these concerns with our partners across the state." Cozza and O'Brien both confirmed there is no specific funding attached to H.209; the bill would authorize schools to stock different forms of epinephrine but does not appropriate money for purchase or training.

After testimony and brief discussion, a committee member moved to advance H.209; the motion was seconded and the committee recorded a voice vote in favor and advanced the bill out of committee.

Why this matters: H.209 would expand options for schools that wish to keep emergency epinephrine on hand, clarify which school personnel may be authorized to administer it, and explicitly include associate school nurses under the licensure endorsements discussed. The legislation does not itself provide program funding; details about training, delegated responsibilities and procurement will be handled by agencies and local districts if the measure becomes law.

Next steps: committee members advanced H.209 out of the Senate Education Committee for further consideration.