Laredo ISD outlines new parental-consent procedures under Senate Bill 12; affirms emergency care, expands staff training

Laredo ISD trustees heard district staff describe how the district has implemented parental-consent rules required by Senate Bill 12 and how those requirements interact with emergency care, staff medical training, and ongoing student programs.

The district's nursing and student-support leaders told trustees that the district adopted a consent form based on models from the Texas Association of School Boards and that consents were distributed to students on Aug. 25 to comply with the law's effective date. "Written parental consent was required to provide any health service effective Sept. 1," Laredo ISD assistant superintendent for student support services Maggie Martinez said. The district later used draft TEA guidance issued Sept. 11 to refine which services require written consent.

Why it matters: Trustees asked whether the new paperwork could interfere with care in emergencies and whether dual-enrollment arrangements with Laredo College require separate consent forms. Staff said legal advice and nursing practice guide how to balance parental rights and student safety.

District staff explained two practical effects of the guidance. First, the district classifies noninvasive general caretaking (for example, applying a bandage, wiping a bloody nose, checking a forehead) as not…