Senate committee considers statewide head-lice policy and nurse reimbursement in SB 151

The Senate Education Committee took testimony on Senate Bill 151 on April 14, a bill from Senator Jesse Bjorkman that would require districts to adopt policies prohibiting students with live head lice from attending school in person until a nurse or designee confirms there are no live lice.

"The goal of Senate Bill 151 is to stop the spread of head lice between kids at school," sponsor Senator Jesse Bjorkman told the committee. He described the measure as focused on prevention, private screening and parent notification rather than mass head checks. "This bill does not do that [mass checks]. In fact, it goes away from that policy and allows students to be checked for lice in a private way," the senator said.

Senate staff member Sevea Bieber briefed the committee on bill provisions: districts would reimburse 20% of the cost to employ a nurse at a K–8 school if the nurse is employed at least half time; districts must perform privacy-protecting checks on at least 95% of enrolled students by Oct. 15; districts must provide lice prevention information to families; and districts would submit a July 1 report to the department with counts of missed days and identified lice cases.

The committee received a public-health overview from staff describing lifecycle, transmission and treatment options for head lice. Staff noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends students not be sent home during the day but may go home at the end of the school day for treatment; the bill’s screening and return-to-school procedures are designed so students may return once treated and cleared by a nurse or designee.

Senators raised operational questions. Senator Cronk noted many districts rely on non-nurse staff to perform checks because schools lack onsite nurses; Deputy Director Kelly Manning told the committee that 100 certificated school nurses are currently reported statewide and that classified nurses exist in nine districts beyond Anchorage and Mat-Su. Manning said DEED would write regulations to define allocations if appropriations do not cover full 20% reimbursement for all eligible nurses.

Supporters and opponents raised privacy and equity questions in the Q&A: Senator Cronk asked whether the bill merely ensures a common statewide policy; sponsor Bjorkman responded the bill addresses a recent trend away from notifying parents and taking steps to interrupt spread. Bjorkman said the bill contemplates community supports for families who lack an immediate caregiver available to treat a child, and he emphasized the aim is to minimize missed school days: "With proper education and treatment, that can happen rather quickly, and the student should not have to be out of school very long." (testimony quote)

The fiscal note presented by DEED estimated regulatory-development costs and an annual grant pool tied to the 20% reimbursement approach: DEED identified $6,000 for regulation development and $1,544,000 annually tied to nurse reimbursement based on 2024 staffing data (100 certificated school nurses with an average pay of $77,000). DEED staff said most certificated nurses are located in Anchorage and Mat-Su and that regulations would specify allocation methods if appropriations are insufficient.

After questioning and presentation of the fiscal note, Chair Tobin closed public testimony and said she will hold SB 151 to a future meeting for further consideration and potential amendments.