Some school nurses are refusing to provide students with basic first aid due to a new state law, according to reports from parents.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) authored Senate Bill 12, or the “Parental Bill of Rights,” to provide transparency to parents regarding the care their children receive while at school.
Specifically, the law requires schools to get annual permission from parents before conducting any routine physical or mental health examinations.
House Sponsor for SB 12, State Rep. Jeff Leach (R–Allen) posted on X a copy of a letter sent to Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath expressing concerns with how the legislation has been implemented.
Jointly authored by Leach and Creighton, the letter clarifies the parameters of the Parental Bill of Rights after many concerned parents, educators, and administrators reached out to their offices.
“The most concerning reports are that some school districts are taking an ‘all or nothing’ approach—that parents must consent to all healthcare and mental health services and treatment or none,” reads the letter.
Additionally, Leach and Creighton received reports that band-aids and ice packs for minor injuries have been withheld in an attempt to comply with the new law.
The letter thanks school districts for being careful to fully implement all the provisions found in the bill but requests that “simple common sense” still be used when creating school policies.
“Children’s safety cannot be held hostage to paperwork delays,” Vanessa Sivadge, president of Protect Texas Children, told Texas Scorecard. “A minor scrape, a small cut—these are not partisan issues and should never be treated as such. A band‑aid is a simple, standard measure, a form of care that does not carry ideological weight or medical controversy.”
Sivadge urged school districts to adopt a common-sense exception for emergencies and minor medical care—much like what was anticipated by the law’s allowance for things that are “necessary to further a compelling state interest.”
“In practice, this should mean immediate care—for example, a band‑aid or disinfectant—can be administered without delay, while ensuring that parents are informed promptly.”
In responding to inquiries on X, Leach noted, “With all due respect, if you can’t distinguish offering a Band-Aid or an ice pack from offering more serious medical and/or mental health services that should require parental involvement and consent, then maybe we need to be a lot more concerned than we already were…”
SB 12 was passed during the regular legislative session and took effect on September 1.
