; findings (a) Purpose The purpose of this Act is to assist States and local educational agencies with ensuring that every elementary and secondary school has at least one full-time registered nurse on staff, and to maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios, including through the recruitment, hiring, and retention of registered nurses. (b) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, every elementary and secondary school should have at least one full-time registered nurse on staff. (2) According to the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2015–2016 school year, only about half of all public schools had a full-time registered nurse and nearly 20 percent did not have any nurse on staff. Schools with higher free or reduced-price lunch program eligibility rates had lower rates of school nurses. (3) According to the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, in 2019, roughly 6 percent of children in the United States were uninsured. (4) For children who lack health care coverage, a school nurse is often a critical source of health services. (5) Studies suggest that schools with a full-time registered nurse experience far-reaching benefits including fewer student absences, students spending more time in class, more accurate medical records, higher immunization rates, fewer student pregnancies, and better health outcomes for students with asthma or diabetes. (6) School nurses play a critical role in helping to manage the chronic physical, emotional, mental, and social health needs of students, conduct health screenings, facilitate vaccinations and immunization compliance efforts, reduce burdens on educators and other school staff, and support a positive and healthy school climate. 3. One School, One Nurse grant program (a) Grant program authorized Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry out the