SB0151A -1- SB 151
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SENATE BILL NO. 151
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY SENATOR BJORKMAN
Introduced: 3/28/25
Referred: Education, Finance
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to head lice in public schools." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 14.30 is amended by adding a new section to read: 3
Sec. 14.30.144. Head lice policy in public schools. (a) A school district shall 4
provide students and families with information about how to prevent head lice and 5
adopt a policy regarding students with live head lice. The policy must provide that a 6
student found with live head lice may remain in the student's classroom until the end 7
of the school day but following that school day may not return to the classroom until a 8
certificated school nurse or the certificated school nurse's designee, or other health 9
care provider if the school does not employ a certificated school nurse, has inspected 10
the student's hair and confirmed the absence of live head lice. Upon discovering live 11
head lice in a student's hair, the student's school shall provide the student's parent or 12
guardian with information about how to treat head lice. 13
(b) Subject to appropriation, each fiscal year, the department shall reimburse a 14
school district an amount equal to 20 percent of the district's cost to employ a 15 34-LS0709\H
SB 151 -2- SB0151A
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certificated school nurse if 1
(1) the nurse works at a school in the district that serves grades 2
kindergarten through eight; 3
(2) the district employs the nurse on at least a half-time basis; 4
(3) the district checks at least 95 percent of enrolled students for live 5
head lice in a manner that protects student privacy on or before October 15 of each 6
year; and 7
(4) the district submits a report to the department by July 1 of each 8
year that 9
(A) describes the district's policy adopted under (a) of this 10
section; 11
(B) describes the information the district provides to a student's 12
parents under (a) of this section; 13
(C) describes, for the previous school year, how many students 14
were found to have live head lice and how many days of school each student 15
missed because of live head lice; and 16
(D) confirms that the district checked at least 95 percent of 17
enrolled students for live head lice in a manner that protected student privacy 18
on or before October 15 of the previous year. 19
(c) If the amount appropriated for funding under (b) of this section is 20
insufficient to fully reimburse each eligible school district, the department shall reduce 21
each reimbursement in proportion to the amount of the shortfall. 22
(d) In this section, "school district" has the meaning given in AS 14.30.350. 23