Pupil health: individuals with exceptional needs: respiratory services: licensed vocational nurses.

Senator Ochoa Bogh's legislation expands the scope of respiratory care services that licensed vocational nurses may provide in California schools, authorizing them to perform suctioning and other basic respiratory tasks for students with exceptional needs under the supervision of credentialed school nurses.

The bill creates parallel amendments to both health care and education statutes to establish this new authorization. Under the Business and Professions Code, vocational nurses must complete employer-approved, patient-specific training before January 1, 2028. After that date, their training must align with guidelines developed jointly by the Respiratory Care Board and the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. The Education Code amendments specify that these services may only be provided when determined to be routine, low-risk, and likely to have predictable outcomes as defined in a student's individualized education program.

The measure maintains existing protections by requiring vocational nurses to demonstrate competence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and knowledge of local emergency medical resources. It preserves all current federal requirements for serving students with disabilities while stipulating that students should not be relocated to different schools solely due to their need for specialized physical health care services. Implementation details will be established through regulations developed jointly by the state's education and health care services departments.