The Relentless School Nurse: Unfunded and Vulnerable – Schools Face New Risks After REMS TA Forced to Shut Down

The REMS (Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools) Technical Assistance Center was forced to close its doors after nearly two decades of providing free, high-quality training, tools, and resources to schools across the country. For those of us working daily to keep students safe—school nurses, administrators, teachers, and support staff—this announcement feels like the floor has been pulled out from under us.

REMS TA was more than a website of toolkits. It was a trusted national partner helping schools create, strengthen, and test emergency preparedness plans—everything from active shooter response to pandemic planning to natural disaster readiness. Their team guided schools in practical, evidence-based strategies to prevent, respond to, and recover from crises. And they did so without charging schools a single dollar.

Now, those doors are closing, not because their work is complete, but because federal leaders failed to sustain funding. 

This is What Is at Stake

School safety requires more than locked doors and security technology. It demands comprehensive planning that addresses the full spectrum of crises we face in education today:

• Gun violence and active shooter events

• Natural disasters fueled by climate change

• Public health emergencies like COVID-19 and influenza outbreaks

• Mental health crises and suicide prevention

• Daily emergencies like allergic reactions, seizures, and diabetic complications

School nurses are essential partners in this work. We know our students, their medical needs, and the vulnerabilities that must be accounted for in a well-designed emergency plan. We bring the health expertise that ensures plans are not only responsive to violence or disaster but also to the everyday medical needs that can quickly escalate without preparation.

The Call from NASN

This week, the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) urged federal leaders to take immediate action to restore and sustain national support for school safety. Their statement is clear: our schools need resources, funding, and staffing to protect students.

Read NASN’s full press release here: https://ow.ly/42xG50WYlmv

Why This Matters to School Nurses

Emergency preparedness is not an abstract concept for us. It’s students like the child with Type 1 diabetes who need glucagon within minutes of a severe hypoglycemic episode. It’s knowing the evacuation plan for the medically fragile student in a wheelchair when a fire alarm sounds. It’s the community-wide trauma response after a shooting or a suicide.

Without national leadership and technical support, individual schools are left piecing together fragmented plans, often without the staffing or expertise they need. That is unacceptable. Students should not be safer in one ZIP code than another based on funding decisions.

Ending REMS TA sends a dangerous message—that school safety is optional, or that local districts can simply “figure it out” on their own. This ignores the reality that districts vary widely in resources, expertise, and staffing. Without national support, disparities will widen, leaving the most vulnerable communities least prepared.

A Call to Action

Federal leaders must restore and sustain national investment in school safety preparedness and resources to ensure all students are protected, regardless of their zip code or district funding levels. NASN urges the federal government to act immediately, prioritizing the continuity of no-cost, evidence-based support, emergency training, and guidance for every school.

• Renewed federal funding for national school safety programs and technical assistance.

• Immediate measures to prevent gaps in preparedness, especially for medically fragile and high-need students.

• Consistent, equitable access to expert resources for crisis planning, mitigation, and recovery—support no single state can provide alone.

• Recognition of school nurses as frontline partners in emergency planning, deserving of adequate staffing and resources to protect student health and safety.

The decision to defund REMS TA removes a critical safety net at a time when preparedness is needed more than ever, and advocates demand action to ensure schools are never left vulnerable or unsupported. 

We cannot afford complacency. Closing REMS TA is not just defunding a program—it’s defunding safety, preparedness, and the protection of our children.