5. The Data: Mapping the Gaps¶
This chapter is the research heart of the book. We asked a simple question with a measurable answer: how many Minnesota school districts post a seizure plan that families and staff can actually find? The charts below are interactive, hover, zoom, and explore.
Want to check your own district?
Jump to Find Your District and search your district by name.
How we measured it¶
For 328 of Minnesota's ~329 regular public school districts, we reviewed the official district website: the school-board policy page (MSBA Policy 516, Student Medication), the health-services page, and the student/parent handbook. We classified each district into one of four categories:
| Category | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Seizure plan posted | A seizure-specific plan or page is publicly findable |
| Medication policy only | A general medication policy exists, but never mentions seizures |
| Nothing found | No relevant policy posted online |
| Could not check | Site or policies were inaccessible |
What this measures
We measured public findability, not legal compliance. A district with nothing posted may still have an internal plan. That is why this is a starting point for outreach, not a verdict on any school.
What we found¶
~70% of districts post no publicly findable seizure-specific plan (231 of 328). Only about 30% do. Most districts post only a general medication policy that never mentions seizures.
The gap follows a strong gradient by district type¶
City and suburban districts are far more likely to post a plan than town and rural districts. A statistical test confirms this is not chance (chi-square p < 0.0001).
Where the gaps are, county by county¶
Darker counties have a higher share of districts with no public seizure plan. Hover any county for its numbers. The gap covers most of Greater Minnesota, with the metro area lighter.
The real driver is size, not "rural"¶
We built a logistic regression to ask what predicts a public plan. The dominant factor was district enrollment, bigger districts are far more likely to post a plan. Once we accounted for size, "rural" was no longer a significant predictor on its own. You can see the size effect directly:
The honest interpretation: this is a capacity problem. Small districts, most of which are rural, simply do not have the nursing and administrative staff to write and post a current plan. Minnesota's own data backs this up: about half of districts have no licensed school nurse, and the smallest districts are worst off.
And the gap tends to be largest exactly where community health needs are highest, hover the bubbles (size = number of districts in that county):
This changes how we help: do not lecture small districts, do the work for them with a ready-to-use packet.
What this means for you¶
Your district showing "no plan posted" does not mean your child cannot get one, it means you may need to ask. The law (Minn. Stat. 121A.24) is on your side. Look up your district in Find Your District, then use the family guide and copy-paste email to request a plan.
If your district is in the ~70%, closing the gap is straightforward with ready-to-use materials. See the free drop-in packet: a seizure action plan template, policy language that cites 121A.24, and a printable poster. The single biggest step is simply posting a seizure action plan template on your health-services page.
How reliable is this?¶
We re-checked a random sample of 30 districts with independent reviewers who did not see the first ratings. They agreed 90% of the time (Cohen's kappa = 0.82, "almost perfect"). When they disagreed, the second reviewer usually found more seizure content, which means our 70% figure may slightly overstate the gap, an error in the safe direction.
Data sources: NCES/Urban Institute district roster, CDC PLACES county health data, MDH school-nurse report. Full methods and reliability details are summarized on the Find Your District page.