SB433

This bill supports making public schools more safe for people who may suffer from seizures and is in accordance with the values of NH citizens.

Dear Chair and Members of the Committee, My name is Collin Gosselin and I would like to demonstrate my strong support and compassion regarding the seizure safe schools in New Hampshire. My family has been personally affected by seizures and epilepsy. I strongly support the idea of having dedicated professionals in schools throughout the region to help prevent and respond to seizures. Currently, it is a common issue that educators and staff in the school system are not familiar with assisting seizures. This change would ensure that students receive immediate and knowledgeable assistance when a seizure occurs. I have experienced the impact of seizures within my family. For example, my sister once had a seizure on the school bus, and we were unsure how to respond. Having trained staff in schools who know how to handle such situations, would provide essential support for families like mine. This would significantly increase confidence in families and a sense of safety sending their children to school. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you will consider my perspective and recognize the positive influence of having trained personnel available during these situations can make. Collin Gosselin Pelham NH resident/ former Pelham High School student

Growing up with a sibling who has epilepsy, I’ve always known what to do when someone is having a seizure. Around four years ago, I had a seizure at my high school during a class. No one knew what to do in the class except for me, which ironically was not helpful. The school nurse was called to come to the building we were in. It took a few minutes for someone who knew what to do to get to the scene. Anyone with a brain can have a seizure.

Dear Chair and Members of the Committee, My name is Hannah Colizzi, and I am writing to express my strong support for legislation to establish seizure safe schools in New Hampshire. This issue is of great personal importance to me. I have loved ones who live courageously with epilepsy, and witnessed how unpredictable and frightening seizures can be. Many people are not diagnosed until their first major seizure. Research indicates that about 48% of children come to medical attention at the time of their first unprovoked seizure. This means nearly half of these kids have no prior diagnosis or warning before their first seizure. Imagine how profoundly challenging it can be for a young individual to feel at ease under these circumstances, particularly when those around them are unaware of the situation or unsure how to respond. In those moments, a lack of understanding can make an already serious situation even more overwhelming. In addition, I have experienced photosensitivity issues myself and gone through the process of being tested for Epileptic seizures. This has given me insight into how confusing and scary it can feel when your body does something you don’t fully understand. This experience made it clear to me how important awareness and education truly are. time. Furthermore, it is essential that individuals feels supported during this time. At its core, this bill holds more significance than a medical response. It is about ending stigma and creating safe, supportive environments for students. Seizure disorders are frequently misunderstood, which can result in fear, social isolation, or uncertainty in responding during an emergency. Every child deserves to feel safe and validated at school regardless of a medical condition, and no parent should have to worry about whether their child will receive appropriate care. By ensuring that school staff are trained in seizure recognition and first aid, and by putting clear plans in place for students who need them, this legislation helps solidify confidence. This not only applies to educators, but for families and students as well. It sends a message that these students are seen, understood, and protected. When schools are informed and readily prepared, they become safer for everyone. This bill has the power to replace fear with knowledge, stigma with understanding, and uncertainty with action. I strongly encourage support for initiatives that foster safety, security, and support for every student. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,? Hannah Colizzi Salem New Hampshire Resident/Prior student of Salem High School

I care for New Hampshire children and adults living with epilepsy. This bill will improve safety and quality of life for NH families living with epilepsy.

Dear Legislators, Seizures are frightening for people who see them and do not understand what is happening. In schools, seizures, including serious ones like status epilepticus, happen often enough that staff should be educated about them. I support this bill because it helps fill an important gap. It ensures that several staff members in each school are trained to recognize and respond to seizures. This will help keep students safer and prevent avoidable complications. It will also ease the minds of parents of kids with seizures. Treating a seizure is not overly complicated. It is similar to other emergency responses that schools already handle, such as CPR, using an inhaler for asthma, or giving naloxone for an overdose. Having trained staff in place will also give peace of mind to students with epilepsy and their families, knowing that someone at school can respond quickly and appropriately. Please vote for this bill. Sincerely, Krzysztof Bujarski, MD Director of the Epilepsy Center at Dartmouth

I support this bill. It’s important for both students and staff to feel confident and comfortable at school. Teachers—and even capable students—should know how to respond if someone experiences a seizure, so they can act quickly and appropriately in an emergency. Thank you

Dear New Hampshire House of Representatives, My name is Garrett Prince. I was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of three. Epilepsy has always been an obstacle for me socially. Whenever I meet someone, I have to tell them what to do if I have a seizure. Half of the time I meet people, they don't know what a seizure even is. Whenever I was at school, I was scared that I would have a seizure, and no one would know what to do. In High School I had a small seizure at a school dance. when I was brought to the nurse's office instead of paramedics coming to check on me, there were cops. I got breathalyzed because they thought I was just drunk. No student should have to go through this due to their seizure disorder. Passing this bill would ensure that students with epilepsy are safe in school. It would ensure that students with seizure disorders can trust their teachers and feel safe in school. We teach teachers about CPR, why can't we educate on seizure rescue plans? One of every ten people will have a seizure in their lifetime. Please pass SB 433 and don't fail me and all the other children with seizure disorders in the state of New Hampshire. Thank you, Garrett Prince of Lyme New Hampshire

Hello House Education Policy and Administration Committee, my name is Jennifer Pelletier. My address is 6 Mobile Drive Hudson, NH. I am here to speak about Senate Bill 433, the Seizure Safe Act. Before expressing the importance of this legislation, I would like to share my family’s personal experience with epilepsy. My husband, my daughter, and I all have epilepsy. My husband attended school in New Hampshire and experienced multiple seizures during the school day as a child. As parents living with epilepsy, we believed we were well prepared to support our child while navigating the education system. Our daughter began kindergarten in the Hudson School District during the 2024–2025 school year. Prior to the start of school, we met with the school nurse and staff to explain her medical needs and review the seizure action plan provided by her neurologist. From the beginning, we encountered resistance and were told the school was equipped to meet her needs. Our daughter’s diagnosis is complex. She has a rare genetic mutation, SCN1A, which causes prolonged seizures that often progress to status epilepticus—seizures lasting longer than five minutes and requiring rescue medication to stop them. In October 2024, our daughter experienced a seizure on the school playground. Staff were unsure what was happening until another child alerted a recess monitor that she was on the ground. The nurse was contacted via walkie-talkie and came outside carrying a Ziplock bag containing medications for multiple students. No one was timing the seizure, so staff were unsure how long it had lasted. Fortunately, the seizure stopped on its own. Rescue medication was not administered because staff were uncertain how to respond. The recess monitor had not been trained to recognize seizure types or to know when and how to administer rescue medication. Although the school had been provided with our daughter’s seizure action plan, it was not followed due to a lack of training and support. This incident resulted in numerous meetings, phone calls, and extensive coordination with the school. Our greatest concern remains that there is only one nurse in the school, yet our daughter requires rescue medication within three minutes of seizure onset. Relying on a single nurse without comprehensive staff training is unrealistic and places both staff and students at risk of catastrophic outcomes, including death. We have pursued both an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and a 504 Plan; however, these measures do not provide sufficient protection. As of only a few weeks ago we have finalized an IEP based on other health impairments. Even when such plans are in place, schools continue to lack consistent, school-wide training for all staff. The Seizure Safe Act would ensure that school personnel are prepared to respond appropriately during a seizure emergency and would significantly reduce delays in administering life-saving rescue medication. I urge you to support and pass Senate Bill 433, the Seizure Safe Act. No child’s life should depend on chance, confusion, or the availability of a single nurse. This legislation would establish consistent, mandatory training for school staff and ensure timely access to life-saving rescue medication. Children with epilepsy deserve to attend school safely, and parents deserve confidence that schools are prepared to respond appropriately in an emergency. I ask you to act now to protect vulnerable students and prevent avoidable tragedies. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify: My name is Parker Hadd. I am 18 years old, and a senior at Dover High School. I am here today to ask you to support Senate bill 433 the Seizure Safe Schools bill. When I was nine years old, my life was forever changed when I was diagnosed with epilepsy. As a third-grader, when most kids worried whose birthday party they’d be invited to, I was learning to live with seizures that could happen at any time. Hospital rooms replaced playgrounds. Everything felt hard and unfair. Instead of dreaming about playing in the NBA, I started dreaming about something simpler, just one week seizure-free. My seizures happened daily. Sometimes they were extremely obvious but often times they were less obvious. One of the hardest and most dangerous realities of epilepsy is that there isn’t just one kind of seizure. Some seizures are obvious and dramatic, the kind people recognize immediately. Others are quiet and easy to miss — they can look like a student staring off or daydreaming. Some seizures last only a few seconds. Others can last minutes. Some require emergency medical care. Others don’t — but only if someone knows what they’re seeing and knows how to respond. At school, that uncertainty was terrifying. Every day at school, I carried the fear that the adults around me might not recognize a seizure, or might not know how to help me. I worried about being seriously injured — about what would happen if I had a seizure and no one realized what was happening until it was too late. Growing up as a military child, I learned how to adapt quickly — changing schools, homes, and teachers was normal for me. But the constant uncertainty of not knowing whether school staff could keep me safe during a seizure was something I was not prepared for. In fifth grade I learned that my best chance at seizure freedom was brain surgery. In 2019, the Army relocated our family to New Hampshire so I could get the care I needed. I started sixth grade knowing that in January I would undergo two brain surgeries. While my classmates planned their first middle school dance, I worried about whether my hair would grow back — and whether surgery would change who I was. At twelve years old, I had two invasive brain surgeries. The first surgery was an SEEG, doctors implanted seventeen electrodes into my brain to determine where my seizures were originating. During the second surgery they performed a craniotomy and removed a portion of my parietal lobe and insula to try to stop the seizures. When the seizures came back, the disappointment was crushing — but life didn’t stop. I had to keep going. Two years later, during my eight-grade year I underwent a third surgery. Doctors performed a LITT procedure to ablate any remaining areas in my brain that were causing my seizures. Since then, I have had many challenges but have mostly been seizure free. I have my driver’s license, I got my first job, I was inducted into the National Honor Society and played for my school’s Varsity soccer team. I also just received my acceptance into the bioengineering program at the University of New Hampshire. Through years of daily seizures, hospital stays, and surgeries, I was fortunate to have parents who never stopped advocating for me. At every school I attended, they worked tirelessly to make sure staff understood my condition — that they knew what seizures could look like and how to respond safely. …and while my journey was incredibly difficult, I know many children with epilepsy face even greater challenges. People tell me I’m strong, but strength wasn’t a choice. It was survival. What this bill represents is something I didn’t always have: the assurance that someone at school would know how to help me if something went wrong. Seizure Safe Schools means teachers and staff can recognize different types of seizures. It means they know what to do — and just as importantly, what not to do. It means students like me don’t have to sit in class wondering if a medical emergency would turn into a tragedy because of lack of knowledge. Epilepsy will always be part of my life. I still take medication every day. But I’ve learned that progress isn’t about what you lose — it’s about how you rebuild. Passing the Seizure Safe Schools bill means fewer students will have to learn survival before learning algebra. It means parents can send their children to school knowing they will be understood and protected. I’m asking you to pass this bill — not just for students with epilepsy, but for every school that should be prepared when a child’s life is on the line. Thank you

Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Krystle Hadd. I’m Parker’s mom. You just heard what epilepsy is like from the perspective of a child living through it. I want to share what it’s like from the parent side. Because what you don’t see in between those moments… is constant fear. When your child has epilepsy, you never fully relax. You don’t send them off to school assuming they’re safe like most parents do. You send them off knowing that at any moment, your child could have a medical emergency—and you have to trust that the adults around them will recognize it and respond correctly. And the truth is—too often, that doesn’t happen. Not because they don’t care… but because they haven’t been given the training. Epilepsy is still widely misunderstood, even though it is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the country. There are many different types of seizures and varying levels of seizure control. Some seizures are obvious, but many are not. Some look like a child simply staring off. Others escalate quickly, become life-threatening, and require immediate intervention with rescue medication. Parker shared a glimpse of what living with epilepsy is like—but that only scratches the surface. For several years, Parker experienced seizures daily. Like many families, we lived with the constant uncertainty of not knowing when the next one would come—or how severe it might be. He has needed rescue medication a few times in his life. Thankfully, those moments happened when he was already in a hospital, where trained professionals could respond immediately. But I think about what could have happened if those seizures occurred at school. Because when a seizure reaches that point—every second matters. Rescue medications are not optional in those moments. They are critical. They are what stop a seizure from continuing, from escalating and causing serious harm. For a long time, Parker was prescribed Diastat—a medication administered rectally. It requires training, confidence, and a willingness to act quickly in a high-stress moment. And without training, even the most well-intentioned adult may hesitate. They may wait too long. Or they may not know how to administer the medication at all. That hesitation can change everything. And what many people don’t realize is that families are often left to fill that gap themselves. At every school Parker has attended, we’ve had to educate teachers and staff about his condition. We’ve had to explain what his seizures look like, what to watch for, and what to do in an emergency. We’ve made sure he has a seizure action plan in place so that everyone understands the protocol. But that level of preparation is not standard everywhere. It depends on the school. It depends on the staff. And too often—it depends on the parent pushing for it. Safety should not depend on how much a parent knows to advocate or how much a school happens to be familiar with epilepsy. It should be consistent. As a parent, that reality follows you everywhere. Your phone rings—and your heart drops every single time. Because you don’t know if this is a routine call… or if something has gone very wrong. And this is not rare. In New Hampshire, there are approximately 1,500 children and teens living with epilepsy. At the same time, there are about 347 students for every one school nurse. So when a seizure happens, the responsibility often falls to teachers, coaches, and school staff. And yet—there is no consistent requirement that they are trained to recognize or respond to one of the most common medical emergencies in our schools. That doesn’t make sense. And I want to be clear—this is not a criticism of our educators. They are being put in an impossible position. Witnessing a seizure is terrifying—and it never gets easier. For someone who has never seen one before, it can be traumatic. And in that moment, not knowing what to do only makes it worse. Our teachers and staff deserve better. They deserve the training and preparation so that in that moment, they are not guessing—they are ready. Because in that moment, their response matters. We train for fires—events that may never happen. But seizures are happening every single day in our schools. And right now, whether someone knows what to do… is left up to chance. This bill changes that. This bill is not complicated. It’s not controversial. It’s basic preparedness. As a parent, I can tell you—nothing matters more than knowing your child will be protected when you are not there. I’m asking you—please pass this bill. For my child, for every child living with epilepsy, and for every parent who sends their child to school carrying this same fear. Thank you

Thank you for the opportunity to to provide trestimony for this importnant bill. From a taxpayer perspective, SB 433 stands out because it delivers clear, measurable value for a very small investment. Schools already dedicate time and resources to preparing for rare emergencies like cardiac arrest. Seizures, however, are far more likely to occur—and without proper training, they often result in unnecessary 911 calls, emergency room visits, and avoidable complications. This bill helps schools respond appropriately the first time. That means fewer disruptions, lower healthcare costs, and reduced legal exposure for districts—all of which ultimately impact taxpayers. Importantly, this is not a high-cost mandate. It builds on existing training structures and requires only a minimal time commitment, while delivering meaningful returns: better outcomes for students and more efficient use of public resources. As taxpayers, we should prioritize investments that are low cost, high likelihood, and high impact. SB 433 meets all three. Thank you for your time and consideration.

All schools should be safe for students with epilepsy. A seizure during the school day needs to be treated with seriousness and skilled staff members.

As a former EMT who has responded to seizure emergencies, I support this bill. Pre-hospital seizure treatment is not difficult. Knowing the basics can make a difference between severe injury or death and positive outcomes.

Please support this bill as NH needs to better support all our students in education and give those with seizures or Epilepsy a safe and supportive education system.

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