Guidelines

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Question:  We should screen all new students for hyperopia unless they have a recent comprehensive exam.  Should the glasses be placed over the students current corrective lenses or should they remove their glasses/contacts and be screened with the plus lens with no glasses/contacts?

 

Answer:  All new enterers should be screened for hyperopia as stated in current vision regulations.  For those children that wear glasses or contact lenses the nurse should determine the reason for wearing correction. 

• If the corrective lenses are for near vision the child should be screened for hyperopia without wearing their corrective lenses. 
• All others should be screened for hyperopia but should wear their corrective lenses during the screening.

 

Question:  Do nurses need to send home individual parent letters about screenings and results of such screening done in school?

 

Answer:  The Commissioner’s Regulations define what screenings are mandated and state “that the results of all such screening examinations shall be in writing and shall be provided to the pupil's parent or person in parental relation and to any teacher of the pupil within the school while the pupil is enrolled in the school”.

We would advise you to put a notice on your website or in a school newsletter describing what screenings are being done in what grade levels.  Let parents know that letters will be sent home to the parents of any student who fails the screening.   

 

Question: Are school nurses responsible for Pre-K students?

Answer: Boards of Education in individual school districts may have policies that describe responsibilities for health services for the Pre-K student and school nurses will need to familiarize themselves with the content of these policies. The health requirements for the preschool population differ from those of the school age child. School districts may house preschool programs that are operated by private or other public agencies.  Sometimes these programs are providing services through a contractual relationship with the school district and the children are enrolled as students in the public school.

If, however, the private or public agency is simply leasing or using public school space to operate an independent preschool program, they are not under the auspices of the public school and are not subject to the requirements of the district.  School nurses should ask their districts regarding the policies in place.

 

Resource available:

Health Services for Pre-Kindergarten Programs Manual

 

Question:  How do I find out about changes in the Guidelines or other regulations?  Will I get the changes in the mail like I used to?

Answer:  The State Education Department no longer mails out guidelines or other important information.  Information, when available will be posted on our website.  To receive notice regarding changes, as well as other valuable health information, please sign up for our listserv here, or on our home page and you will receive e-mail notification of important school health information.

A screening overview chart is available on our "Laws and Guidelines" page.  Vision, Hearing and Scoliosis screening guidelines are currently under review/revision. 

The answers to some of these questions could change as a result of that review.

Vision Guidelines:

Question: What are the grade levels for vision screening?

Answer: The new vision screening guidelines recommend distance visual acuity once within six months of admission to school and in Kindergarten, grades 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10.  Additionally, the guidelines state that near visual acuity, color perception and plus lens (hyperopia) should be done once within six months of admission to school.

(Commissioner's Regulations, September 2005)

Question:  What are the grade levels for hearing screening?

Answer: The October 2005 guideline states that hearing screening must be administered to all students within six months of admission to the school and in Kindergarten, grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10.

(Commissioner's Regulations, September 2005)

Question: What are the current grade levels for scoliosis screening?

Answer: The Commissioner’s Regulations of September 2005 set the grade levels for scoliosis screening as at least once each school year to all students in grades 5 through 9.

(Commissioner's Regulations, September 2005)

Question:  Is there a sample form for reporting findings on a scoliosis screening to the parent?

Answer:  We have added a sample Scoliosis Reporting form to the "Miscellaneous Forms" section of our School Nurse Tool Kit page at: http://www.schoolhealthservicesny.com/tool_kit.cfm?subpage=96 

Question: When is a scoliosis referral sent home?

Answer: Referrals are sent home when one or more of the following are seen:

• Unequal shoulder height
• Unequal distance between arms and body
• Prominence of one hip
• Scoliometer reading greater than seven degrees
• Accentuated prominence in thoracic or lumbar region of the spine on forward bend
• Accentuated sway back
• Unequal symmetry of the upper back, lower back, or both.

(Scoliosis Screening Guideline, October 2005)