Health Screenings
Routine health assessments
are done each fall for students. If a parent, teacher or child has a
specific concern at other times during the school year, vision and hearing
screenings can be done at their request.
Growth assessment (height and weight measurement) is done for all students in
grades RK - 6. This year, Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated and
reported to parents with their child's corresponding percentile and risk
category for developing weight related diseases.
The Center for Disease
Control (CDC), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommend using BMI
to screen for overweight children beginning at 2 years old. However, BMI
is not a diagnostic tool alone. Further assessment by a healthcare
provider would help to determine if excess fat is a problem. Skinfold
thickness measurement, evaluation of diet, physical activity, and family history
are other appropriate considerations when determining a child's risk of health
problems from overweight.
Vision screening is done for students in grades 1, 3, 5, and 7. New
students entering RK and K are also screened if they were missed during spring
Kindergarten Registration. Color vision is tested at third grade.
Those students enrolled in the Driver's Education course are also screened
during those classes. Students that are referred for a professional vision
evaluation based on the screening results may be eligible for financial
assistance with the exam and/or glasses if recommended.
Hearing screening is done for students in grades K, 2, 4, and 6. Students
may be referred for a re-test in January, when available, through Public
Health. Occasionally, students need to see a hearing specialist.
These students are referred to the spring Otology Clinic where they are seen by
a hearing specialist at no cost.