Periodic Health Screenings

The purpose of a school hearing screening program is to identify students with a hearing loss that may impact their intellectual, emotional, social, speech, and/or language development. The subtlety of a hearing loss may lead to a child’s hearing loss being overlooked. The school’s hearing screening proceedures can play an important role in ensuring no student has a hearing loss that goes undetected and unmanaged, resulting in further developmental or academic delays. Even mild hearing losses may be educationally and medically significant. (THIRD EDITION VIRGINIA SCHOOL HEALTH GUIDELINES.) 

An undetected hearing loss may result in:

• A delay in speech and language skills,
• Language deficits, which may lead to learning problems and limited academic achievement.
• Difficulties in communication, which may lead to social isolation and poor self- concept, resulting in emotional or behavioral problems.
• A negative impact on the child’s vocational and educational choices.
• Behavioral problems. 

Each Albemarle County Public School will conduct periodic screenings of students for hearing. Each school will schedule the hearing screenings for all students in grades K, 3, 7, and 10 who do not have documentation of hearing screening by a health care provider or other school division within the first 60 administrative working days of the opening of school. Each Albemarle County Public Schools shall keep a record of examinations conducted in accordance with Virginia Code.

Whenever a student is found to have any defect of hearing or a disease of the ears, the principal shall forthwith notify the parent or guardian, in writing, of such defect or disease. Copies of the documentation shall be maintained in the child's educational record. 

Typcially, the Speech and Language Pathologist assigned to the school completes the screening. However, anyone with training may conduct hearing screenings.   

The following are exceptions to the HEaring Screenign Procedures in Albemarle County Schools.

• Any student admitted for the first time to a public elementary school and has been so tested as part of the comprehensive physical examination required by § 22.1-270;
• The parents or guardians of a student who object on religious grounds and the student shows no obvious evidence of any defect or disease of the ears; or
• Any student who has an Individualized Education Program or a Section 504 Plan that documents a defect of hearing or a disease of the ears and the principal determines that such a test would not identify any previously unknown defect of hearing or a disease of the ears.
   

RESOURCES: 

• Virginia School Health Guidelines

Visual acuity develops swiftly from newborn age maturing “to adult levels of 20/20 vision when the child is 5 to 6 years of age”. Vision screening and eye examination are essential for detecting visual impairment.82 Conditions that lead to visual abnormalities may lead to inadequate school performance82 and prevent students from obtaining maximum benefits from their educational experience. Undetected impairments of the visual process can lead to permanent loss of vision in the affected eye, loss of depth perception, decreased integration of visual and motor skills, potential decrease in learning ability, and problems in school adjustment. Visual acuity testing should take place as soon as the child is old enough to cooperate with an eye exam, typically around age 3.67,82 Vision screening guidelines have been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology an Strabismus (AAPOS), and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) for use by all pediatric vision screening professionals (including physicians, nurses, educational institutions, and public health departments) to standardize the process of vision screening and to detect children with vision impairments who might be overlooked. (THIRD EDITION VIRGINIA SCHOOL HEALTH GUIDELINES.) 

The principal of each elementary school shall cause the vision of students enrolled in kindergarten, and grades three, seven and ten be tested, unless:

1. Any such student is admitted for the first time to a public elementary school and produces a written record of a comprehensive eye examination performed within the preceding 24 months;
2. The parents or guardians of such student object on religious grounds and the student shows no obvious evidence of any defect or disease of the eyes; or
3. Any such student has an Individualized Education Program or a Section 504 Plan that documents a defect of vision or a disease of the eyes and the principal determines that such a test would not identify any previously unknown defect of vision or a disease of the eyes.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, vision screenings may be conducted at any time during the school year; however, the scheduling of such screenings shall be completed no later than the sixtieth administrative working day of the school year.

The principal shall ensure that a record of such screenings are kept. Whenever a student does not receive a passing result on a vision screening and requires referral to an optometrist or ophthalmologist for a comprehensive eye examination, the principal shall cause the parent or guardian to be notified in writing. Copies of the report shall be preserved for the use of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as he may require.

RESOURCES: 

• Virginia School Health Guidelines

Fine motor screening for all children are conducted once through grade 3 for those children who do not have documentation of fine motor screening by a health care provider or other school division. The fine motor screening is scheduled within 60 administrative working days of initial enrollment. Within Albemarle County Public Schools, the general education, preschool or art teacher conducts the fine motor screening within the general education program. The results are recorded. (THIRD EDITION VIRGINIA SCHOOL HEALTH GUIDELINES.) 

• Children who fail this screening may be rescreened if the original results are not considered valid.
• Albemarle County Public Schools recognizes screenings reported as part of the child's pre-school physical examination required under the Code of Virginia. (§ 22.1-270 of the Code of Virginia)
• Children shall be referred to the special education administrator or designee if results suggest that a referral for evaluation for special education and related services is indicated. The referral shall include the screening results.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, vision screenings may be conducted at any time during the school year; however, the scheduling of such screenings shall be scheduled no later than the sixtieth administrative working day of the school year.

The principal shall ensure that a record of such screenings are kept. Whenever a student does not receive a passing result on a screening, the principal shall cause the parent or guardian to be notified in writing. Copies of the report shall be preserved for the use of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as he may require.

RESOURCES: 

• Virginia School Health Guidelines

Gross motor screening for all children are conducted once through grade 3 for those children who do not have documentation of gross motor screening by a health care provider or other school division. The gross motor screening is scheduled within 60 administrative working days of initial enrollment. Within Albemarle County Public Schools, the physical education teacher conducts the gross motor screening within the physical education program. Results are recorded. (THIRD EDITION VIRGINIA SCHOOL HEALTH GUIDELINES.) 

• Children who fail any of the above screenings may be rescreened if the original results are not considered valid.
• Albemarle County Public Schools recognizes screenings reported as part of the child's pre-school physical examination required under the Code of Virginia. (§ 22.1-270 of the Code of Virginia)
• Children shall be referred to the special education administrator or designee if results suggest that a referral for evaluation for special education and related services is indicated. The referral shall include the screening results.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, vision screenings may be conducted at any time during the school year; however, the scheduling of such screenings shall be scheduled no later than the sixtieth administrative working day of the school year.

The principal shall ensure that a record of such screenings are kept. Whenever a student does not receive a passing result on a screening, the principal shall cause the parent or guardian to be notified in writing. Copies of the report shall be preserved for the use of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as he may require.

RESOURCES: 

• Virginia School Health Guidelines

The purpose of screening in the area of speech and language is to identify students who may have a speech language deficit. As a result of the screening, students may be referred for a special education eligibility assessment or the speech-language pathologist may consult with the teacher or parents regarding the student’s speech-language skills.

Albemarle County Public Schools has determine that the classroom teacher, under the supervision of the school speech and language pathologist is responsible for the speech-language screenings. As Albemarle County Public Schools has designated someone other than the speech pathologist to implement speech-language screenings, an in-service training by the speech-language pathologist will be conducted.

Screenings are complete through collaboration with classroom teachers, who are an excellent source of data regarding the status of their students’ communication skills. An efficient and accurate method of screening is to capture the classroom teacher’s information as the initial screening.  If no concerns are noted on the teacher’s screening, the student is considered to pass the speech / language screening.

Any student with one or more errors may be rescreened by the speech-language pathologist .  If the original screening is conducted by a teacher, students who fail the screening are often rescreened by the speech-language pathologist.  When a student fails a screening, the individual conducting the screening must determine if there is a suspicion of a disability or another reason for the failure, such as a lack of experience in a structured setting, limited English proficiency, etc .  Parents must be notified of screening results and the action that will be taken .  Actions may include no further action, referral to a school team or other agency for follow up, or referral for a special education evaluation. (THIRD EDITION VIRGINIA SCHOOL HEALTH GUIDELINES.) 

• Speech and language screenings will be conducted for all enrolled preschool and Kindergarten students who attend classes in at an Albemarle County Public School who do not have documentation of speech and language screening by a health care provider or other school division. The screening will be scheduled within the first 60 administrative working days of initial enrollment.
• Speech and language screenings will be scheduled for all new students in preschool through grade 3 who do not have documentation of speech and language screening by a health care provider or other school division within 60 administrative working days of enrollment.

The principal shall ensure that a record of such screenings are kept. Copies of the report shall be preserved for the use of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as he may require.

RESOURCES: 

• Virginia School Health Guidelines
• Speech-Language Services in the School: Guidelines for Best Practice (2018)

Albemarle County Public Schools is implementing a scoliosis program that consists of the provision of parent educational information on scoliosis. As such each Albemarle County Public Schools shall provide information to the parents of students in grades 5 through 10 within 60 business days after the opening of school each year on scoliosis.

• Parent educational information on scoliosis includes, but not be limited to
  • a definition of scoliosis;
  • a description of how scoliosis is identified;
  • a statement describing why it is important to screen for the condition;
  • a description of the types of screening procedures;
  • a description of potential treatments for the condition; and
  • information on where screening may be obtained.

In accordance with Virginia State law, parents of students in grades five through ten will receive an annual information sheet containing important facts about scoliosis and scoliosis screening.  

Each year, the state requires that school divisions notify all parents of students in grades 5-10 about a physical condition known as scoliosis. This condition affects about two or three percent of all adolescents and causes a curvature in the spine. The division's Scoliosis Information for Parents was developed in consultation with the University of Virginia Department of Pediatric Orthopedics.

RESOURCES: 

• Scoliosis Information for Parents
• Virginia School Health Guidelines