School Screenings
School Screenings
Each year, all elementary and middle school students have their height and weight measured. Students in 5-8 grades are screened for scoliosis. Students in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades have their vision screened. The school nurse does not diagnose, but rather, identifies possible problems and refers a student to a physician for further evaluation.
Student Vision Cards
Every Year, Iowa Optometric Association mails a packet of Student Vision Cards to each school with kindergarteners and requests for the cards be placed in kindergarten information packets. Experts estimate that 80% of learning is obtained through vision. Schools will benefit from the use of this card as more children entering school are visually prepared to learn. The most significant vision abnormalities develop before or around the time of entry into school. The Student Vision Cards encourage parents to take their child to an eye doctor as part of their back-to-school preparations.
The following organizations join the IOA in recommending the use of Student Vision Cards in Iowa's public and private schools: Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa PTA, Prevent Blindness Iowa, Iowa Academy of Ophthalmology. (Iowa Department of Public Health)
Athletics Participation for 7–12 Grades
Any student participating in 7th – 12th grade sports needs a current physical on file at the nurse’s office before the first day of practice. The form is valid for 1 calendar year. The physical can be performed by a physician, a chiropractor, a physician’s assistant, or a nurse practitioner.
