1.  In each school at which a school nurse is responsible for providing nursing services, the school nurse shall plan for and carry out, or supervise qualified health personnel in carrying out, a separate and careful observation and examination of every child who is regularly enrolled in a grade specified by the board of trustees or superintendent of schools of the school district in accordance with this subsection to determine whether the child has scoliosis, any visual or auditory problem, or any gross physical defect. The grades in which the observations and examinations must be carried out are as follows:

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(a) For visual and auditory problems:

‘ (1) Before the completion of the first year of initial enrollment in elementary school;

(2) In at least one additional grade of the elementary schools; and

(3) In one grade of the middle or junior high schools and one grade of the high schools; and

(b) For scoliosis, in at least one grade of schools below the high schools. Any person other than a school nurse, including, without limitation, a person employed at a school to provide basic first aid and health services to pupils, who performs an observation or examination pursuant to this subsection must be trained by a school nurse to conduct the observation or examination.

2.  In addition to the requirements of subsection 1, the board of trustees of each school district in a county whose population is 100,000 or more shall direct school nurses, qualified health personnel employed pursuant to subsection 6, teachers who teach physical education or health or other licensed educational personnel who have completed training in measuring the height and weight of a pupil provided by the school district, to measure the height and weight of a representative sample of pupils who are enrolled in grades 4 and 7 in the schools within the school district. The Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the board of trustees of each school district and each local health district, as applicable, shall determine the number of pupils necessary to include in the representative sample. The height and weight of a representative sample of pupils must be measured every other year at the same time other observations or examinations are conducted pursuant to this section.

3.  If any child is attending school in a grade above one of the specified grades and has not previously received such an observation and examination, the child must be included in the current schedule for observation and examination. Any child who is newly enrolled in the district must be examined for any medical condition for which children in a lower grade are examined.

4.  A special examination for a possible visual or auditory problem must be provided for any child who:

(a) Is enrolled in a special program;

(b) Is repeating a grade;

(c) Has failed an examination for a visual or auditory problem during the previous school year; or

(d) Shows in any other way that the child may have such a problem.

5.  The school authorities shall notify the parent or guardian of any child who is found or believed to have scoliosis, any visual or auditory problem, or any gross physical defect, and shall recommend that appropriate medical attention be secured to correct it. Any written notice provided to the parent or guardian of a child pursuant to this subsection must include, to the extent that information is available, a list of any resources that may be available in the community to provide such medical attention, including, without limitation, resources available at no charge or at a reduced cost. If such a list is provided, the principal, his or her designee, or any employee of the school or the school district is not responsible for providing such resources to the pupil or ensuring that the pupil receives such resources.

6.  In any school district in which state, county or district public health services are available or conveniently obtainable, those services may be used to meet the responsibilities assigned under the provisions of this section. The board of trustees of the school district may employ qualified personnel to perform them. Any nursing services provided by such qualified personnel must be performed in compliance with chapter 632 of NRS.

7.  The board of trustees of a school district may adopt a policy which encourages the school district and schools within the school district to collaborate with:

(a) Qualified health care providers within the community to perform, or assist in the performance of, the services required by this section; and

(b) Postsecondary educational institutions for qualified students enrolled in such an institution in a health-related program to perform, or assist in the performance of, the services required by this section.

8.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 9, the school authorities shall provide notice to the parent or guardian of a child before performing on the child the examinations required by this section. The notice must inform the parent or guardian of the right to exempt the child from all or part of the examinations. Any child must be exempted from an examination if the child’s parent or guardian files with the teacher a written statement objecting to the examination.

9.  The school authorities are not required to provide notice to the parent or guardian of a child before measuring the child’s height or weight pursuant to subsection 2 if it is not practicable to do so.

10.  Each school nurse or a designee of a school nurse, including, without limitation, a person employed at a school to provide basic first aid and health services to pupils, shall report the results of the examinations conducted pursuant to this section in each school at which he or she is responsible for providing services to the Chief Medical Officer in the format prescribed by the Chief Medical Officer. Each such report must exclude any identifying information relating to a particular child. The Chief Medical Officer shall compile all such information the Officer receives to monitor the health status of children and shall retain the information.

11.  The Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services shall:

(a) Compile a report relating to each region of this State for which data is collected regarding the height and weight of pupils measured pursuant to subsection 2 and reported to the Chief Medical Officer pursuant to subsection 10;

(b) Publish and disseminate the reports not later than 12 months after receiving the results of the examinations pursuant to subsection 10; and

(c) Submit a copy of the report disseminated pursuant to paragraph (b) to the superintendent of each school district located in a county whose population is 100,000 or more.