Adopted: April 1994
Revised: April 2024
Download 501.3AR - Early Childhood Health and Developmental Screening
1. Health and Developmental Screening Requirement – In accordance with state law, children must be screened in the following areas: vision, hearing, height, weight, development, immunization review, identification of any risk factors that may influence learning and an interview with the parent or guardian must be completed no later than 30 days after their first day of attendance in kindergarten or first grade in a public school.
2. Screening Process
2.1 The district will contact the parents or guardians of all preschool-aged children in the district who are at least three years old to inform them of this requirement and to offer them the opportunity to participate in the early childhood screening services offered by the district. The letter will include district procedures 501.3.2.3P, Translation for Early Childhood Screening and 501.3.2.4P, Notice to Parent or Guardian. If the parents or guardians do not respond to the initial notice of the district’s early childhood screening, staff will send a letter home in the fall before the child enters kindergarten reminding them of the requirement (District Procedures 501.3.2.2P, Early Childhood Screening Reminder Letter and 501.3.2.3P, Translation for Early Childhood Screening).
2.2 The screening may be done by District 196, another Minnesota school district or a public or private health care provider or organization.
3. District Screening
3.1 Parents or guardians who wish to have their children screened by District 196 will be asked to complete District Procedure 501.3.2P, Parental Consent – Early Childhood Health and Developmental Screening (ECS) and District Procedure 501.3.2.1P, Child History Questionnaire. District Procedure 501.3.3P, Early Childhood Screening Summary will be completed by staff for each child screened. Parents or guardians will receive another copy of district procedure 501.3.2.4P, Notice to Parent or Guardian at their child’s screening appointment.
3.2 Children screened by the district who are found to have significant health or developmental concerns will be referred to suitable agencies inside or outside the district for appropriate follow-up (District Procedure 501.3.2P, Parental Consent – Early Childhood Health and Developmental Screening [ECS]).
4. Screening By Another School District or a Health Care Provider or Organization Other Than District 196 – If a child is screened by another school district or a health care provider or organization other than District 196, the child’s parent or guardian must submit District Procedure 501.3.4P, Early Childhood Physician’s Summary or a comparable summary form from another Minnesota school district or a public or private health provider or organization to the child’s school within 30 days of the child’s enrollment in school.
5. Exclusion from School
5.1 The district’s early childhood screening staff will verify for elementary schools whether each new kindergarten and first grade student has been screened and, for those who have been screened, whether the child was referred to other agencies.
5.2 School staff will attempt to contact the parents or guardians of each child who has not been screened to encourage them to complete screening. If the parents or guardians do not respond the principal will send a letter to the parents or guardians of each child who has not been screened (District Procedures 501.3.5P, Early Childhood Screening Warning Letter to Parents and 501.3.2.3P, Translation for Early Childhood Screening and 501.3.2.4P, Notice to Parent or Guardian).
5.3 If no proof of screening or statement of the conscientiously held beliefs of the child’s parent or guardian (District Procedure 501.3P, Conscientious Objection to Early Childhood Screening) is received within 30 days of the child’s first day in kindergarten or first grade, the principal will contact the District Office to begin the process to exclude the child from school.
References:
- Minnesota Statute 121A.16, Early childhood health and development screening; purpose
- Minnesota Statute 121A.17, School board responsibilities
- Minnesota Statute 121A.18, Data use
- Minnesota Statute 121A.19, Developmental screening aid