Healthcare in School – Information and Resources

State Laws on School Nursing Responsibilities

Child Trends, in partnership with EMT Associates, analyzed the landscape of state statutes and regulations as of October 2021 to better understand how state laws and policies define the role of school nurses. This 2022 brief presents their findings.

Knowing your state’s school nurse policies is important to practitioners, Parent Centers, families, and education administrators and staff alike. The brief details state policies on such matters as whether districts must employ school nurses, what qualifications are required, and nurses’ role in individual aspects of the work.

Additionally, the brief provides current data on state policies for a school nurse’s role in: managing chronic conditions; administering medication; developing and managing student health plans; student immunizations; and infectious disease control. Read CPIR’s abstract and access the brief here.

Safe Schools Checklist

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Return to School Roadmap | Child Find under Part B of IDEA

This Q&A document (OSEP QA 21-05) on Child Find under Part B of IDEA reaffirms the importance of appropriate implementation of IDEA’s child find obligations, which requires the identification, location and evaluation, of all children with disabilities in the states.

Steps for Determining Close Contact and Quarantine in K–12 Schools

What’s considered a “close contact” for children and adults with respect to exposure to COVID-19? Presented in infographic form and available as a 1-pager, this late December 2021 guide from the CDC updates its isolation and quarantine recommendations for K-12 schools.

Return to School Roadmap: Child Find, Referral, and Eligibility

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Provision of Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and their Families

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education has released yet another guidance in its Return to School Roadmap series–this one is called Provision of Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and their Families under Part C of IDEA. The 11-page document focuses on the development and implementation of Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP), the written plan for providing early intervention services to an infant or toddler with a disability and the child’s family. The questions and answers addressed are intended to provide guidance and to identify the relevant requirements and options for flexibility for the State lead agencies (LA) and EIS providers when faced with unprecedented programmatic circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about this Q&A, see a list of the questions addressed, and connect with this and other guidances in OSERS’ Return to School roadmap series here, at CPIR.

Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health

This release from the U.S. Department of Education joins the many recent products from ED to support how schools and communities support and see to the well-being of children. “Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health” provides information and resources to enhance the promotion of mental health and the social and emotional well-being among children and students. This resource highlights 7 key challenges to providing school- or program-based mental health support across early childhood, K–12 schools, and higher education settings, and presents 7 corresponding recommendations. This resource includes many real-world examples of how the recommendations are being put into action by schools, communities, and states across the country.

Read more about the challenges discussed and the recommendations explored, and access the publication here.

Return to School Roadmap: Development and Implementation of IEPs in the Least Restrictive Environment

Adding to its Return to School Roadmap series, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education issues this Q&A document, which highlights certain IDEA requirements related to the development and implementation of IEPs and other information that states, school systems, regular and special education teachers, related services providers, and parents should consider as students with disabilities return to school in Fall 2021.

The 41-page document is the Department’s response to the requests it received from a diverse group of stakeholders, asking that the Department issue new guidance interpreting requirements of the IDEA in light of the many challenges of the COVID‑19 pandemic and as more schools and programs are returning to in-person services. Read more about the Q&A, see its Table of Contents, and access it (and other documents in the Roadmap series) in our abstract of this Featured Resource.

10 Simple Socially Distanced Seating Arrangements for Classrooms

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How to Prioritize the Health and Safety of Students, School Personnel, and Families

“How to Prioritize the Health and Safety of Students, School Personnel, and Families“ is one of the first pages to be launched in the “Return to School Roadmap” series being produced by the U.S. Department of Education. The series itself is a work in progress, beginning with three landmark principles focused on tools and strategies that schools, districts, and communities can use to ensure that all students are set up for success in the 2021-2022 school year. The Department anticipates steadily releasing additional resources as part of the series in the coming weeks and months.

Immediately available are: (1) a fact sheet that lays out the three principles and provides examples of schools and communities that are addressing each in effective ways; (2) a guide for schools and districts outlining what schools can do to protect the health and safety of students; (3) a checklist that parents can use to prepare themselves and their children for a safe return to in-person learning this fall. Learn more about the Return to School Roadmap and connect with all currently available resources right here.