The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Spinal Screening Program is authorized by the Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 37. The Texas Legislature established a program to detect abnormal spinal curvature in students and requires that the program adopt the rules as mandated by the statute. The rules include spinal screening by school nurses and other trained adults, which must be conducted in accordance with the most recent, nationally accepted, and peer-reviewed standards for spinal screening. The rules are in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Health Services, Chapter 37, Maternal and Infant Health Services, Subchapter G, Spinal Screening Program. 

Chapter 37 of the Texas Health and Safety Code also requires DSHS to cooperate with the Texas Education Agency in establishing the spinal screening program and adopting the program rules.

Grade-based screening is considered an acceptable alternative to age-based screening in a school setting.  The grades, however, must align with the professionally recommended ages so that most children are screened at the appropriate age, or as close to it as reasonably possible. View the vision, hearing, and spinal screening requirements flyer. [PDF 584KB]

In compliance with the Health and Safety Code, Chapter 37, all children shall undergo screening for abnormal spinal curvature per the following schedule:

• Girls will be screened two times, once at age 10 (or fall semester of grade 5) and again at age 12 (or fall semester of grade 7).
• Boys will be screened one time at age 13 or 14 (or the fall semester of grade 8).

Schools must identify outliers (i.e., children promoted to higher grades or held back) and ensure their screenings align with appropriate ages rather than grades.