If you choose not to screen in the Fall semester (by end of December), you will need to screen your students at the required age.

Yes. With the new age requirements, the child will need to be screened at the appropriate age or during the fall semester of the appropriate grade level.

 

Yes. Your district has 2 options:
    • Screen by age or 
    • Screen by specified grade level in the fall.

 

Yes. 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).  The extra option of the fall semesters of grades 5 and 7 for girls (and fall of grade 8 for boys) has been added to provide more flexibility for a school-based setting while still closely following the professionally-recommended ages, understanding that some students will not be the exact age at that time during the school year.  Remember, however, that any students who fall significantly outside the recommended ages due to grade level promotion or retention should be screened at the appropriate age.

 

It is necessary for schools to identify outliers (i.e., students promoted to higher grades or held back) and ensure their screenings align with appropriate ages rather than grades.

 

Yes, the school or district can pick, so long as the student falls within one of the allowed categories of age or grade.  The school has the flexibility to screen boys at age 13 or 14, or in the fall of grade 8.  
 

A screening will not be required.

Schools may encourage, but they cannot require students to be screened.  

Schools can get documentation from parents that spinal screening has been performed by a professional at the appropriate age or fall semester of appropriate grade level. This may reduce the number of students who need to be screened and prevent unnecessary additional screening.

School administrators may obtain an affidavit documenting that: 
   •The spinal screening will be performed by a qualified individual outside the school. (School administrators
      should obtain further documentation that the spinal screening was performed within 60 days of receiving
      this affidavit.) or  
   •The spinal screening is being declined based on religious tenets.
 

If the student will still be the appropriate age or entering the appropriate grade level during the first 120 days of the following school year, then the screening may be postponed until that time.
 

Nursing students who meet the qualification criteria, and become certified, may help school nurses conduct spinal screenings. 

 

The reporting system will be updated to reflect reporting requirements. We are currently working to make system reporting updates and will provide updates to the schools as they develop.