Health Services & School Nursing

Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Information to assist schools in monitoring the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Asthma Management Guidelines
For information regarding asthma management guidelines.
Asthma is a leading cause of school absenteeism. The California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) guidelines and "Asthma Action Plan for Schools and Families" assist schools in effectively managing this chronic disease.

Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Hands-Only CPR Can Save Lives. Too often people who experience cardiac arrest at home, work or in a public location die because they didn't’t receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene. As a bystander, you’re encouraged to not be afraid. Your actions can truly make the difference.

Also, when you or someone else on the scene calls 911, you will be asked for your location. Make every effort to be specific, especially if you’re calling from a mobile phone, which is not associated with a fixed address. Remember, answering the dispatcher’s questions in detail will not delay the arrival of help.

Commencing with the 2018–19 school year, Assembly Bill (AB) 1719 requires school districts and charter schools that have a health course graduation requirement for high school to provide instruction on performing compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This law does not apply to school districts or charters that do not have a health course requirement. CPR is an important lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped.

The selected instructional program must be based on national evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for the performance of compression-only CPR. The American Red Cross is an example of an organization that provides these guidelines. Please use the link above for more inform at on on Hands-Only CPR and copies of letters disseminated to families, teachers, and Superintendents. These letters provide more details about the requirements and training considerations for school districts.

AB 1719 also encourages school districts and charter schools to provide general information on the use and importance of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to their pupils. Finally, AB 1719 further states that any individual or organization that supports or supervises the instruction of pupils, in compression only CPR or the use of an AED pursuant to the bill, shall not be liable for any civil damages providing there is no gross negligence or intentional misconduct. This protection allows for effective learning and teaching without the fear of liability.

Hands-Only, or compression-only, CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It is an easy-to-learn method of CPR that has been proven to be equally as effective as conventional CPR and less intimidating for bystanders to perform in an emergency. Information about requirements, guidelines, and training for school districts has been provided.

Diabetes Management
Information to assist schools in effectively managing diabetes, one of the most common chronic diseases in school-aged children.

Emergency First Aid Guidelines for California Schools Manual (PDF)
Provides recommended guidelines, procedures, and first aid measures for response to medical problems when advanced medically trained personnel are not available on a school site, as well as serving as a guideline for licensed health care personnel.

The Eric Paredes Sudden Cardiac Act (AB 1639)
The Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation has a vision that sudden cardiac arrest will be exposed as a grave and overlooked health risk affecting young people, which will lead to mandatory cardiac screenings and the required placement of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) in schools and youth centers. AB 1639 enacts the Eric Paredes Sudden Cardiac Arrest Act.  The Act applies to public schools, including charter schools, and private schools that elect to conduct athletic activities.  Athletic activities are defined as interscholastic athletics, an athletic contest or competition that is sponsored by the school, including cheer leading sponsored by the school, and practices, interscholastic practices, and scrimmages for all activities listed above.  The Act does not apply to athletic activities conducted during the regular school day or as part of a physical education course.  Information sheets, including symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest, guidelines for coaches and teachers, videos, resources, and links to athletic forms have been provided.  School districts and schools are encouraged to post such information on their own websites.

Extreme Heat and Air Quality Policy (PDF)
California Interscholastic Federation’s heat policy, published July 1, 2024.

Eye Examinations Model Opt-Out Form (Education Code 49455.5) (PDF)
Pursuant to Education Code Section 49455.5, this model opt-out form is intended for schools who have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with a nonprofit eye examination provider to provide free eye examinations to their pupils. These eye examinations are supplemental to, and do not replace, the vision screenings required by Education Code Section 49455.

Flu Prevention
Information for controlling the outbreak of the flu in schools, including information on pandemic influenza.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Prevention
Available Translations of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Prevention
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Prevention offers information to parents and guardians about the prevention and treatment of this viral illness that mainly affects infants and young children.

Head Lice Prevention and Control
Information and guidelines on head lice prevention and control for school districts and child care facilities.

Immunization Requirements
Information on immunization requirements for school districts and child care facilities.

Local Educational Agency (LEA) Medi-Cal Billing Program

• LEA Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program
  The Local Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program (LEA BOP) is authorized in the California ’s Medicaid State Plan, which is a contractual agreement between the State of California and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The State Plan contains all information necessary for CMS to determine if the State can receive Federal Financial Participation {FFP) for its Medicaid program (Medi-Cal in California).
• LEA Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program Overview (PDF)
  The Local Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program (LEA BOP) was established in 1993, in collaboration with the California Department of Education (CDE), to fund Health Start Programs. It is authorized under California's Welfare and Institutions Code section 14132.06, and reimbursement is based upon a "fee-for-service" model.
• LEA Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program (PDF)
  Overview of the Local Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program

LEA Medi-Cal Billing Option Program Frequently Asked Questions
The California Department of Health Care Services (CDHCS) provides information for local educational agency (LEA) Medi-Cal Billing Option Providers on many issues related to the Billing Option including advising LEAs that they may not bill for state-mandated vision and hearing assessment.

California School-Based Billing Professional Learning Network Opportunity for LEAs
The Youth Health and Wellness Department of the Santa Clara County Office of Education is excited to invite LEAs across the state to participate in the California School-Based Billing Professional Learning Network. This PLN is an opportunity for LEAs to learn about the LEA Billing Option Program (LEA BOP), School-Based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities, Managed Care Plan billing, and other school billing models that may generate revenues to sustain and expand school-based health and behavioral health programs. These sessions are designed for School-Based Billing Coordinators and other LEA staff involved or interested in School-Based Billing.

Registration link: https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=761736&
Flier link: 23-24 California PLN Flier

Medication Administration
Information relating to medication administration in California schools, including checklists and training standards for the administration of epinephrine to students and adults, as well as frequently asked questions about the emergency anti-seizure medication law.

A Parent's Guide to MRSA in California (English) (PDF)
Available Translations of A Parent’s Guide to MRSA in California
A Parent's Guide to MRSA in California: What You Need to Know includes information for parents regarding Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Oral Health

• Oral Health Assessment
  Information related to California Education Code Section 49452.8, which requires public school students to have an oral health assessment no later than May 31 of their first year of school enrollment.
• Mobile Dental Clinics
  Information and guidance on mobile dental facilities for school administrators when entering into contracts with private dental vendors.

Scoliosis Screening in California Public Schools (PDF)
This publication provides districts and school health services personnel with guidelines to facilitate the planning and implementation of the state mandated scoliosis screening program for female students in grade seven and male students in grade eight.

Skin Cancer Prevention
Exposure to the sun is not without risk. The CDPH's Skin Cancer Prevention Program has age-appropriate information and other colorful resources to help schools and others educate people of all ages about sun safety.

Vision & Hearing Testing

• A Guide for Vision Testing in California Public Schools (PDF; 3MB)
  This publication provides district and school health personnel with guidelines for a school vision testing program and the laws and regulations that govern it. The guidelines facilitate the planning and implementation of vision assessment programs so that all students in California public schools may benefit from optimal use of their sense of sight throughout their school years.
• Report of School Vision Test (English) (DOC)
  Available Translations of the Report of School Vision Test
  The Report of School Vision Test is used for reporting results of vision testing to parents and guardians and for obtaining recommendations from the professional examiner.
• Color Vision Test Results Letter (English) (DOC)
  Available Translations of the Color Vision Test Results Letter
  The Color Vision Test Results letter is used to inform parents and guardians of color vision testing results and for obtaining recommendations from a professional examiner.
• School Audiometrist Manual (PDF; 1MB)
  This manual from the CDHCS provides information concerning the school hearing conservation program. The manual is intended for persons who have had formal training in audiometry and is not intended as a substitute for that training