SN Screenings
School Nursing
Screenings
School screenings serve as a secondary prevention measure to identify students who may have conditions which affect their ability to learn. These screenings, led by school nurses, can be conducted either individually or as mass screenings, and parents should be notified in advance. A key responsibility of school nurses is to follow up on results and help families access care.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provides guidelines for school screenings under 53G-9-402 (1) (a). Each local school board shall implement policies as prescribed by the Department of Health and Human Services for vision, dental, abnormal spinal curvature, and hearing examinations for students who attend the district's schools.
A child's ability to see is crucial to their learning, and school vision screening programs provide a cost-effective way to identify serious vision problems early. It’s important to detect and address vision issues, as certain problems, if not corrected before the age of nine, can result in permanent blindness in one or both eyes.
In Utah, UCA 53G-9-404 and Rule R384-201 require all public schools to conduct vision screenings for students in pre-K, kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th or 8th, and 9th or 10th grades. Schools are also required to use a vision symptoms questionnaire to identify students who may need further screening.
While school vision screenings are valuable to identify potential issues, parents should understand that these screenings are not a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam by an eye care professional.
Additionally, all districts and charter schools must report their vision screening data annually to the Department of Health and Human Services. This data should also be included in the School health workload report, which is required from all districts and charter schools each year.
Policy
Utah school vision screening policy New 7/2026
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The updated policy provides clearer guidance on:
- The role of the designated vision point person (to include school nurse)
- Required tier one vision screening and materials
- When tier two screening or direct referral may be needed
- When the VSQ must be completed
- Reading benchmark and special education requirements
- Parent notification and opt-out
- Referral, follow-up, documentation, and annual reporting
- Required follow-up, independent of referral
- Screening students with special needs
- Approved outside entities and instrument-based screening
The policy also includes:
- new checklists
- tracking tools
- communication templates
- family resources
- optional guidance for school-based vision clinics and follow-up events.
Training- New training NOW AVAILABLE
- Referral- Vision referral to eye care professional 2026 (pdf) New 7/2026
- Mail merge option- Need word document and excel spreadsheet
- Referral- Mail merge (Word document)- New 9/2026
- Referral- Mail merge (Excel spreadsheet)- New 9/2026
- Optional template- Parent referral following vision screening (pdf) (Word document) New 9/2026
- Mail merge option- Need word document and excel spreadsheet
- VSQ- Vision symptoms questionnaire New 7/2026
- Certificate of vision screening (English)
- Sample vision opt-out form (English)
- Vision screening tracking template- tier 1, tier 2, referrals (google sheet) excel spreadsheet
Spanish translations can be found in the "Spanish vision" dropdown below
Training- New 2026 training AVAILABLE
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- School vision screening course- New 8/2026 Enroll in the course from USBE course catalog.
- Training is for the DVPP, volunteers, and outside entities
- New nurse orientation- screenings presentation New 8/2026
- Distance vision screening video (for quick reference) not to replace the training course. New 8/2026
- Tier-two screening videos can be found in the "Tier-two screenings" dropdown below
- School vision screening course- New 8/2026 Enroll in the course from USBE course catalog.
*Tier-two screenings should only be done by healthcare professionals
Near vision screening
This video demonstrates how to complete near vision screening as part of a Tier 2 vision screening in Utah schools. Learn how to maintain the correct 16-inch distance, select the correct line for the student’s age, and determine when a referral to an eye care professional is needed.
Convergence screening
This video demonstrates near point convergence screening, which checks how well a student’s eyes work together when looking at a close object. Convergence screening is a Tier 2 vision screening and should only be completed by a qualified Tier 2 screener, including a school nurse or other health care professional who has completed the required training.
Eye tracking screening
This video demonstrates how to screen a student’s eye tracking skills using saccades and smooth pursuits. Eye tracking screening is a Tier 2 vision screening and should only be completed by a qualified Tier 2 screener, including a school nurse or other health care professional who has completed the required training.
- Template- Parent notification before a vision screening
- Template- Parent referral following vision screening (pdf) (Word document)
- Template- Administrator notification about the Vision Symptoms Questionnaire (VSQ)
- Optional planning guidance - school based vision clinics
- Comprehensive checklist for planning a tier one vision screening
Checklist
Resources
- Utah school vision screening policy New 8/2026
- Utah vision care resources New 8/2026
- Distance guide- 10 foot marker New 8/2026
- Special education vision workflow New 10/2026
Screening skills:
Materials in this section need updated based on new guidelines, materials will follow in late fall 2026.
- Screening skills: Distance vision (needs updated)
- Screening skills: Near vision
- Screening skills: Students with special needs
- Screening skills: Color screening (for school nurse only, Lay staff should not attempt)
- Screening skills: Eye tracking (for school nurse only, Lay staff should not attempt)
- Screening skills: Near point convergence (for school nurse only, Lay staff should not attempt)
Approved Screening Materials
Distance Visual Acuity Charts
Charts must be 10-foot, proportionally spaced charts with a 20/32 line (no 20/30 line)
- Sloan Letters: For students who know letters in random order
- LEA Symbols: For students who do not yet know letters in random order
- HOTV: For students who do not yet know letters in random order
Near Visual Acuity Charts
Near charts must be used at 16 inches, with the attached string held taut to the student's temple to maintain the correct testing distance.
- Sloan Letters: For students who know letters in random order
- LEA Symbols: For students who do not yet know letters in random order
Approved Occluders
- Adhesive eye patches
- Hypoallergenic surgical tape, approximately 2 inches wide
- Occluder glasses
- Mardi Gras mask occluders
- Lollipop occluders
Approved Instrument-Based Screening Devices
- Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener
- Plusoptix S12C, S12R, or S16, without the visual acuity add-on
- GoCheck Kids, without the visual acuity feature, for children ages 3 through 5
- Righton Retinomax
Approved tier 1 screening outside entities:
- Friends for sight
Spanish forms
Cuestionario de Síntomas Visuales
- Vision symptoms questionnaire (Spanish) New 08/2026
Formulario de remisión para examen de la vista
- Vision referral to eye care professional(pdf)- includes parent letter template New 08/2026
- Vision referral form (Word docx) - includes parent letter template New 08/2026
Hearing screenings may be conducted by a school nurse or school audiologist. Check with your LEA/charter school policy on health screenings.
Hearing screenings in Utah schools are conducted to identify students who may be deaf or hard of hearing. This screening is required by law (Utah Code 53G-9-402) and applies to students in grades K-3, 7, and 11, as well as new entrants and students in special education programs. Early identification of hearing loss is crucial as it impacts language development, academic achievement, and social-emotional growth
Contact [email protected] if you have questions.
Resources
The school nurse may contact a local dentist to conduct oral health screenings, apply sealants, and provide restorative care. Several oral health in school programs have been approved through the DHHS Oral Health Program. Dental health education is also important and can be done by the school nurse, a dental hygienist, or students in a dental hygiene program. February is National Dental Health month.
For information on in school programs and resources contact the DHHS Oral Health Program at (801) 273-2995
Oral health training for school nurses webinar slides- Oct 8, 2025 webinar can be viewed in the School nurse trainings canvas course to receive NCPD credit.
- Dental resource guide- DHHS
- AAP oral health risk assessment tool
- Head Start-early childhood learning and knowledge center—oral health
- School nurse oral health screening pocket guide Ohio Dept. of Health
- Smiles for Life: A national oral health curriculum: child oral health
Oral health videos:
- Healthy Habit All Stars: How to Brush
- Healthy Habit All Stars: How to Floss
- Healthy Habit All Stars: How to Prevent Cavities
School oral health educational materials
The DHHS HEAL Program works with school nurses, districts, and local health departments to conduct a bi-annual height and weight measurement project. This initiative allows the DHHS to monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity among elementary students across Utah. Data collected helps track rates of overweight students by grade and sex, understand the impacts of childhood obesity, and develop prevention strategies.
The most recent study, conducted in 2018, found that 22.1% of students were at an unhealthy weight, and 10.6% were classified as obese. This study has not been conducted in recent years.
Recent studies have cast controversy on the effectiveness of routine scoliosis screening in the school setting. Previous studies have both supported and discouraged routine screening. Districts have the option to perform hands-on scoliosis screening or make parent screening instructions available to all students in grades 5 through 8 grades annually. School nurses oversee the spinal curvature screening. Physical education teachers can help with the initial screening process once they are trained by a school nurse or medical professional, on the use of a scoliometer, a tool used to help determine the severity of spinal curvature.