The number of completed health screenings seriously declined in some local school districts last school year after the passage of Senate Bill 49 , but others saw little change.
This school year could be a different story though, one head school nurse says, since some districts squeezed in health screenings under the old rules before the law officially took effect at the start of 2024.
Senate Bill 49 – branded by Republican proponents as The Parents’ Bill of Rights – became law in Aug. 2023 after the North Carolina General Assembly overrode Governor Roy Cooper’s veto. The controversial law created provisions related to the kind of student information parents in North Carolina have access to, including health records, library logs and changes in a child’s pronouns or nicknames used at school.
It also required parents opt in if they want their children to receive health screenings at school, including routine hearing, vision and dental screenings. Previously, students received such screenings by default unless parents chose to opt their child out.
Public health officials have called the decrease in screenings “concerning.”
The numbers
For some Charlotte-area counties, declines were staggering. Vision screenings plummeted by over 93% across all three school districts in Catawba County — from 8,546 total screenings in the 2022-23 school year to 548 in the 2023-24 school year. Hearing screenings declined by 34% — from 491 screenings in the 2022-23 school year to 322 screenings last year.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had a decline in vision screenings of nearly 65% between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, county health department data show. The decline was steeper – 82% – when it came to dental and hearing screenings.
Gaston County Schools saw vision screenings decrease by 48%. The district does not offer hearing screenings.
Declines were smaller in other local districts. Vision screenings fell by 28% in Union County Public Schools — from 20,873 to 14,949. Hearing screenings declined by 27%, from 7,688 to 5,623. In Cabarrus County Schools, hearing screenings dipped by just 2%. The Charlotte Observer is still awaiting data on vision screenings from the district.
While Senate Bill 49 was passed last August, school districts had until Jan. 1 to comply. This allowed some districts to complete health screenings during the fall 2023 semester under the old rules.
“I can tell you (the 2022-23 and 2023-24 screening numbers) were compatible because we got them in before the Parents Bill of Rights went into effect Jan. 1,” said Karen Kerley, the Iredell-Statesville lead nurse who’s since retired. Iredell-Statesville Schools has not yet provided official totals requested by The Charlotte Observer.
Kerley says she suspects districts that did not experience drops in screenings last school year will see them when classes resume this month. That’s because Senate Bill 49 is now in full effect.
“I will be surprised if the numbers aren’t lower this year,” she told The Observer.
The Observer also requested health screening numbers from school districts in Lincoln and Rowan and counties but has not yet received them. Statewide data for the 2023-24 school year is not yet available.
Role of screenings
Local school and public health leaders have expressed concern over the drop in preventative screenings for young students, saying school screenings are often how children first learn they have an issue with vision or hearing that could affect their ability to perform in the classroom.
“We know that screenings are crucial because they not only provide a platform for early detection of potential health issues, but access to these screenings is also crucial for academic performance and learning, ” said Kimberly Scott, Mecklenburg County assistant health director.
North Carolina law requires all students entering public school to receive a health assessment from a physician or health department at least 12 months prior to starting school for the first time. After that point, further health assessments are not required.
Kids can often get preventative health screenings at their pediatrician’s office, but Scott also says she encourages families who find themselves without resources to contact their local health department for services.
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