Florida’s School Health Program provides professional staff and school-based health services to ensure students are healthy, in the classroom, and ready to learn. The School Health Program is established by Florida Statutes and is a collaborative effort of the Florida Department of Health and Department of Education.
The school health nursing staff requires expertise in pediatrics, public health, and mental health. Health promotion, assessment, and referral skills are also an integral component of the role.
The school nurse conducts illness and injury assessments and intervention, provides health screenings to students and faculty, handles chronic disease management and education, creates individualized nursing plans for students with special needs or disabilities, helps develop guidelines for school policies, and serves as a liaison between school and community health care needs.
The Florida Department of Health in Duval County (DOH-Duval) in cooperation with Duval County Public Schools is responsible for ensuring that students, Pre-K through 12th grade, have access to health services that assess, protect, and promote their health.
Services
- Promotes and protects the health of students in Duval County in collaboration with parents and guardians.
- Provides basic, full service and comprehensive health services to students attending public and participating private schools in Duval County.
- Provides guidance, nursing supervision, training, and consultation for Duval County Public School staff.
- Performs vision, hearing, body mass index, and scoliosis screenings.
- Protects the safety of all students from the misuse or abuse of medications, supplies, and equipment.
- Reviews student health and immunization records.