Health Services

The primary purpose of school health services in the East Stroudsburg Area School District is to protect, promote and improve the health status of students enabling them to optimize their educational experience. To learn effectively, students must have good health.

The school health program through observation, identification, prevention, education and management of student health problems provides learning experiences for students and encourages positive attitudes toward individual and ultimately community health. Professional school health personnel develop a working relationship with families and community agencies. Working together, the school, home, and community protect, promote and improve the health of students.

Through the utilization of health education and problem solving, school health services strives to accomplish its mission of assisting students to appropriately manage their health problems and make healthy lifestyle choices. The school district's dental hygiene services program has education as its focus and provides students with dental hygiene services and dental health education.

A comprehensive health record is kept for each student in the School district. All school district students are weighed, measured and vision screened annually. Hearing testing is done annually for students in kindergarten through grade 3, grade 7, grade 11, for all students with known hearing losses, and all students new to Pennsylvania schools. Students in grades 6 and 7 are mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to be examined for scoliosis. Information regarding scoliosis screening will be sent to parents/guardians via the nurse's office.

The state of Pennsylvania requires that each child have a physical examination: (1) upon original entry into school in the Commonwealth; (2) while in sixth grade; and (3) while in eleventh grade. Parents/Guardians who choose to have their children examined in school by the school physician will be notified of the time and date of the examination. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to be present during the examination. Parent/Guardian notification of these physical examinations will be mailed to the home.

Students are also required to have on file a report of dental exams upon original entry (kindergarten/first grade/transfer), third grade and seventh grade when their records do not contain adequate dental reports. Students are encouraged to provide reports of private dental exams, which must be reported to the school. East Stroudsburg Area School District offers the services of a school dental hygienist, with signed parental permission, to provide a dental screening and prepare the required report. Dental screenings will be conducted throughout the school year as the dental hygienist moves from school to school. Parents/Guardians will be informed by memo when the dental hygiene services program begins in their child's school.

Any child of school age may furnish school officials with a medical report of an examination at his/her expense by his/her family physician. Examinations shall be submitted before the date of regularly scheduled school examinations. School districts are allowed to accept reports of private physical and dental exams completed within one year prior to a student's entry into the grade where an exam is required. School Board policy states that students who fail to complete and/or submit acceptable evidence of required medical examinations within the appropriate time period will not be admitted to school the following school year unless and until acceptable proof of compliance is received.

Parents/Guardians will be contacted if a referral to a physician is needed after school screenings. If a parent/guardian informs school officials of financial inability to have a physician render treatment or care, school officials will advise the parent/guardian of the possible availability of public assistance.

Students who participate in the school district's athletic programs are required by PIAA regulations to have a physical examination before participation. For fall sports, the physical exam must be done after June 1. For winter and spring sports, the physical exam must be done no more than six (6) weeks prior to the beginning of each season's practice. School athletic physical exam dates are announced through the athletic office. In lieu of a school examination, students may submit an athletic physical exam form and a PIAA card completed by their family physician. This information must be submitted to the school before a student-athlete is allowed to practice.