The school nurse is an integral part of the special education team and should be involved in the pre-referral process in order to determine if there may be a health need that is impacting learning or is educationally significant.
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► Collects and provides health-related information for the IEP team
► Professionally interprets and synthesizes health-related information in order to determine
► how the health condition impacts learning and the school environment
► the student's need for nursing services during the school day
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The school nurse uses a health interview style tool to gather. the information needed for special education evaluations. This tool is called the Health and Physical Assessment. This is a necessary component of evaluations for students who have health conditions (physical or mental) that require school nursing.
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Such as:
► Individual or Emergency Care Plans
► Direct services: Medications, treatments, hearing monitoring
► Indirect Services: Medication management, care coordination, chronic condition management |
Also recommended when
► Little or no information is known of the student's condition
► If the student has a complex health history
► If the student has a physical or mental health condition and additional information is needed in order to understand how the condition impacts learning or participation in school
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► The Health and Physical Assessment is mandatory for eligibility under the Physically Impaired (PI) category (MN Rule 3525).
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It is also highly recommended when documentation of a health condition by a health care provider is required when determining eligibility, such as for Other Health Disabilities (OHD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
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► In Minnesota, the Health and Physical Assessment tool must be completed by a Licensed School Nurse (LSN) or Public Health Nursing (PHN), and should meet current professional standards.
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| RESOURCES |
Health and Physical Assessment
School Nurse Organization of Minnesota (SNOM)
PPT. School Nurse's Role in Special Education & Third Party Billing
Example of School Nurse Sections in the Evaluation Report |
