Hearing & Vision Screening for Children

Act No. 399 - Public Acts of 1996
Approved by the Governor
October 10, 1996
Filed with the Secretary of State October 11, 1996
Introduced by Rep. Bryant
Enrolled House Bill No. 5094

An Act to amend section 1177 of Act No. 451 of the Public Acts of 1976, entitled as amended "An act to provide a System of public instruction and elementary and secondary schools; to revise, consolidate, and clarify the laws relating to elementary and secondary education; to provide for the organization, regulation, and maintenance of schools, school districts, public school academies, and intermediate school districts; to provide for the regulation of school teachers and certain other school employees; to provide for school elections and to prescribe powers and duties with respect thereto; to provide for the levy and collection of taxes; to provide for the borrowing of money and issuance of bonds and other evidences of indebtedness; to establish a fund and provide for expenditures from that fund; to provide for and prescribe that powers and duties of certain state departments, the state board of education, and certain other boards and officials; to provide for licensure of boarding schools; to prescribe penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts," as amended by Act No. 289 of the Public Acts of 1995, being section 380.1177 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.

Sec. 1177.
Child Immunization Requirements for School Enrollment
(1) A child enrolling in a public or nonpublic school for the first time shall submit 1 of the following: (a) A statement signed by a physician that the child has been tested for and immunized or protected against diseases specified by the director of community health (b) A statement signed by a parent or guardian to the effect that the child has not been immunized because of religious convictions or other objection to immunization. (C) A statement signed by a physician that certifies that the child is in the process of complying with all immunization requirements.

Child Vision Screening Requirements for School Enrollment

(2) In addition, the parent or guardian of each enrolling child shall submit a statement signed by a district, county, or city health department director stating that the child has been administered the department of community health preschool vision screening test, or signed by a licensed medical or osteopathic physician or a licensed optometrist stating that the child's eyes have been examined during the preschool years after age 3 and before initial entrance. A vision test is not required if there is a statement signed by a parent or guardian to the effect that the child cannot be submitted to the test because of religious convictions.

School Administration Immunization and Vision Requirements

(3) Not later than November 1 of each year, the administrator of each school shall provide the director of community health with the immunization status of each pupil in grades K through 12 who enrolled in the school for the first time between the immediately preceding January 1 and the immediately preceding September 30, as well as a vision report of each child entering kindergarten during that time period.

This information shall be transmitted through the approved local full-time health department, if available, and shall be on forms provided by the director of community health of otherwise reported in a manner approved by the director of community health. Not later than February 1 of each year, the administrator of each school shall provide an update to the report due the previous November 1 to show the immunization status of each pupil in grades K through 12 who enrolled in the school for the first time during the calendar year ending the immediately preceding December 31.

This information shall be transmitted in the same manner as the report due the previous November 1. (4) The department of community health shall promulgate rules, including rules identifying the diseases specified under subsection (1)(a), for the implementation of this section.