Oklahoma § 70-1210.284 - Vision screening certification - Comprehensive eye

§ 70-1210.284. Vision screening certification - Comprehensive eye

examination - Notice.

A. 1. The parent or guardian of each student enrolled in

kindergarten at a public school in this state shall provide

certification to school personnel that the student passed a vision

screening within the previous twelve (12) months or during the

school year. Such screening shall be conducted by personnel listed

on the statewide registry as maintained by the State Department of

Health, which may include, but not be limited to, Oklahoma licensed

optometrists and ophthalmologists.

2. The parent or guardian of each student enrolled in first or

third grade at a public school in this state shall provide within

thirty (30) days of the beginning of the school year certification

to school personnel that the student passed a vision screening

within the previous twelve (12) months. Such screening shall be

conducted by personnel listed on the statewide registry as

maintained by the State Department of Health; provided, Oklahoma

licensed optometrists and ophthalmologists shall be exempt from such

standards.

3. The parent or guardian of each student who receives a vision

screening as required by this section shall receive notification

that a vision screening is not the equivalent of a comprehensive eye

exam.

B. 1. The Infant and Children’s Health Advisory Council

created in Section 1-103a.1 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes

shall make recommendations to the State Commissioner of Health on:

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

a.

2.

standards for vision screening and referral; provided,

Oklahoma licensed optometrists and ophthalmologists

shall be exempt from such standards,

b.

qualifications for initial recognition and renewal of

recognition of vision screeners,

c.

qualifications for initial recognition and renewal of

recognition of vision screener trainers,

d.

qualifications for initial recognition and renewal of

recognition of trainers of vision screener trainers;

provided, Oklahoma licensed optometrists and

ophthalmologists shall be exempt from any training

requirements, and

e.

grounds for denial, refusal, suspension or revocation

of recognition of vision screeners, vision screener

trainers and trainers of vision screener trainers.

The Department shall:

a.

establish and thereafter maintain a statewide

registry, available via the Internet, which shall

contain a list of approved vision screeners,

b.

maintain a list of approved vision screener trainers

and trainers of vision screener trainers,

c.

maintain the standards for vision screening and

referral. Such standards shall permit the use of an

electronic eye chart as a substitute for a printed eye

chart to assess relative visual acuity. As used in

this subparagraph, “electronic eye chart” means any

computerized or other electronic system, device,

automated computer program, or method of displaying on

an electronic screen medically accepted and properly

sized optotypes, which may be letters, numbers, or

symbols, that is used to assess an individual’s visual

acuity. An electronic eye chart shall meet national

standards of care and shall meet the guidelines

established by the 2016 version, or most recent

version if updated, of the Procedures for the

Evaluation of the Visual System by Pediatricians

produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and

d.

subject to availability of funds, maintain a cloudbased platform and data management system that is

compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act of 1996 and the Family Educational

Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to collect individual

student screening results from each school district,

manage and report on compliance, and act as an

analytical platform for screening outcomes. The State

Department of Education shall share vision screening

results and any other relevant information with the

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

State Department of Health for the purpose of

implementing this subparagraph. The agencies shall

enter into an interagency agreement for the sharing of

information as provided by this subparagraph.

3. After notice and hearing, the State Department of Health may

deny, refuse, suspend or revoke approval to an applicant who has a

history of:

a.

noncompliance or incomplete or partial compliance with

the provisions of this section or the rules adopted by

the Commissioner to implement the provisions of this

section,

b.

referring persons to a business in which the applicant

has a financial interest or a business which is owned

or operated by someone within the third degree of

consanguinity or affinity of the applicant, or

c.

conduct which demonstrates that the applicant is

providing services in a manner which does not warrant

public trust.

4. The Commissioner, giving consideration to the

recommendations of the Council, shall promulgate rules to implement

the provisions of this section.

C. 1. The parent or guardian of each student who fails the

vision screening required in subsection A of this section shall

receive a recommendation to undergo a comprehensive eye examination

performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

2. The ophthalmologist or optometrist shall forward a written

report of the results of the comprehensive eye examination to the

student’s school, parent or guardian, and primary health care

provider designated by the parent or guardian. The report shall

include, but not be limited to:

a.

date of report,

b.

name, address and date of birth of the student,

c.

name of the student’s school,

d.

type of examination,

e.

a summary of significant findings, including

diagnoses, medication used, duration of action of

medication, treatment, prognosis, whether or not a

return visit is recommended and, if so, when,

f.

recommended educational adjustments for the child, if

any, which may include: preferential seating in the

classroom, eyeglasses for full-time use in school,

eyeglasses for part-time use in school, sight-saving

eyeglasses, and any other recommendations, and

g.

name, address and signature of the examiner.

D. No student shall be prohibited from attending school for a

parent’s or guardian’s failure to furnish a report of the student’s

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

vision screening or an examiner’s failure to furnish the results of

a student’s comprehensive eye examination required by this section.

E. School districts shall notify parents or guardians of

students who enroll in kindergarten, first, or third grade for the

2007-08 school year and each year thereafter of the requirements of

this section.

F. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules for the

implementation of this section except as provided in subsection B of

this section. The State Department of Education shall issue a

report annually on the impact and effectiveness of this section.

Added by Laws 2006, c. 160, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2006. Amended by Laws

2009, c. 175, § 1, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2010, c. 2, § 88, emerg.

eff. March 3, 2010; Laws 2013, c. 135, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2013; Laws

2013, c. 229, § 79, eff. Nov. 1, 2013; Laws 2022, c. 112, § 1, eff.

Nov. 1, 2022; Laws 2024, c. 439, § 3, eff. July 1, 2024.

NOTE: Laws 2009, c. 109, § 1 repealed by Laws 2010, c. 2, § 89,

emerg. eff. March 3, 2010.