Bill > HB1078

This bill modifies Pennsylvania's Public School Code to enhance vision screening and eye health examination requirements for school-aged children. The bill expands the types of healthcare professionals who can perform vision screenings and eye health examinations to include both ophthalmologists and optometrists, and mandates annual vision screenings. It introduces new requirements for comprehensive eye health examinations at specific stages of a child's education, including upon school admission, in fourth and eighth grades, and during certain educational evaluations such as for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Parents or guardians must now provide evidence of these eye health examinations, which must include a detailed evaluation of vision history, external and internal eye examination, vision acuity assessment, and other vision-related tests. Schools are not required to financially cover these examinations, but parents can now submit eye health examination reports from family physicians, ophthalmologists, or optometrists in lieu of school-conducted screenings. The bill also allows school districts to create their own approved eye health examination programs, potentially exempting them from the new mandatory examination requirements. These changes aim to improve early detection of vision issues and ensure comprehensive eye health monitoring for school-aged children in Pennsylvania.

Education

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1078