Health in School
Children and teens spend a good deal of time in school and it’s important to ensure they’re healthy enough to learn. Law and policy can support strategies and programs that provide kids with a safe environment and nutritious meals, as well as nursing and other health services, including dental care, that are essential in promoting health in school. For vulnerable and underserved children, schools can present significant opportunities for improving health.

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Resources

Legal Issues in School Health: Scope of Practice, Standardized Data, and Special Topics

Michigan School Districts’ Legal Authority and Responsibility to Protect Students from COVID-19

Back-to-School Legal Trends and Challenges Relating to COVID-19

Back to School: Overview of Legal Challenges to Mask and Vaccine Requirements

COVID-19 Vaccination: State Minor Consent Requirements

Law and Policy Pathways to Addressing Rising Youth Suicide Rates

Key Federal Programs to Address Student Food Insecurity When School is out of Session

Policy Surveillance: Preschool Social and Emotional Learning

State Laws Addressing Concussions in Youth Sports

Making Sure Kids are Healthy Enough to Learn: Innovations in Education Law and Policy

Addressing the School Breakfast Gap: State Interventions

Survey of Laws Addressing the School Breakfast Gap

Policy Frameworks Supporting School-Based Dental Sealant Programs

Health and Attendance – The Critical Role of School Nurses in Reducing Chronic Absence

Implementing Law and Policy to Support Literacy and Reading Proficiency

Exemptions from School Immunization Requirements

Health Related Provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act
Spotlight

State Laws Banning Transgender Students’ Participation in Sports Harm Health and Wellbeing

Do Not Fear Critical Race Theory (Or Why Public Health Must Embrace Dissent, Diversity, and Discourse)

As Children Transition to In-Person Learning, USDA Announces Important Measures to Ensure Food Security and Safety of Students
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A Closer Look at Health in School
Children can’t learn when they’re hungry or sick, or absent from school. Ensuring kids are healthy enough—physically and emotionally—to learn is as important as the education they receive. Breakfast and lunch programs help kids get nutritious meals throughout the day. School immunization requirements ensure kids are safe from infectious diseases. School nurses provide timely health care to kids when they need it.
Children and teens spend more time in school than anywhere else except home, so schools present significant opportunities for improving health, particularly for vulnerable and low-income kids. Conditions and habits that affect health behaviors and decisions across the lifespan begin in early childhood education and continue into high school and beyond.
Law and policy can support strategies and programs that are essential to advancing health in school, including:
- Providing nutritious meals.
- Preventive dental care.
- Immunizations.
- Expanded health services through school nurses.
- Identifying mental and behavioral health needs.
- Addressing concussions in youth sports.
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