Last year parents were outraged to find out that the health assessment form required for entry into Kindergarten in North Carolina schools was being expanded to students of any age or grade level entering the system.
Parents were further outraged when they realized what the form actually asked for. Overly intrusive questions beyond what the law requires were on the form.
Questions included assessing whether or not a child had normal or abnormal genitals is just one example. Other inappropriate topic areas covered included asking if your baby was “full-term” and the form also asked about “trauma”, “family stress” and about your child’s personal/social development.
Calls to legislators ensued and parents took to social media blasting the health form and legislators for apparently not having even read it.
Rep. Torbett filed HB 13 in January 2015 and it was passed by the House in March of the same year. After a series of changes and conference committees, by August 2015, both houses of the legislature had voted to pass the bill. HB 13 was signed by Governor McCrory on August 18th, 2015. A full timeline of this bill and the health form as documented by this site are at the bottom of the article.
Upon further inspection of the form, which was created by NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), showed a signature panel which was troubling. The text read as follows:
“Parental Consent: I agree to allow my child’s health care provider and school personnel to discuss information on this form and allow the Department of Health and Human Services to collect and analyze information from this form to better understand health needs of children in NC.
Signature: _________________ Date:_________”
In essence, by signing this section parents were allowing for DPI and DHHS to contact their child’s doctor about the form without ever notifying them.
Parents should be aware that the old form is still likely on file for any of their children who have enrolled before 2016. It is likely a good idea to request to see your child’s permanent record on file at their school in order to see if they signed this section of the form.
Well, this intrusive health form was quietly changed in January of 2016. The new health assessment form is heavily scaled back and was introduced in a memo sent by DHHS to DPI in this August.
Read the Memo:
See the new Health Assessment Form:
Compare the old health assessment form with the 2016 version.
It is unclear how many districts used the new form for Kindergarten enrollment which began in most areas around February, however in enrolling my own child in Wake County schools, the old form was still in use. Currently, Wake County schools Kindergarten enrollment packet now has the revised form included.
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