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School Health

School Health

  •  407-858-1438
  •  

    Fax

    407-858-6135
  •  

    Mailing Address

    6101 Lake Ellenor Drive 

    Orlando, FL 32809 

     

In cooperation with the Florida Department of Education, the School Health Services Program provides the services as described in "The School Health Services Act (PDF 248KB)" in Florida statute sections §381.0056, §381.0057, and §402.3026, which enables County Health Departments to ensure compliance with State and Federal laws and mandates applicable to school health services for school age students.

In Orange County there is a partnership between the Florida Department of Health, Orange County Public Schools, the Florida Department of Education, and the Neighborhood Center for Families to minimize health barriers for school age students from Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. It is a component of the public health system that provides Basic, Comprehensive and Full health services to public school students. 

All 67 counties in Florida provide “Basic” school health services, including:

  • Preventative screenings and services
  • Health nursing assessments
  • First aid and emergency health services
  • Dental, Vision, Hearing, Scoliosis, Growth and Development screenings, referrals and follow up for required grades
  • Communicable disease prevention and intervention
  • Health counseling, referral, and follow-up of suspected or confirmed health problems
  • Individualized health care plan development, in-school care management for chronic and acute health conditions
  • Assistance with medication administration
  • Health care procedures for students with chronic or acute health conditions

In addition to provision of all Basic School Health services, some schools in Orange County also provide “Comprehensive” School Health Services as part of their commitment to the community, focusing on increased preventive services as described in the Florida statute, section §381.0057.

The goals outlined in the statute are to:

  • Promote learning and improved self-health care management
  • Connect students with professionals who provide interventions and health classes
  • Reduce high-risk behaviors and their consequences through support services, and referrals for:
    • Social and mental health
    • Substance abuse
    • Unintentional/ intentional injuries
    • Sexually transmitted infections
  • Provide pregnancy prevention classes and interventions and supporting student mothers so they can return to school after giving birth.

Moreover, there are some schools under the Florida Statute section §402.3026 that will also provide “Full-Service,” in addition to the basic school-based health services, this specialized schools will provide social services such as:  

  • Nutritional services
  • Economic and job placement services
  • Parenting classes
  • Counseling for abused children
  • Mental health and substance abuse counseling
  • Adult education for parents

The goal of School Health services is to ensure that students are healthy, in school, and ready to learn. Services are provided in accordance with a local School Health Services Plan jointly developed by the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, School Board of Orange County, and the School Health and Wellness Advisory Committee (SHWAC). 

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENT

To enroll a student in a Florida school you must provide the following documents:  

  1. Evidence of a medical exam completed within 12 months prior to the child’s school entry date. As long as the medical exam meet this time frame requirement, parents may submit that physical examination form on the School Entry Health Exam - DH3040 Form (PDF 63KB) or provide a copy of the exam obtained from their current physician before moving to Florida. Parents should obtain a copy of their child’s medical history/medical exam before leaving their current state of residency. 
  2. Prior to entry, attendance or transfer to preschools, school (public/private k-12), licensed childcare facilities, and family daycare homes, each child shall have on file a Florida Certification of Immunization, DH 680 form.
    • An electronic DH 680 Form may be issued by healthcare practitioners participating in the Florida State Health Online Tracking System (Florida SHOTS), the statewide immunization registry. When available throughout Florida SHOTS, a DH 680 Form may be electronically certified in lieu of provider signature for access by any Florida SHOTS authorized participant. 
    • Students that participate in any public or private school campus-based activities are required to have age-appropriate vaccines with he proper documentation on files at the school.
    • Students enrolled in the Florida Virtual School must have a completed DH 680 Form on file at the primary school or as designated by the Florida Virtual School Program
    • Parents should obtain a copy of their child’s complete immunization history before leaving their current state of residency when moving into Florida, as this form are not available to the general public.
  1. Official documentation that the parent(s) or guardian(s) is legal resident(s) of the school district.
  2. Proof of age. Passport or Birth Certificate are acceptable documentation.

RESOURCES:

MEDICAL EXAMINATION

  1. School Entry Health Exam - DH3040 Form (PDF 63KB)
  2. PROVIDERS LIST FOR SCHOOL ENTRY PHYSICAL 2023 (PDF 204 KB)

IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

IMMUNIZATION SERVICES
  • Contact your child’s Primary Care Physician
  • Providers that have agreed to be a medical home where children can be seen for all their medical needs including school physicals, sport physicals and immunizations. PROVIDERS LIST (PDF 204 KB)
  • New in Orange County or have a Florida Shot DH 680 Form:
  • TEEN Xpress: For students ages 11 years to 18 year old.  

FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS:

FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS:

  1. Florida SHOTS
  2. Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)
  3. Providing Records to Patients
  4. Vaccine Storage
  5. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

ANNOUNCEMENTS