School Health
Why School Health Matters
United States Surgeon General, Dr. Joycelyn Elders said it best, "...we can't educate children who are not healthy, and we cannot keep them healthy if they are not educated. There has to be a marriage between health and education."
The education, public health, and school health sectors have each called for greater alignment that includes, integration and collaboration between education leaders and health sectors to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. Public health and education serve the same children, often in the same settings. Healthy students are better learners and academic achievement bears a lifetime of benefits for health. (CDC Healthy Schools) School health has a unique access to most Minnesota children, adolescents, and families.
School health services are essential and incredibly valuable to advance both health and educational equity for all Minnesota's students. When students have access to school health services provided by school nurses and school-based clinic providers that meet physical and mental health needs, students can be present in school and learn. Research consistently supports that academic and attendance measures are improved when health needs are met.
Health services connect school staff, students, families, community, and healthcare providers to promote the health care of students and a healthy and safe school environment. School health services actively collaborate with school and community support services to increase the ability of students and families to adapt to health and social stressors, such as chronic health conditions or social and economic barriers to health, and to be able to manage these stressors and advocate for their own health and learning needs.
The vision of Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is for health equity in Minnesota, where all communities are thriving, and all people have what they need to be healthy. The information and resources on this website and the provision of statewide School Health Consultants, provide collaborative public health leadership in school health services working towards the vision.
Health Conditions
Care management, planning, and delivery for common chronic conditions.
Health Office Operations
Key components to help inform and perform day to day student health services such as acute illness and injury care, student health records, documentation, data privacy, infection control, emergency preparedness, environmental health, and mandated reporting.
Health Screening
Best practices and recommendations for oral health, vision, hearing, and other common screening programs i.e., Early Childhood Screening.
Immunizations and Communicable Diseases
Required immunizations for school, annual immunization reporting, communicable disease, and reporting.
Medications in Schools
Standards, laws, guidelines for best practices in medication administration. Naloxone, medical cannabis, over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
Nursing Practice in Schools
Standards for professional school nursing, nursing delegation, nursing licensure, and tools for new school nurses and training others.
School Health Data and Reports
Important health services information /data collection in the health office, NASN Every Student Counts, MN Student Survey, MN Data Strategy Plan, School Nurse Workforce Technical Report, and other data resources.
School Health Services
Overview of frameworks, assessments and structures for health services, financing, nursing staffing models, laws, rules, and regulations, and addressing health equity.
A-Z Topic Index
Listing of topics in order from A - Z