Screenings | Bedford Public Schools

Vision and Hearing Screening

Vision and hearing screenings are mandated by the state of Massachusetts.

Vision screening is conducted annually in grades K-5 and hearing screening is conducted annually in grades K- 3. Vision and Hearing screening are done in one grade in middle school and one grade in high school. At JGMS, vision and hearing will done in the 7th grade. At the high school, vision and hearing is done in the 10th grade. Parents will be notified of any deviations from normal that should be checked by a physician.

Postural Screening

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires all public school systems in the Commonwealth to provide postural screening to all students in grades 5-9. These grades cover the years in which adolescents experience most rapid growth, and in which signs of curvature most often appear. If minor postural concerns are found, the student will be re-checked by the school physician every six months or as needed to detect changes. You will be notified to contact your physician if further evaluation is necessary.

Height and Weight Screening

Massachusetts schools have taken heights and weights of students each year since the 1950's. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has made amendments to improve the annual height and weight screening protocols to include the calculation of a Body Mass Index (BMI) and percentile for grades 1,4,7, and 10, beginning in the fall of 2010. Each child's height and weight will be used to calculate their BMI. The results will be kept confidential in each student's school health record.

BMI is a "weight for height for age" index that can be a useful tool in early identification of possible health risk factors among children and youth. Please feel free to contact your school nurse with any questions you may have about the BMI screening. Additional information about children's wellness and fitness is available upon request or you may access the state's resources at http://www.mass.gov/massinmotion/