School Health Services

School Health Services, a program of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Services, works in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to provide services to assure the health, safety and well-being of over 150,000 students enrolled in MCPS schools.

For COVID-19 Information and resources, visit: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COVID19

Every school's health room is staffed by a School Health Room Technician, and a School Community Health Nurse who is assigned to one or more schools.

School Community Health Nurses:

• Are registered nurses (RNs) and are assigned to one or more schools
• Review information provided by parents and health care providers
• Case manage and develop individual health care plans and emergency care plans when needed
• Train teachers, administrators and other school staff to support individual student health needs
• Collaborate, develop and implement health promotion and disease prevention programs to educate the school community about public health concerns such as immunizations, nutrition, fitness, chronic disease and emotional well-being
• Provide consultation on health issues related to Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and Section 504 Plans.
• Delegate to, train, and work closely with School Health Room Technicians
• Link students and families to community resources
• Conducts and/or oversees hearing and vision screenings for all Pre-K, Head Start, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 8, and students who are newly enrolled in MCPS.

School Health Room Technicians:

• Are Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Certified Medication Technicians (CMTs) and are assigned to one school
• Work under the clinical oversight of a School Community Health Nurse
• Provide first aid for students who become ill or injured at school
• Help to ensure students take medications appropriately
• Coordinate mandated health screening for students
• Support the social and emotional well-being of students

School Health Services staff provide care to students who become ill or are injured at school, respond to emergencies, monitor immunization compliance, manage communicable diseases, administer medications and treatments per health care provider’s directions, support the social and emotional well-being of students and maintain health records. School Health Services staff assist families in accessing health care services and refer families of uninsured students to the Office of Eligibility and Support Services for assistance in applying for Medical Assistance or Care for Kids, programs which provide coverage for health care services.

School Health Services staff work with public and private partners to plan and implement prevention programs to address community-wide public health issues such as childhood obesity, asthma, diabetes, oral health, health disparities in minority groups, teen pregnancy prevention, teen parenting, sexually transmitted infections and barriers to health care services.

Parents/guardians can support their child in school by:

• Providing health information about their children
• Notifying school health room staff whenever their child’s health needs change
• Providing properly labeled medication and health care providers’ order for medication to be given in school. See Health Related Forms for links to forms
• Keeping their child home when they are sick - visit When To Keep Your Child Home for more information
• Encouraging healthy nutrition, sleep, and exercise

If parents or guardians have questions about school health services at their child's school, they can contact the school's health room.

The Hearing and Vision programs conduct screenings to identify and refer students at risk for vision and hearing problems. Screening sessions are scheduled during the school year for children in preschool, kindergarten, Grades 1 and 8, by teacher referral and for students newly enrolling in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

School Health Services oversees the Prekindergarten and Head Start Program's health services, which provides nursing and oral health case management, screenings, and links students to medical and dental services. Additionally, they assist with the insurance application and submission process.

School Health Services staff working at the School Health Services Immunization Center, located at the MCPS International Admissions and Enrollment (IAE) office at the Rocking Horse Road Center, provide required immunizations and tuberculosis screenings to newly enrolling international students and to students returning to the U.S. after living out of the country for one year or more.

Hours of operation, contact, and location information can be found here .

School Based Health and Wellness Centers provide services to students who enroll, including primary health care, mental health services and social services. Youth development programs are offered at the high school level.

Additional Information

More information on the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and the Teen Parenting Program is also available.