HB 1463 -- Sensory Processing Disorder

Sponsor:  Hodges

This bill requires, beginning in the 2011-2012 school year, every
public school district to screen its students for Sensory
Processing Disorder (SPD) before the end of first grade and again
before the end of third grade.  The screening method must be
approved by the newly established Children's Commission on
Sensory Processing Disorder within the Department of Health and
Senior Services and must be performed by an appropriately trained
school employee.  The screening results, with all individual
identifying information removed, must be sent to the department
to compile the data for review and analysis by the commission or
other interested parties.

If a student fails the screening, the school district must notify
the student's parents or guardians of the results and propose
that the student undergo a complete physical exam.  The notice
must have a place for the parent's acknowledgment of receipt and
an indication of whether the student received a complete physical
exam and its results.  Any physical exam within the year
preceding the school screening will be sufficient for fulfilling
the requirements of the bill.  If a parent or guardian objects to
the screening, the child will be excused upon receipt of a
written request to the appropriate school administrator.  The
screening and its information is not a violation of the federal
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and
the department must make a reasonable accommodation for public
review and inspection of the data if no information is revealed
that could identify any individual student.

The commission will consist of five members appointed by the
Governor including two physicians, a school nurse, and one
representative each from the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education and the Missouri School Boards Association.
It must analyze and adopt at least one screening test; develop,
in conjunction with the department, a standardized reporting
form; design and coordinate appropriate training programs for
school district staff who conduct the screening; and conduct a
pilot project to track the results of the screenings versus the
exams.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 14, 2010 at 3:10 pm