MO HB1339

Beginning July 1, 2008, all children enrolling in kindergarten or first grade in Missouri public elementary schools must receive one comprehensive vision examination performed by a licensed optometrist or physician.

Evidence of the examination must be submitted to the school no later than January 1 of the student's first year of enrollment, in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

Comprehensive vision examinations must include complete case history, visual acuity at distance (aided and unaided), external and internal examination, and subjective refraction to best visual acuity.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must compile and maintain an updated annual list of free or reduced-cost vision services available to children needing examinations or vision correction, distributed to all superintendents, principals, school nurses, and parent organizations before school opens.

Parents or legal guardians may request a written exemption to excuse their child from the vision examination requirement; examination findings must be retained by the optometrist or physician for seven years.