According to A Closer Look, two health services appear to be provided almost universally by

school districts, first aid (98.7 percent) and administration of medications (97.1 percent). Other
commonly provided services include such health screenings as height, weight, vision, and
hearing (86.8 percent); child abuse evaluations and follow-up (82.8 percent); and evaluation of
emotional or behavioral problems (80 percent). The three next most commonly provided
services are for children with special needs: monitoring of vital signs (77.7 percent), application
and cleaning of dressings (76.8 percent), and development of the health component of the
Individualized Education Plan (75.6 percent). In view of the health problems cited in earlier
chapters of this report, it is interesting to note that only slightly more than half of the districts
were found to provide mental health counseling and nutrition counseling, and less than 40
percent con duct health risk appraisal to determine life-style practices. The committee has not
attempted to reconcile these figures with those reported by SHPPS, which states that 89.2
percent of senior high schools and 84.4 percent of middle or junior high schools provide
individual counseling. The latter figures could refer to counseling with primarily an academic
focus, which schools may be more inclined to offer, although there is certainly overlap between
academic and mental health problems. Data from A Closer Look indicate that the types of
services available to students do not appear to vary substantially by the size of the school
district.