(a) The State Department of Education, the State Department of Health Services, and the State Department of Social Services shall jointly enter into a collaborative agreement with the California State University, the University of California, and California medical schools, to establish a standardized health assessment of the children within public schools, and develop a data base on the health of children who are representative of the state’s population. The California State University is responsible for coordinating this effort.
(b) The agreement shall address all of the following:
(1) Conducting the health assessment which may include the following:
(A) Anthropometric measures.
(B) Testing for physical fitness.
(C) Testing for chronic disease indicators by using the following methods:
(i) A survey of family health and medical history.
(ii) Blood pressure measurement.
(iii) A blood panel by participating pupils, on a voluntary basis, and with the written consent of the pupil’s parent or guardian.
(D) Assessment of the nutritional status of participating pupils.
(E) Conducting a voluntary and anonymous survey relating to alcohol, drug, and tobacco use, and related diseases.
(2) Establishing a coordinating center at the California State University, in collaboration with the University of California and California medical schools, with pupil assessment sites at public schools.
(3) Summarizing the assessment findings that shall be made available to the public.
(4) Providing the assessment results to the State Department of Health Services, other state agencies, and to medical and education groups.
(c) No child shall be required to participate in a standardized health assessment program if the parent or guardian of that child objects to that participation because the program conflicts with the religious beliefs of the parent or guardian. The objection shall be made in a written form and shall be included in a letter submitted to the coordinating center, acknowledging parental notice of the health assessment.
(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 430, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1998.)