Part of the work that goes on in a school reaches past the teaching activities that occur in the classroom. In fact, only 50% of the staff in public schools are teachers. Speech therapists, nurses, counselors and others comprise the remaining 50%.
It is clear to see that beyond regular education, a school staffing plan also includes sensory screening assessment, special education and more and more. Let’s look at some of the areas covered in a school staffing plan and see how they benefit the children.
Trained specialists,who conduct the vision and hearing screening processes in the schools perform a very important function for student needs. If a student cannot hear clearly or see accurately, their entire educational experience can be adversely impacted.
Hearing screenings are of high importance. In the U.S., for example,some children are born with perceptible hearing loss. This loss could be in both ears, or just one ear and it has been estimated that out of every 1,000 children this occurs in 2 or 3 cases. Identifying these children by sensory screening in school could have a lifelong effect on the quality of life for that child.
In addition, hearing loss among teenagers is at about a 20% level currently. This seems more pervasive now than in previous decades recently, showing a 30% increase since in the 1980s and 90s.
Vision problems are also pervasive among children between the ages of five and seventeen. 25% of children have a vision problem, according to the National Commission on Vision and Health. This same commission has also determined that treatable vision problems affect one out of every four school-aged children, and a screening before entering school could have treated the problems.
The presence of health screenings at school as part of a school staffing plan is especially important in the digital age we live in now. It has been reported that U.S. children spend three hours or more on digital devices, according to 40% of parents. Extended use of devices may be a contributing factor in hearing and vision loss.
To sum up, the school staffing plan is designed to benefit students in every way. A school budget plan includes health screenings at school in the hope of providing every child with the best start possible in life.
