Oral Health Screening in Schools Pilot Program

The bill amends the Colorado oral health community grants program administered by the department of public health and environment (department) to award grants for the implementation of oral health screening in public schools through the oral health screening pilot program (pilot program) created in the bill.

The purpose of the pilot program is to provide oral health screening to students in kindergarten , first grade, or second grade (early grades) and third grade at a minimum of 5 pilot program sites at school districts or schools of a school district, charter schools, institute charter schools, or boards of cooperative education services (local education providers) to demonstrate the effectiveness of oral health screening in early grades of kindergarten and third grade in reducing dental decay, the costs of providing oral health screening to students, and best practices for providing oral health screening that could be scaled statewide.

The department in conjunction with the department of education, shall select local education providers as pilot program participants to each receive a grant of up to $20,000 per year for 2 years to screen students in one early grade. shall award at least 5 oral health screening grants to oral health screeners to conduct oral health screening activities in schools of local education providers. In selecting screening locations, the department shall select locations that represent a variety of school settings, including large and small local education providers in urban, rural, and frontier areas of the state, with priority given to schools with students who are likely to experience higher rates of undetected oral health concerns.

The bill includes requirements for the pilot program regarding:

• Qualifications for participating oral health screeners;
• The oral health screening;
• The selection by the department of an oral health screening tool;
• Notice to parents, including the ability of parents to refuse oral health screening for their children;
• Reporting to parents of the outcome of the oral health screening and information and referral if dental concerns are identified for a student; and
• The protection of confidential health data.

After completing oral health screening at a pilot site during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, no later than July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026, respectively, a participating oral health screener shall provide data and information to the department for purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, including the number of students screened and oral health concerns identified, as well as other relevant data and information as determined by the department. On or before December 1, 2027, the department of education shall develop a plan for implementation of oral health screening in kindergarten and third grade in all public schools. No later than January 15, 2027, the department shall submit a report of the findings concerning the pilot program and its plan for implementation of oral health screening in all public schools to the health and human services and education committees of the house of representatives and of the senate, or their successor committees , and the department of education .

The pilot program repeals July 1, 2028 2031 , after the screening and reporting on the pilot program is completed. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $84,425 and 0.6 FTE is appropriated from the general fund to the department to implement the pilot program.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)