Vision, Hearing, Dental Screenings Opt-Out.

HB 842 clarifies that North Carolina public schools may conduct vision, hearing, dental, and developmental screenings for students without requiring parental consent, but must notify parents at the start of each school year about all screenings offered and provide results for their child. This bill directly affects parents of students in public schools across North Carolina, particularly for kindergarten through third grade as noted in the bill text. Key provisions require schools to provide written notice of screenings and results to parents (instead of seeking consent for each screening), while maintaining existing requirements for other health services that do require consent. The law updates school health screening procedures under North Carolina General Statutes § 115C-76.46.