Children cannot perform well academically if they are unhealthy, undernourished, have vision or hearing problems, have serious emotional problems or abuse drugs or alcohol.
Healthy children have fewer absences, are less likely to drop out and are prepared to learn.
A 1994 Gallup poll showed that 82 percent of parents believe health education is either more important or as important as other school subjects are. Schools historically have played a critical part in improving the health of Americans. They have facilitated mass immunization efforts that dramatically decreased communicable diseases, conducted health screenings and referred students with vision, hearing and other health problems for treatment. An estimated 24 percent of Texas children are uninsured, so a school nurse is sometimes the only health professional some children see. No federal or state law mandates basic health services to the general student population.