Public Health and Schools Toolkit
The Public Health & Schools (PH&S) Toolkit addresses key concepts regarding public health agencies’ authorities to conduct public health activities like vaccination clinics in schools, take emergency measures such as closing schools, and access student health data. The toolkit’s component documents are designed to be used to assist in education, training, and planning activities to prepare for emergencies, as well as to serve as a quick reference resource during an emergency response to an event. The PH&S Toolkit is one of the toolkits in ASTHO’s Legal Preparedness Series.
Intended Audiences
These documents are specifically designed to address the different needs of discrete audiences within a state health agency:
- State health officers, agency directors, or other senior governmental officials may find the executive overviews and fact sheets of particular interest.
- Preparedness directors and other programmatic staff will find the fact sheets, issue briefs, state analysis guides, and resource materials useful in understanding and gaining more in-depth knowledge about particular concepts and legal issues.
- Legal counsel will find the fact sheets about particular federal laws and regulations, issue briefs, state analysis guides, and citations within the resource materials a good basis from which to conduct additional research and analyze their particular state’s authorities on these issues.
Public Health & Schools Toolkit Contents
All documents are listed alphabetically within each document category
Executive Overviews
One-page snapshots of key concepts and issues
Fact Sheets
Short documents addressing fundamental issues or legal authorities
- Comparison of FERPA and HIPAA Privacy Rule for Accessing Student Health Data
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—Privacy Rule
Issue Briefs
In-depth information and analyses of fundamental issues
- Public Health Access to Student Health Data: Authorities and Limitations in Sharing Information Between Schools and Public Health Agencies
- Vaccination Clinics in Schools
State Analysis Guides
Aids to assist states in identifying and analyzing their own statutes, regulations, and policies
- Public Health Authorities in Schools (Word document)
- School-Located Vaccination Clinics (Word document)