Pennsylvania Act 1937-554 — CHILDREN WITH HEARING DEFECTS

Act text

CHILDREN WITH HEARING DEFECTS
                 Act of Jul. 2, 1937, P.L. 2721, No. 554              Cl. 35
            (Act partly repealed Mar. 10, 1949, P.L.30, No.14)

                                  AN ACT

     Concerning children under six years of age with defective
        hearing; imposing duties on the Department of Health, the
        Department of Public Instruction, on parents, guardians,
        nurses, and physicians; and placing certain costs on school
        districts; and making an appropriation.

        Section 1.  Be it enacted, &c., That it shall be the duty of
     every attending or consulting physician, nurse, parent, or
     guardian, having charge of any minor under six years of age who
     is totally deaf or whose hearing is impaired, to report at once
     in person or in writing to the State Department of Health,
     stating the name, age, and residence of such minor, and furnish
     such additional information with respect to such minor as the
     Department of Health shall require. Thereupon, the department
     shall refer the facts relative to such minor to its county
     medical director, to ascertain whether such minor is receiving
     adequate care and treatment. If the county medical director
     finds that such adequate care and treatment is not provided, and
     that the parent or guardian is financially unable to provide the
     same, he shall report the case to the medical inspector of the
     school district, who shall provide such care and treatment at
     the expense of the school district or of the Commonwealth, as
     the case may be, charged by law with the providing of medical
     inspection for the schools of the school district. Such care and
     treatment may be administered by the medical inspector or by
     some doctor of medicine selected by him.
        Section 2.  The Department of Health shall, in every such
     instance, notify the Superintendent of Public Instruction of its
     disposition of the case, and the name of the county medical
     director and medical inspector of schools to whom the same was
     referred.
        The Superintendent of Public Instruction, when in his
     judgment the same is deemed desirable, shall communicate to the
     parent or guardian the location of any special schools, and also
     the nearest public school having special classes for the
     instruction of the hard of hearing, with the information
     concerning the advantages offered by such school or classes, the
     benefits to accrue to the child from attending such school or
     classes, and the manner in which the expenses of such
     instruction will be provided for.
        Section 3.  The sum of twenty-five thousand dollars
     ($25,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
     specifically appropriated to the Department of Health for the
     purpose of paying for the care and treatment furnished by
     medical inspectors of school districts under the jurisdiction of
     the Department of Health, or by doctors of medicine selected by
     such medical inspectors.
        Section 4.  This act shall become effective on the first day
     of July, one thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven.