Health services for special needs children in Pennsylvania schools

School health programs traditionally have involved health services, health instruction, and a safe school environment. Likewise, school health services have been provided by nurses, physicians, and appropriate administrative personnel. In the 1990s, increased integration of primary care services through school-based clinics expanded traditional activities of school health programs. Consequently, more chronically ill children, particularly technology dependent children, have entered the regular school setting, requiring that schools be prepared to manage these chronically ill students who come to school with new morbidities and technological dependencies. This statewide survey examined the number and kind of special needs children in the regular school setting in Pennsylvania, as well as the personnel, programs, policies, and resources available to support these children.