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The state department of education maintains a certification waiver for all Iowa schools (since 2010). A school is considered a facility where school nurses or other licensed healthcare providers in school based health centers perform laboratory testing in the course of the school day, licensed practice and policy. Parents are required to provide consent for all tests completed with students.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- rapid antigen detection tests completed by licensed healthcare providers in school based health centers to culture for group A streptococcus,
- urine specimens to monitor for ketones of students whose parents have provided testing strips,
- blood glucose monitoring for students whose parents have provided supplies,
- urine specimen supplies for drug testing and alcohol testing (QED 150 saliva tests) for trained school nurses and other licensed health personnel to complete the department of transportation [DOT] testing requirements for licensed school transportation personnel for post-accident, random, and when there is suspicion.
Schools (considered a facility) and other services provided in the facility performing less than 15 types of tests in the course of business fall under the state waiver.
The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment of 1988 allows waived tests cleared by the FDA to be conducted by facilities who are certified (Regulation 42 CFR 493).Without the state waiver, schools (public, accredited, independent accredited and charter) would each be required to pay a certification fee.