4+ WEEKS BEFORE YOUR TEST DATE

Sign up for testing via our online scheduler. Share your school contact person, as well as the number of children in first grade or younger. Our office will prepare forms in English and Spanish based on the information you provide and confirm your requested test date or provide an alternative date if necessary.

3+ WEEKS BEFORE YOUR TEST DATE

A representative the Marion County Public Health Department will drop off hard copies of the forms you’ll need signed in English and Spanish.

Your next steps are to:

Distribute forms: Parents or guardians will need to sign two forms: (1) a consent form and (2) a registration form that includes notice of HIPPA privacy practices. Children may take hard-copy forms home to their parents or guardians. You can also share a link to downloadable forms and collect signed forms electronically. However, we’ll still need you to print hard copies to share with the Marion County Public Health Department.

• View and download forms

Share information about lead screening: In addition to sharing the forms, please share with students’ families the provided informational flier from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with basic information about lead exposure and screening. Find more information on the Families and Resources pages.

Gather signed forms: The Marion County Public Health Department requires hard copies of all forms. We use the forms to ensure each child’s paperwork has been registered before we process blood samples following the testing event. Forms must pass directly from the school to our department.

1 WEEK BEFORE YOUR TEST DATE

A representative from our office will stop by in person to collect forms and ensure they’re properly signed and in classroom order. We’ll return forms with incorrect or missing information for corrections. We’ll also share information about testing logistics and provide additional student- and family-friendly communications about testing. Watch for a friendly email reminder a couple of days before we stop by to collect your paperwork.

Be sure to remind parents, guardians and children that students should have plenty of liquids and a good breakfast on testing day.

IT’S TESTING DAY!

Our phlebotomist(s) will arrive 30 minutes prior to the agreed-upon time and host your screening as scheduled. Please ensure that a member of your staff is present at all times during testing. Also please make sure children have had plenty of liquids and a good breakfast the morning of testing.

After testing is complete, we’ll email you a survey to ask your opinion about how everything went.

After the testing process is completed, blood samples will be submitted to the Marion County Public Health Department lab for analysis. Test results will be mailed to parents and guardians with any necessary follow-up steps.

School administrators who wish to know the results of lead tests must provide signed release of information forms for each student tested.

Result: Normal

The parents or guardians of children whose lead exposure is at a normal level will receive a written notification from the Marion County Public Health Department in English or Spanish. View a sample letter.

Result: Elevated blood lead level

If a child is found to have an elevated blood lead level equal or greater than the reference value (5 micrograms per deciliter), a representative from the Marion County Public Health Department will contact the child’s parent or guardian to arrange for a confirmatory test. View a sample letter.

Confirmatory testing

For the confirmatory test, a blood sample will need to be taken, preferably from the child’s arm. Parents may contact the Marion County Public Health Department for free confirmatory and follow-up testing. Or, if they prefer, they may contact their child’s health care provider.

Support for children and families

If an elevated level of lead is confirmed, the Marion County Public Health Department will provide an assessment of the child’s home environment. We’ll also examine the child’s history and note behaviors that may increase lead exposure and absorption. Children with elevated blood lead levels and their families also will receive support, which includes nutrition and developmental screening and education, guidance on reducing lead exposure and referrals for nutritional and developmental interventions. We’ll also monitor the child’s blood lead levels to ensure the level is decreasing.