The Initial Mandatory Health Assessment is an important part of school health services for School Year 2026–2027. It covers preparatory school health activities conducted from the Opening Block through July 3, 2026, helping schools organize health services, communicate with families, identify learners who need support, and establish the records needed for continuing health programs.
For schools, teachers, parents, and other education stakeholders, understanding the process is important because school health services are not limited to a single assessment day. Information dissemination, consent management, nutritional assessment, master listing, screening, referral, and follow-up activities may continue throughout the school year.
The detailed procedures and official working materials referenced in the guidelines are available through the designated school health resources.
What Is the Initial Mandatory Health Assessment?
The Initial Mandatory Health Assessment refers to preparatory activities that establish the foundation for delivering school health services during the school year. These activities help schools determine which learners are covered by particular services, communicate important information to families, document nutritional assessment results, and prepare master lists for monitoring.
Current 2026 DepEd field issuances show that Learners’ Health Assessment and Screening (LHAS) continues to be implemented for School Year 2026–2027. Regional and division offices have issued schedules, orientations, and implementation-related memoranda for the current school year.
The preparatory period is therefore more than a paperwork exercise. It creates an organized system for connecting learners with appropriate school health services.
Information Dissemination on School Health Services
Information dissemination is a continuing activity. Schools may provide information beyond the prescribed preparatory period so that learners, parents, parent-substitutes, and legal guardians understand the health services available during the school year.
For learners, health information may be integrated into appropriate classroom lessons and permitted co-curricular activities. This approach allows important health messages to become part of the learner's regular educational experience.
For parents and guardians, information may be provided during meetings and other activities involving families. Schools may also use take-home materials and established communication channels.
Effective information dissemination should help families understand the purpose of school health services, possible risks associated with particular interventions, and which activities require consent.
Understanding Parents' Consent Requirements
One of the important responsibilities during the initial health assessment period is securing the support and participation of parents, parent-substitutes, and legal guardians.
Not every school health activity has the same consent requirement. Under the provided 2026–2027 guidance, Learners' Health Assessment and Screening, including the Baseline Nutritional Assessment, is considered an essential service and does not require prior parental consent.
Basic mental health and psychosocial support may likewise be provided when necessary based on the results of universal mental health and psychosocial screening, without prior consent.
Other interventions recommended or provided as a result of an assessment require consent. Examples include oral treatment and referrals to external health service providers. Commodity-based services also require consent, including services such as deworming, supplementation, immunization, and fluoride varnish application.
This distinction makes clear why information dissemination is important: families need to understand what the school health program covers and when authorization is required.
Consent Forms and Documentation
Consent forms are distributed and collected through class advisers, with responses encoded in the class master list. Schools can use the designated omnibus consent form provided for the school health program.
The latest working materials referenced for SY 2026–2027 include the following resources:
Preparatory school health procedures: School Health Preparatory Procedures
Omnibus consent form: School Health Omnibus Consent Form
Schools should always follow the latest instructions issued by their Schools Division Office (SDO), particularly when local schedules, submission procedures, or forms are updated.
Baseline Nutritional Assessment for Kindergarten to Grade 6
The Baseline Nutritional Assessment is another major component of the initial school health activities.
It involves obtaining the height and weight of Kindergarten to Grade 6 learners at the beginning of the school year. The information is used to determine nutritional status according to World Health Organization standards and serves as a basis for identifying learners for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP).
The assessment is not simply a one-time record. Nutritional information can also be used to monitor progress among SBFP beneficiaries.
Schools conduct an Endline Nutritional Assessment toward the end of the school year for SBFP beneficiaries. Comparing baseline and endline information allows school health personnel to monitor changes during the feeding intervention.
For the 2026–2027 school year, schools and divisions have continued issuing implementation and coordination activities connected with the School-Based Feeding Program and learner health services.
Detailed nutritional assessment procedures: Baseline Nutritional Assessment Procedures
Why the Master List Matters
The master list is one of the most important administrative tools in the school health program.
It contains the learners who are qualified to receive applicable school health services and helps schools and SDOs monitor the progress of service delivery.
Class advisers are responsible for preparing the master lists of their learners. The School Head designates appropriate non-teaching personnel to consolidate the lists by grade level and for the entire school.
For LHAS, all learners are included because the assessment is considered an essential service that does not require prior consent.
The master list also records the results of Baseline and Endline Nutritional Assessments. Depending on the applicable service, it can help identify learners scheduled for health assessments, interventions, referrals, and follow-up.
Using the Master List for Monitoring and Reporting
The master list is not intended to be completed once and forgotten. It is a monitoring tool that can be updated as school health services are delivered.
The SDO uses the master list to help schedule learners for LHAS and commodity-based services based on the school's actual targets, timeline, available capacity, and applicable consent requirements.
Schools submit their master lists before the SDO-scheduled commencement of LHAS and applicable commodity-based services. The list is then updated at the end of each term to reflect progress and the current status of services.
This creates a clearer picture of which services have been completed and which learners may still require appropriate follow-up.
Detailed master listing procedures: Master Listing Procedures for School Health Services
What Schools Should Keep in Mind
Successful implementation of the Initial Mandatory Health Assessment requires coordination among school heads, class advisers, school health and nutrition personnel, parents or guardians, the SDO, and other authorized health service providers.
The most important steps are to communicate clearly, maintain accurate records, distinguish services that require consent from those that do not, complete nutritional assessments properly, and keep the master list updated.
Current DepEd field issuances confirm that LHAS activities remain an active part of School Year 2026–2027 implementation. For example, DepEd offices have issued current memoranda covering mandatory LHAS, schedules for health assessment, and continuing health-related activities during the school year.
Final Thoughts
The Initial Mandatory Health Assessment provides schools with an organized starting point for delivering learner health services. Through information dissemination, appropriate consent procedures, nutritional assessment, and accurate master listing, schools can better coordinate services and monitor progress throughout the school year.
For teachers and school personnel, careful documentation can make health service monitoring more efficient. For parents and guardians, understanding the distinction between mandatory essential assessments and services requiring consent can make participation clearer.
Because school health procedures and schedules may be updated through national, regional, or Schools Division Office issuances, schools should always verify the latest applicable instructions before implementation.
As of September 28, 2026, learner health assessment and related school health activities remain part of ongoing SY 2026–2027 implementation across DepEd field offices.
For the latest applicable requirements, schools should coordinate with their Schools Division Office and use the most recent official forms, schedules, and procedural guidance provided through DepEd channels.