Pajaro Valley Unified School District offers students free eye exams & glasses

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District is working to get eye glasses for students who need them at no cost to families or the district.

The district, which has a high number of underprivileged children, is teaming with an LA-based organization called Vision to Learn that helps support low-income family children with vision problems in over 220 cities.

The program could potentially benefit all 20,000+ students in the district. It will consist of vision screenings and referrals to purchase glasses if needed, all free of charge to families, students and the district.

If a family or student cannot afford glasses, they will be give one. About one in five children nationwide require eye glasses to participate in school work.

“We’ve been focusing on everything that we can do to provide wrap-around services for the students, so this is one way of doing that,” said Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, the superintendent of PVUSD. “Any student that we can serve that maybe doesn’t have that is well worth it.”

At Amesti Elementary School, over 40 students there would benefit, and that is a conservative estimate.

“If we take an average of 40 plus per site, that would be a lot. So just for 20 schools alone, for example, 40, that’s 800 students already,” said Jenaro Hibolado, a school nurse for PVUSD.

The program starts this fall in the next school year. If parents would like to participate, schools will conduct vision screenings during the school day. All they have to do is sign a permission slip.

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Pajaro Valley Unified School District has approved an agreement with a non-profit organization that would help provide eye exams and free glasses to students who need them at no cost to the district.

KION’s Josh Kristianto will bring you details on when and how you can participate at 5 and 6pm.