Existing law authorizes a school district or county office of education to develop a schoolsite-based oral health assessment program. Existing law authorizes school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a nonprofit eye examination provider to provide eye examinations to pupils at any schoolsite within the local educational agency.

Existing law authorizes school districts to release pupil directory information, as specified, and defines directory information as one or more prescribed items, including, among others, a pupil’s name, address, telephone number, and date of birth. Existing law prohibits the release of directory information of a pupil identified as a homeless child or youth, as defined, unless a parent or eligible pupil has given written consent that the information may be released.

This bill, notwithstanding the above provision, would authorize the disclosure of directory information of a pupil identified as a homeless child or youth, as defined, to facilitate an eye examination or an oral health assessment, as described above, unless the parent or a pupil who has been accorded parental rights, as provided, has provided written notice to the school that they do not consent to the physical examination, as specified. The bill would require directory information disclosed pursuant to this authorization to be disclosed only for the purpose of facilitating an eye examination or an oral health assessment, as provided. The bill would provide that reports made to a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver of a pupil experiencing homelessness about a pupil defect identified from an eye examination or an oral health assessment, as described above, should be made by alternative communication channels rather than mail, when possible.