Hawthorne Press Tribune The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - November 24, 2016 Hawthorne School Board Approves MOU for Students to Receive Vision Screenings By Cristian Vasquez Members of the Hawthorne School Board last week approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vision to Learn through which the non-profit will provide students in the Hawthorne School District (HSD) with free vision screenings and glasses. The partnership between HSD and Vision to Learn was established through the Rotary Club and has allowed for students to receive screenings and glasses at no cost to the district. “We are mandated to screen for vision at certain grade levels, but obviously there are some gaps,” Director of Pupil Personnel Services Dr. Sonya Smith said. “They [Vision to Learn] used the results from the screenings from the previous year, as well as the gap years. The students that do not pass those exams are brought in for a refraction and provided a free pair of glasses.” In 2012 Vision to Learn was founded, with the efforts to assist children in need of glasses launched at the same time. Through the use of mobile eye clinics, Vision to Learn staff visit schools as well as neighborhood youth and community organizations in order to reach underserved children. The Los Angeles-based non-profit reports that kids with vision troubles commonly go undiagnosed, with as “many as one in five children lacking the ability to see clearly,” according to its website. Poor vision has been linked to students facing academic challenges such as difficulty with reading, or simple activities like seeing the board or engaging in class activities. During its first visit to the district, Vision to Learn screened all fourth grade students. Since the organization isn’t allowed to screen the same schools in back-to-back years, the focus will now turn to the middle and high school students. “The mandated grades to be screened are kindergarten, second, fifth, eighth and 10th, so by law we have to screen all of those students,” Dr. Smith said. “What Vision to Learn did last year was for the current first graders, they used their kindergarten results--so if they didn’t pass the vision exam the year before, they brought them in for refraction and gave them free glasses.” During that first year, second grade students who were screened and didn’t pass received a free pair of glasses. However, for the third graders, Vision to Learn used the results from the previous year to determine students’ vision. “The only group that was left out, in a way, because they didn’t have a screening the year before and they weren’t being screened that year, were fourth graders,” Dr. Smith said. “That is why they brought in all of the students whose parents consented to get screened--and if they didn’t pass the screening, they brought them back to get glasses.” HSD has overlapping eye vision programs to help students. The other is Helen Keller International/ChildSight®, which is dedicated to providing eye exams and glasses for kids in need. Part of the work accomplished by Helen Keller International (HKI) prevents blindness/ vision loss in vulnerable people by providing cataract surgery, vision correction, Vitamin A supplementation, screenings and treatments for diabetic retinopathy. HKI also dedicates its efforts to “reduce malnutrition by promoting solutions aimed at improving nutrition practices for millions of families,” its website notes. In the United States, HKI assists an estimated tens of thousands of underserved kids through ChildSight®. ChildSight® provides vision screenings and prescription glasses to children in impoverished communities in California as well as in states like Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. By working directly with school administrators and nurses, ChildSight® staff is able to provide high-quality screenings, which in turn allows a licensed optometrist to prescribe adequate eyeglasses for kids living in poverty and in need of vision correction. “They have been with us previously, but they were on hiatus because of funding--but this year, they are able to service our high school for the mandated grades [eighth and 10th] and we will use Vision to Learn to screen the non-mandated grades,” Dr. Smith said. “Current ninth grade students who need glasses will receive a pair based on their results from last year, while eighth and 10th graders will be provided glasses depending on this year’s results.” • Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................2 Classifieds............................3 Community Briefs...............2 Finance..................................6 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals............................4, 6-7 Pets........................................8 Police Reports.....................3 Sports....................................5 Seniors..................................7 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 67˚/50˚ Saturday Cloudy 61˚/50˚ Sunday Mostly Sunny 61˚/48˚ HMSA Students Participate in Forestry Challenge Students from Hawthorne Math and Science Academy created a plan for Green Valley Lake Christian Camp to quantify potential earnings from decorative forest products during the 2016 San Bernardino Forestry Challenge that took place November 9-12. HMSA won fourth place out of a total of 14 teams. Left to right: Crystal Davis (advisor), Aryadna Ricardez, Angela Valadez, Erick Pech, Leenah Hashmi, Yvan Sison, and Jordy Reyes. Photo courtesy of Hawthorne School District Poor vision has been linked to students facing academic challenges such as difficulty with reading, or simple activities like seeing the board or engaging in class activities.
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