SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California Assembly member Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood) earlier this week introduced legislation that she says would enhance students’ learning potential by helping them prepare for the first day of school with healthy eyes and clear vision. The bill, AB 2444 (Burke), is supported by the State Board of Optometry and the California Optometric Association (COA), according to a statement COA issued this week. “AB 2444 empowers parents to take crucial steps for their children’s health and school success,” Assemblywoman Burke said in the statement. “Too many children are labeled with behavioral or learning problems simply because they can’t focus on the blackboard or school work. It’s important parents know the care that can help students see clearly and thrive in the classroom comes at little or no cost through their health insurance plans.”

AB 2444 would require that information on good vision and student eye health be included in the school enrollment packets parents receive, according to the statement.

“California’s optometrists are proud to partner with Assembly member Burke to ensure more students receive the kind of comprehensive eye examinations that detect the full range of vision problems that can hamper student success,” COA president Dr. Ranjeet S. Bajwa said in the statement. “Eye doctors are also a first line of defense against serious health problems like diabetes and eye cancers, another reason optometrists urge parents to schedule comprehensive examinations before school starts.”

For students who receive the most basic, in-school vision screenings, AB 2444 helps connect them with necessary follow-up care needed when vision problems are detected, according to the statement. Lastly, the bill creates a pilot program in participating school districts that will promote early detection of eye and vision problems to improve students’ educational outcomes.

“Vision disorders are the most prevalent childhood disability,” Rachel Michelin, a member of the California State Board of Optometry, said. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. This bill will create opportunities for more students to have the examinations and care they need to read and succeed.”

The language in the bill notes that the department of education would work to develop “an information sheet regarding pediatric vision and eye health that includes specified information.” The proposed legislation also would “require a school district, county office of education, or charter school to make the information sheet available annually to teachers at every school site that serves elementary school pupils, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a school district, county office of education, or charter school to provide the information sheet to parents and guardians of pupils, as specified.”

In addition, the bill requires the education department and State Board of Optometry to “establish a pilot program for the purpose of improving early detection of eye and vision problems,” and that this pilot program would run in participating school districts during the 2020–23 school years.