Thousands of Allentown students are failing eye exams. Now help is on the way

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — After more than 2,300 Allentown School District students failed vision tests last school year, the district is on a quest to make sure all its students can see.

“We are in an emergency state for ensuring our students have what they need so they can be successful academically, socially and to enhance their intellectual capacity,” said Malika Savoy, ASD’s chief academic officer and deputy superintendent.

On Thursday, Allentown School Board approved a new partnership with Valley Health Partners Community Vision Center to offer comprehensive vision exams for students who fail an initial screening.

The exams will be offered at no cost to families or the district.

The board approved the memorandum of understanding between ASD and Valley Health Partners in a 6-0 vote.

“This is going to change lives,” board President Andrene Brown-Nowell said

The partnership will start as a one-year pilot to make sure the program is “successful and sustainable,” said Veronica Gonzalez, chief executive officer of Valley Health Partners Community Health Center.

Valley Health Partners is a nonprofit organization recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a federally qualified Health Center Look-Alike.

'Bring all those services to school'

The health center provides comprehensive primary care and prevention services regardless of someone’s ability to pay.

“Our goal as a health center is to wrap around the family [and] address root causes of poor health," Gonzalez said. "So we plan to really bring all those services to school."

Valley Health Partners has multiple offices throughout Allentown, including two children’s clinics at Hays and Sheridan elementary schools.

Now, VHP optometrists will serve students who need vision help throughout the entire district.

Students who fail initial vision screenings will be referred to see a VHP optometrist, who will bring mobile equipment to ASD schools as a second tier of support.

Nicole Williams, the medical director of vision at Valley Health Partners, said her team can see about 20 students per day.

“We’re going to be checking the health of their eyes, how their eyes work together, binocularity, their ability to read,” Williams said.

Williams said the optometrists also will bring along eyeglasses for students who need them.

Families will not be charged for the exam or glasses. If students have insurance, then the insurance will be billed. But families will not get a bill.

Students without insurance can receive exams and glasses, too. The cost will be covered either by Valley Health Partners or other outside programs.

“We will see everyone,” Gonzalez said. “No one will receive a bill.”

'We are going to see it in outcomes'

Valley Health Partners also plans to have a community health worker on site when exams take place to offer additional supports if needed, such as helping undocumented students get health insurance.

ASD will offer additional support if students still need assistance after seeing Valley Health Partners.

A team of parents, teachers and social workers may be assembled to develop and execute a health care plan. A vision voucher and mobile services will be offered to students at that stage.

ASD is focused on making sure families fill out the necessary paperwork at the beginning of the school year so their students can receive vision care.

That will require making sure translated documents and communication are available to families who don’t speak English.

Brown-Nowell said the partnership is essential to make sure students are healthy, especially when parents may need help getting health care for their children.

“Parents don’t have the time. They’re working two or three jobs,” she said. “There’s so many things happening with our kids in the district right now.

“To meet that need right now, I just know we are going to see it in outcomes.”

The first day of school for students is Monday, Aug. 26.