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Committee hears bill to deliver free eye exams and glasses to Title I Oregon students
Summary
House Bill 2,992 would create a statewide program for no-cost eye exams and prescription eyeglasses for students in Title I or high-poverty schools; proponents described research showing academic gains and urged the committee to support a public–private rollout that maximizes federal funding.
The House Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2,992 on Feb. 3, a measure to establish a program providing free eye examinations, prescription eyeglasses and replacements to qualifying K–12 students.
Representative Ben Bowman, the bill’s introducer, told the committee the program targets schools that qualify for Title I assistance or where more than 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. “At a relatively low cost to the state and at zero expense to students, their families, and their schools, we have the ability to essentially eliminate the problem of kids needing glasses but not having them,” Bowman said.
Bowman and multiple witnesses told the committee that vision problems affect learning and that existing school vision screenings do not always…
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