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Committee advances bill to allow school-based vision and dental screenings for housing-insecure students
Summary
AB 677 would enable school districts to release directory information for housing-insecure students so they can receive on-campus vision and dental screenings on the same opt-out basis used for housed students; committee passed the bill with broad support from districts and health providers.
Assemblymember Bridal presented AB 677 to expand access to no-cost school-based vision and dental screenings for students experiencing homelessness by clarifying that directory information may be released to service providers for screening purposes and by creating a consistent opt-out process.
Bridal said current law and privacy protections for housing-insecure students create a barrier because schools often require directory information (name and date of birth) to schedule and record screenings, and those protections mean providers cannot identify and reach homeless students without signed parental consent. The sponsor said LAUSD reported lower uptake of screenings among unhoused students due to difficulty obtaining signed opt-in forms.
Sasha Horwitz of LAUSD, co-sponsor, described the administrative and outreach challenges of securing affirmative consent for students who face housing instability. Representatives from Queen—Care, which runs mobile dental and vision services in partnership with LAUSD, described cases where students missed care because a parent could not be reached and the screening event had already left campus.
Multiple county offices, school administrators, health provider groups and unions testified in support. Kim Lewis of the California Coalition for Youth expressed conditional support if the author's office would address the needs of unaccompanied homeless minors; sponsors noted they had worked with stakeholders.
The committee voted to pass AB 677 with recorded affirmative votes totaling eight in the roll call at the hearing. The bill was described as preserving parental rights through an opt-out process while reducing access barriers for a vulnerable population.
