San Diego City Schools are back in session beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5. With the new school year starting, here are a few reminders for students and parents.

REGISTRATION AND HEALTH INFO
Some schools in the district are continuing registration until the first day of school. Parents should call schools to verify registration dates and times.
Students must be registered by a parent or guardian and are required to bring proof of residency and immunization records that show the student has been immunized against polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, or provide a permanent medical exemption or personal beliefs exemption.
First-time California students must provide proof of immunization against chickenpox or proof of having had the illness.
Parents of kindergartners and first-graders new to the district must also provide proof of age and evidence of vaccination against hepatitis B and chickenpox. Parents of new and continuing first-grade students must provide evidence of the child’s recent physical exam within 91 days of the start of school.
Parents of new and continuing seventh-graders must provide proof of student’s vaccination against hepatitis B and a second MMR vaccination, either at registration (for new students) or on the first day of school (continuing students).
Under the district’s No Shots-No School Policy, students will not be allowed to attend class without all required proofs of immunization.
For information regarding immunization requirements and availability of vaccinations, please call the school’s nurse or the district’s Health Services, (858) 627-7580, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

SAFETY REMINDERS
With the new school year beginning, it is important for students and the public to remember to exercise additional caution on or around school campuses.
“Safety is one of the dominant things we are concerned about,” said Ursula Kroemer, spokeswoman for San Diego Unified School District. “This is not only for the students to be aware, but also for families and the public to be aware that school starts on September 5, so watch out for those kids walking and watch for the kids on bikes and be aware of the extra traffic in the mornings and afternoons.”
To ensure maximum safety for all students, San Diego Unified School District suggests students and parents abide by the following guidelines set by the National Safe Kids Campaign.

Walking to School
To avoid an injury, parents should:
“¢ Never let a child under age 10 cross the street alone.
“¢ Choose the safest route between home and school and practice walking it with children until they demonstrate traffic safety awareness.
“¢ Make sure children use the same route every day and teach them to avoid shortcuts.
“¢ Teach children to recognize and obey traffic signals and pavement markings. A flashing “walk” signal at a crosswalk does not mean it is safe to cross. Children should know they must still look both ways for traffic before proceeding.
“¢ Teach children to cross streets only in crosswalks and to walk, not run, across intersections.
“¢ Emphasize to children that they should never enter streets from between parked cars or from behind shrubbery. Such darting between objects results in the majority of child pedestrian deaths.
“¢ Remind children not to speak to strangers (someone they don’t know). If a stranger approaches a student, they should tell their parents or a teacher.

Riding the Bus
Although bus travel is one of the safest ways to travel to and from school, injuries can still occur, and most of them take place when children are getting on or off the bus. Some safety tips for riding the bus are:
“¢ Have children arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the scheduled arrival of the bus. Children should stay out of the street while waiting and not horseplay.
“¢ Urge children to remain seated on the bus at all times and not shout or distract the driver. Children should know to keep their head and arms inside the bus at all times.
“¢ Make sure children know to wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before getting on or off. Children should be made aware that the driver has a “blind spot,” the area from the front of the bus to about 10 feet in front of the bus, and they should not walk in this area after getting off the bus.

Riding Bicycles
Some schools discourage students from riding their bikes before reaching a certain grade level, so parents should check with their school principal to make sure their child is allowed to ride a bike to school. To make sure children are safe when riding bicycles to school, parents should:
“¢ Make sure children wear their bicycle helmets at all times while on their bikes. Head injury is the leading cause of death in bicycle accidents. Studies say helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent.
“¢ Teach children to obey the rules of the road. They should know that the same rules that apply to other vehicles apply to them as well. Bicycle riders should be on the right-hand side of the road, and should travel in the same direction as other traffic. They should also know and use appropriate hand signals.
“¢ Choose the safest route between home and school and practice it with children until they can demonstrate traffic safety awareness.

Many elementary schools in the district conduct a bike rodeo for grades three and up.
“Kids have to demonstrate that they know the safety rules and hand signals,” Kroemer said. “It’s also a fun opportunity for kids to demonstrate their agility on a bike. They show that they know how to maneuver their bike and that they are aware of things in their peripheral vision.”
Kroemer suggests following your children for the first couple of days, watching from the car to make sure that they are safe and paying attention to traffic.

Driving
Important safety guidelines parents should follow when driving to school:
“¢ Always use child safety seats and/or safety belts correctly when driving or riding in a car.
“¢ Drop children off as close to school as possible so they do not have to cross streets. Make sure children enter and leave the car on its curbside.
“¢ Use the school’s designated student drop-off and pick-up zones.
It is important for parents to remember to always set a good example for children, whether walking, riding or driving.

FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE MEAL PROGRAM
San Diego Unified Schools provide free and reduced-price meals for children served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
The price for breakfast is normally $.50 at all schools. Lunch is $1.25 in elementary schools and $1.75 is secondary schools. All meals are free of charge to any student whose household size and income qualifies under the Free or Reduced-Price Eligibility scale.
The district currently does not charge students who qualify for the Reduced-Price Lunch Program.
A parent or guardian must complete a 2006-2007 Household Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals, sent home with students at the start of school, to qualify. Applications are also available in the school office. Completed applications should be returned to the school office or Food Services for processing. Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year.
“This is a critical part of our district,” Kroemer said. “The majority of our students are eligible for reduced and free meals. We do have a certain number of students for whom this may be the most significant meal of their day. So it’s important that we have as many eligible children enrolled and participating in this program as possible.”
Students receiving free or reduced-price meals remain anonymous. Every student receives an individual four or five-digit pin number. Students key the number in, which determines whether they owe money or not. Parents can deposit money online to pay for lunches ahead of time, rather than giving the money directly to their child. When a student is passed through the line without paying there is no way to distinguish between those students whose parents have already paid, and those receiving free or reduced-price lunches, explained Pam Kowalksi, business coordinator for food services.
For more information about free and reduced-price meal programs, contact Food Services at 627-7301 or visit the district’s Web site at www.sandi.net/food.

STUDENT DISCIPLINE AND ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY
San Diego Unified Schools practice a zero-tolerance policy requiring the suspension and/or recommendation for expulsion of secondary school students who violate rules regarding weapons, controlled substances and physical violence.
“Primarily this is a safety policy. The idea is to make sure that all of our district schools have a safe and appropriate learning environment for students,” Kroemer said, “We want learning to be at the forefront of what these kids are doing and not have to worry about safety or an insecure environment. They need to know that they can come to school and they are safe and their campus is safe.”
Expulsion from a district school means the loss of student privileges to attend school or extracurricular activities. Expelled students will be placed in an alternative school or educational program for a period of time approved by the Board of Education.
Any offense that takes place on a school campus or at a school activity, whether on campus or off, falls under the zero-tolerance policy. This includes traveling to or from school or a school-sponsored activity.
Students who have violated the state Penal Code may be arrested, charged and taken into juvenile detention facility or county jail.
For additional information, please call the City Schools Placement and Appeals Office, (619) 725-5660, or visit the district’s Web site, www.sandi.net.
Parents are also encouraged to examine the district’s student discipline policies Web site, www.sandi.net/depts/placement_appeal/discipline_policy/index.html, to be informed of what things can lead to a suspension or expulsion.

PROGRAMS SERVING THOSE WITH EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS
San Diego Unified School District is committed to identifying, locating and assessing all students within the district from birth to 21 years of age who might have disabilities.
Eligible disabilities include, but are not limited to, hearing and/or vision impairment; physical handicap; mental retardation; orthopedic impairment; emotional disturbance; learning disability; speech and language impairment and traumatic brain injury.
Special education and other program options and related services are provided based on the individual needs of the student and the recommendation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team.
“We have a fantastic program,” Kroemer said, “I am very pleased at the caliber of service and love and care that our special education team provides.”
Parents who feel that their child is having problems learning in school and suspect that they have a disability should bring their concern to the attention of their child’s teacher or principal, or contact the Special Education Office, (619) 725-7604.
For more information, parents are urged to call their child’s school or visit the district Web site, www.sandi.net/specialed.

WORK PERMITS FOR MINORS
As the 2006-2007 school year begins, working minors and their employers are reminded of the state law that requires any employee less than 18 years of age who has not graduated from high school or passed the California High School Proficiency Exam to have a permit to employ and work.
All current work permits expire on Sept. 12, following the start of the new school year.
Students can get application forms, or information about work permits and child labor laws at any high school or by contacting the district’s work permit office, (619) 627-7355. For detailed information on restrictions and the hours minors are allowed to work, please visit the School-to-Career Web site, www.sandiegostc.org/cte/workpermits.htm.