Labor Day marks the last summer hurrah before San Diego Unified School District students load their books in their backpacks and head off to school on Tuesday, Sept. 4.
With the new school year just around the corner, there are a few reminders for students, parents and the general public.

REGISTRATION AND HEALTH INFO
While the district’s enrollment center closed on Saturday, Aug. 25, some schools in the district are continuing registration until the first day of school for new students and students who have moved within the district. 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 that 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 the 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, 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 “” and after a rowdy holiday weekend “” it is important for students and the public to remember to exercise additional caution on or around school campuses.
“It’s just things that people haven’t been thinking about during the summer,” said Jack Brandais, media relations officer for the San Diego Unified School District. “It’s time “¦ to get your head thinking about school and these are all the kinds of things that people need to remember that there’s going to be kids on the road.”
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 for the bus 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 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 bicycle 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.

While Brandais believes that walking or biking is good for students, he also believes that it depends on the parent’s comfort level.
“Walking or biking to the school for the student is always great because they get exercise and get to know their neighborhood a little bit better,” Brandais said. “If they were to, heaven forbid, get lost or something like that they would know their way around the area.”

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 75 cents at all schools. Lunch is $1.50 in elementary schools and $2 in 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 really a program, not just for folks whose parents may not have a job but for working families to help them make ends meet a little bit better,” Brandais said. “And it’s a federal program. It’s something that is sort of already paid for. We’re not going to run out of them because there are too many people applying.”
Brandais explained that previously there was a stigma on students utilizing the program at the middle and high school levels, because only the students on the lunch program had to enter their pin numbers at the register, making them stand out.
“This year all the students are going to be doing that to buy food,” Brandais said. “So everyone is going to have a PIN number and every student that buys something is going to be entering it. So there’s not going to be any stigma this year.”
For more information about free the and reduced-price meal program, contact Food Services, (619) 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.
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 FOR INDIVIDUALS 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.
Parents who feel that their child is having problems learning in school and suspect that the child has a disability should bring their concern to the attention of their child’s teacher or principal, or contact the Special Education Office by calling (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 younger 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 get information about work permits and child labor laws, at any high school. They can also contact the district’s work permit office, (619) 627-7355.
For detailed information on the restrictions against the hours minors are allowed to work please visit the School-to-Career Web site, www.sandiegostc.org/cte/workpermits.htm.