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Health & Wellness

The mission of our Health and Family Support Department is to support San José Unified’s vision of preparing today’s students to be the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow. We do this by providing students and their families with services and access to community programs that will optimize the health, wellness, and safety of our students for them to be successful in the years to come.

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Wellness Policy

Recognizing the link between student and staff wellness and learning, the San José Unified Board of Trustees adopted a district Wellness Policy in 2006 that is designed to “build, promote, and integrate a comprehensive school health system.”

Click here to read the San José Unified Wellness Policy.

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Illnesses

To protect the health and safety of our entire community, students should not attend school with any of the symptoms below. Students exhibiting these symptoms may be sent home.

  • Cold symptoms - Keep student home during period of coughing with yellow or green discharge.
  • Fever of 100 degrees or higher - Students who have been ill with a fever need to be fever-free, without the use of medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Eyes that are red, swollen, crusting, or draining
  • Untreated, draining ears or earache
  • Diarrhea - Students must stay home for 48 hours after they no longer have symptoms.
  • Severe nausea or vomiting - Students must stay home for 48 hours after they no longer have symptoms.
  • Severe sore throat
  • Untreated head lice and/or nits (eggs) in the hair
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Immunizations

Students will not be able to attend class in San José Unified until all immunization requirements have been met and records have been received by the Enrollment Center or school office. Please click below to view the requirements and find a clinic near you where your student can receive their immunizations.

Please call the Enrollment Center at (408) 535-6412 if you have any questions.

Personal Belief Exemptions

According to recent updates to state law, Personal Belief Exemptions (PBE) from immunizations are no longer accepted unless they were dated before January 1, 2016. For more information about the new law, please see the Frequently Asked Questions at ShotsForSchool.org.

Medical exemptions are still accepted from your student’s healthcare provider. Requests must list specific immunizations and explain why they would be harmful to the student’s health.

Tdap Requirements

All students entering or advancing or transferring into 7th grade need to submit proof of immunization with a whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine booster called “Tdap”. Students must receive a Tdap booster by the first day of school.

All students entering or transferring into grades 8-12 who have not met the TDAP booster (Tdap) requirement, will need to submit proof of a Tdap immunization.

Tdap Vaccine Information
List of Providers for Vaccinations

Tuberculosis (TB) Requirements

The Santa Clara County Tuberculosis (TB) School Mandate has changed from a requirement for universal TB testing to a requirement for universal TB risk assessment. This requirement applies to all children enrolling or transferring at any grade level from outside of Santa Clara County.

Prior to enrollment, students are required to have their healthcare provider complete the Santa Clara County Public Health Department Risk Assessment for School Entry.

TB Risk Assessment for School Entry

You can click here to learn more about this countywide program.

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Sexual Health Education

The California Healthy Youth Act requires that comprehensive sexual health education and disease prevention education be provided to students at least once in middle school or junior high school and once in high school, starting in 7th grade.

These education programs are meant to encourage students to communicate with their parents, guardians, or other trusted adults about human sexuality. The information provided will be medically accurate, age‐appropriate, and inclusive of all students.

San José Unified contracts with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte to deliver this curriculum. You can click here to learn more about their education programs.

Parent Rights & Responsibilities

Parents/guardians will be notified in writing before students are offered instruction in comprehensive sexual health education and HIV/AIDS prevention education. You have the right to review written and audiovisual materials on request. You also have the right to request in writing that your child not receive the comprehensive sexual health education or HIV/AIDS prevention education.

If you have questions or concerns, please call us at (408) 535-4760.

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Family Supports

The Healthy Start Family Resource Center is a student and family support program that provides integrated and easily accessible health and social services to low-income children and families in an effort to assist them with improving health, education and family function.

Healthy Start is a partnership of schools and community agencies to provide direct and referral services to our students and families. This partnership brings expertise and resources together that result in better services for our children and families.

If you have questions or concerns, please call us at (408) 535-4760.

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Health Insurance

Children who participate in Medi-Cal are eligible for no-cost comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits. As the parent/guardian of a child with Medi-Cal you:

  • Pay no monthly premiums;
  • Pay no copayments for any benefit; and
  • Can choose from several health insurance plans.

Medi-Cal is available for children 18 years of age or younger from single- or two-parent working families that meet income requirements. To qualify, children must be California residents and U.S. citizens, nationals, or eligible undocumented immigrants.

Click here to learn more.

If your child does not qualify for Medi-Cal, there are several health insurance plans available at low cost. Please call us at (408) 535-4760 for more information.

 

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Homeless Assistance

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Program is designed to address the problems that homeless children and youth have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, state educational agencies (SEAs) must make sure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth.

If you’d like to learn more about San José Unified’s McKinney-Vento program and the services we provide for families and students, please contact Program Coordinator Brandon Ahlstrom at (408) 535-6464 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

For more information, you can read The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

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Section 504 Accommodation Plan

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act helps a child with special health care needs to fully participate in school. Usually, a 504 Plan is used by a general education student who is not eligible for special education services. A 504 Plan lists accommodations related to the child’s disability and required by the child so that they may participate in the general classroom setting and educational programs. For example, a 504 Plan may include:

  • Plans to make a school wheelchair-accessible;
  • Your child’s assistive technology needs during the school day;
  • Permission for your child to type assignments instead of writing them by hand; and
  • Permission for your child to hand in assignments late due to illness or a hospital stay.

The 504 Plan is a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment.

Eligibility

A student eligible for services under Section 504 is one who (a) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including learning, (b) has a medical record of such an impairment, or (c) is regarded by administrative and educational staff as having such an impairment. Major life activities are functions such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

A qualified disabled student, with respect to public preschool, elementary, secondary, or adult educational services, is a disabled person of an age during which non-disabled persons are provided such services, or of any age during which it is mandatory under state law to provide such services to disabled persons.

Referrals

Any student may be referred by a parent/guardian, teacher, other certificated school employee or community agency for consideration as a disabled student under Section 504. This referral should be made to the school site principal. The 504 Team will promptly consider the referral. The district will complete identification, evaluation, and educational placement process within a reasonable time frame.

Evaluations

A Section 504 evaluation will be completed within fifty (50) days of the date of the parent/guardian request for and consent to the evaluation and the district’s consent to the evaluation. The fifty (50) day deadline excludes days of school vacation in excess of five (5) days, and days that school is not in session. This deadline may be extended if the parent or guardian so agrees in writing.

Contact

For further information about a 504 Accommodation Plan or a copy of the Procedural Safeguards for Section 504, please contact the District 504 Coordinator at (408) 535-6195 ext. 13229.

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Resources

We encourage you to take advantage of these resources for ensuring the health and wellbeing of your student(s) and family.

Health Resources
  • SJUSD Healthy Start (408) 535-6798
  • Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (408) 885-2000
  • CHDP (physical exams for children) (408) 494-7410
  • Packard Children’s Hospital
  • Public Health Dept. Immunization Clinic (408) 792-5200
  • Public Health Dept. Refugee (Immigrant Services) (408) 792-5500
  • Public Health Dept. General Information (408) 423-0700
  • Valley Health Center - Pediatric Appointments 1 (888) 334-1000
  • Planned Parenthood - Info Line 1 (800) 230-7526
  • Gardner Health Clinic (medical, dental, Medi-Cal) (408) 918-5500
  • Social Services (Medi-Cal, AFDC food stamps) (408) 271-5500

Click here to learn how you can clean up at home to prevent norovirus and other illnesses from spreading.

Family Assistance
Counseling & Support
Crisis Intervention Hotlines
Substance Abuse
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Contact

Health and Family Support Department
San José Unified School District
855 Lenzen Ave.
San José, CA 95126

Phone: (408) 535-6377
Fax: (408) 535-2325

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