During this pandemic, there is a lot of uncertainty; including where you or your family's next meal might come from. The state of California has two programs to help put food on your table during these difficult times - Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) and Cal Fresh.

Pandemic EBT

Starting the second week of May, families with children who are eligible for free or reduced price meals can get up to $365 per child, to buy food and groceries. If you have school-age children and are enrolled in Cal Fresh, Medical, or Foster Care benefits, you will automatically get a card in the mail between May 12 and May 22. If you qualify for this program but are not enrolled in the aforementioned programs, you can apply online starting May 22, but before June 30, 2020.

• Additional information

Cal Fresh

CalFresh is California's food stamps (SNAP) program for adults who need help buying food. This program is open to individuals and families with children.

• Apply for CalFresh

To find a COVID-19 testing site in Lemoore and Hanford, go to this link.

Lemoore and Hanford area location providing routine school age immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is some advice on how to talk to your child about their concerns regarding what they are hearing about the coronavirus.

Below are some tips for yourself if you are starting to feel anxious about the news regarding coronavirus:

-Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, drink a lot of fluids and eat nutritious food.

-Stick to reputable sites for your information like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). 

-Stay informed, but it’s important to limit the time you spend reading or listening to the news if you find that it increases your anxiety.

-Try to limit contact with sources that tend to fuel your worry.  Social media may be contributing to your anxiousness.

-Connect with loved ones, unplug, and maintain perspective.

What are health organizations and experts saying about Smoking, Vaping, and COVID-19.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. However, this is a “novel” virus, originating in China in late 2019 (hence the name, 2019 Novel Coronavirus). This particular strain of coronavirus can be spread between humans. This virus has since been named SARS-CoV-2 and if infected can cause the disease COVID-19.    Understanding and knowledge of this virus are constantly evolving.

Current Understanding of COVID-19 can be found here.

The California Coronavirus Response can be found here.

LUESD encourages our community to follow the CDC recommendations of everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus and any other respiratory diseases, by encouraging students, families, and staff to:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

• Follow the CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

Health Services

The mission of the LUESD Health Services Department is to provide holistic health related services to all students in order to improve student attendance, minimize health related barriers to learning, and to provide the link between health and education through collaboration with students, staff, families, and the community.

The Health Services Team is comprised of 2 credentialed School Nurses who have their RN and Public Health Nurse (PHN) license, and 5 Licensed Vocational Nurses.

Adverse Childhood Experiences have been found to present health risks for people later in life. On January 21, 2019, pediatrician Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, a pioneer and champion in the study of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), was appointed as California's first surgeon general. CA Governor Gavin Newsom has set aside $45 million to identify ACEs among children and adults involved in the state’s Medicaid program. The state’s Department of Health Care Services would provide screenings to everyone on MediCal younger than 65 at least once every three years, beginning in January 2020.        

Sometimes it can be confusing who to count and how to fill out the census! Do foster children count? Do newborns count? Yes and yes!  Click on the English and Spanish images below to view a fact sheet that describes different family situations and breaks down misconceptions and FAQs about completing the census.

Students can sustain a concussion through various injuries or accidents.  It doesn't always occur during an athletic event.  All students riding bicycles to school must abide by the  CA State helmet law.  Here is some helpful information regarding bicycle helmet use and safety.  At LUESD, all student's and student parent's participating in the athletic program need to read and sign this form.

If your child has any of  these symptoms, please keep them home from school and let the school office know. If you are interested in getting the flu vaccine, you can use the CA Dept of Public Health vaccine finder tool or call the Lemoore or Hanford Kings County Public Health Clinics to see when they are offering the flu vaccine.

Students must have their immunizations before they can attend school or child care in California.  Parents must present their student's Immunization Record to school prior to admission as proof of immunization per Ed Code 48216.  Here is a link to the current requirements for admission. The CA Department of Public Health has announced starting July 1, 2019, there will be changes to the school immunization requirements.

If your child requires medication to be taken at school, please read the handbook policy and download the  Medication Administration Form, have the medical provider complete it, and return it to your school's health office. 

• Information for families about how to enroll in or renew your coverage and get the care you need.

• Here is a list of Kings County Medi-Cal primary care, dental, opthamologist, and optometrist providers. 

• Healthy students make good learners.  

• Medi-Cal enrollment and Covered California enrollment utilize the same process.  Here is information on how to enroll.  Open enrollment season is underway! Here are some important dates to ensure your students are enrolled in health coverage:

  • Sign up by December 15th to have coverage starting January 1, 2020

  • Consumers who sign up for coverage after December 15th but before the January 15th deadline, will have coverage that starts February 1st.

• Smile, California is a great resource to help parents learn about their dental coverage through Medi-Cal.

• Kings County Health Department also offers some assistance through their Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health Division for eligible families.

SCA is caused by a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system that abruptly halts the heartbeat. These malfunctions are most often caused by an arrhythmia—an irregular heartbeat, or a structural problem. A variety of heart conditions can be congenital (present at birth) or can grow over time. Some conditions are hereditary, which is why knowing your extended family’s heart history is an important inclusion in your child’s medical record. At LUESD, all student's and student parent's participating in the athletic program need to read and sign this form.

LUESD recognizes the need to protect the health, safety and welfare of its students, to promote healthy development, to safeguard against the threat or attempt of suicide among school aged youth, and to address barriers to learning.  This policy corresponds with and supports other federal, state and local efforts to provide youth with prevention education, early identification and intervention, and access to all local resources to promote health and prevent personal harm or injury.

Resources:

• A trusted adult or friend.

• Kings County Behavioral Health 559-852-2444 

• Kings View Crisis and Counseling Services 559-582-4484/1-800-655-2553

• Central Valley Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-888-506-5991

• Kings Tulare Suicide Prevention Taskforce 559-624-7474

• PFLAG Tulare and Kings Parents, families, friends of LGBTQ community to promote health, support, educate and advocate 559-579-1101

• The TREVOR Project Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 1-866-488-7386 or text "Trevor" to 1-202-304-1200

•  Kings/Tulare Warm Line This is a confidential non-crisis, peer to peer support telephone service designed to solve minor problems to prevent them from becoming serious. 1-877-306-2413 

• Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assualt

District Attorney Office of Victim Witness 559-852-2640

Kings Community Action Organization 1-877-727-3225 24 Hr hotline

• Substance Abuse National Helpline 24/7 treatment referral and information service for individuals and families 1-800-662-4357

• Kings County Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) Newsletter

• Here is a great resource for parents with information on how to talk to your child about vaping.