The controversy over an eyesight screening service offered by the local district of Lions Club International looks to be over in Lehighton Area School District.

Lehighton’s board of directors on Monday night approved sending a letter to the Lions allowing them to use their hand-held Welch Allyn Spot auto-refraction device for screenings at kindergarten and Pre-K registrations, and for noncommunicative students.

In July, the district approved allowing the Lions to offer its screening to all district students, K-12. Last month, however, the district’s nurses voiced their opposition to the Lions’ exam taking the place of their own screenings.

“When the board gave approval for the Lions to offer supplemental vision screenings K-12, it was done with no consultation or input from the school nurses,” high school nurse Abbie Guardiani said. “The vote was taken without our knowledge. Collaboration does not begin with an attempt to bulldoze a time-tested program of health and wellness.”

The nurses said the Titmus machine they use is approved by the state for mandated annual eye exams, while the Lions’ machine is not.

Dave Leon, coordinator of the Lions District 14-U Kid Sight program, said it focuses on kids ages 6 months through 6 years old, but anyone could be screened.

“The reason for that is because that age group is one nobody is paying attention to,” Leon said. “The younger you catch problems in children, the faster it is for them to get that corrected or go through therapies. At no time did we say, however, that we wouldn’t look at larger age groups.”

The Lions Club did screen students, after receiving parent permission, at Lehighton Area Elementary Center earlier this school year.

“The nurses chose not to be present during those screenings,” Leon said. “Everywhere else we went, the nurses worked with us the whole time.”

School nurse Colleen Harleman said she and other nurses did a lot of work in the lead-up to the Lions Club screenings. That included getting the permission slips out, sorted by classroom after they were returned, as well as making sure all the clearances were in place for those doing the screenings.

“The way the board members who presented the Lions Club screenings went about it, It flies in the face of having the intent of working with the district nurses,” Guardiani said. “Collaboration has been torpedoed.”

The school nurses also presented at March’s board meeting, but Leon was not there. Board members David Bradley and Gail Maholick said they were told Leon was informed by someone not to attend.

“That wasn’t the case,” Leon said Monday, “I just didn’t know it was going to be a topic of discussion.”

Leon said the Lions are more than interested in using their equipment at kindergarten and Pre-K registrations, an idea Lehighton’s administration backed as well.

“We would love to do that,” Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said. “It’s a great way to catch children before they get into the public school system, and the Lions officials can talk to parents directly about a referral if one is necessary. Then parents have the whole summer to do something about it if they choose.”

Guardiani said the nurses also support the Lions using the equipment at those registration events.

“We do value what the Lions do,” she said. “But their screenings belong with children 6 months to 6 years old.”