SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Unified School District plans to offer free swine flu vaccinations to its 32,000 students.

The school district is working in collaboration with the Stanford University School of Medicine and Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, Santa Clara County's public health officer, to offer the nasal spray and injectible forms of the vaccine at 40 school sites, said Melinda Landau, the manager of the school district's health and family support program.

Landau said the school district is in the process of ordering the vaccines and will kick off a pilot program at two schools before branching out. The vaccinations are free, but require permission from parents.

"We want to emphasize that this is a voluntary program," Landau said. "We won't do anything without a parent-signed permission slip."

School nurses will work in teams at two sites each day to give the vaccinations.

Landau said the program was started to benefit disadvantaged students who may not have access to primary care physicians.

"Some of our families, they're at work and it's hard to get their child to the doctor or clinic," Landau said. "We're trying to keep our kids in school, removing barriers in education."

California Department of Public Health spokesman Ken August said an initial shipment of 400,000 doses of the nasal spray is being distributed to health care providers across the state this week and that an initial shipment of 200,000 doses of the shot will be distributed in mid-October.

"We expect to see more illnesses from H1N1 flu, more serious illnesses and unfortunately more death," August said. "It's important that all Californians take steps to protect themselves from the H1N1 flu.