District Plans, Notifications & Policies

The Bolivar-Richburg Central School District Child Find Policy requires that all children below twenty-one (21) years of age residing within the district who have a disability and who are in need of special education and related services are located, identified and evaluated in accordance with all federal regulations and state standards.   If you suspect that your child may have a disability, please contact:

Mary Snyder
Bolivar-Richburg Central School
100 School Street
Bolivar, New York 14715
585-928-2561

The Title I program is a funding resource provided by the federal government to help kids in poverty.  States receive funding from the federal government and then send the funds to local school districts. Districts earmark the money for individual schools with high poverty rates to improve their students' academics and close achievement gaps. 

Federal funds don’t replace local and state dollars, but are added to local money dedicated to the schools.  Bolivar-Richburg Central School District uses a schoolwide model where funds can be used across the entire school's population to improve achievement. Many types of activities can be paid for with Title I dollars.  They just need to support learning and be allowed within the schoolwide program. 

If you have any questions about Title I in your child’s school please contact your building principal.

General

The Title I program is administered at all three buildings (Pre-K, Elementary and Middle School/ HS).  All schools within the District qualify as School-Wide Schools.   This designation is based on the high poverty levels (above 50%) of families residing within the District and allows for the use of Title I funds for all students and classes.  This is as opposed to a targeted program, in which funds are expended for educational purposes for students who have specific or special needs.    

Teachers who are paid with Title I funds educate students in the areas of Language Arts (lesser extent), Math and Reading.

Grade levels K-2 utilize I-Ready computerized testing and benchmarking.  The I-Ready program helps identify needs and instructs the teachers as to what areas to focus on. All other grade levels utilize I-Ready and standardized tests each year to monitor their progress.  Due to the school-wide designation, all students have to be assessed.

Eligibility

Since BRCSD is school-wide, all students are eligible to receive the benefits of Title I funds.   However, the District does focus on students who have difficulty learning.  This allows for certain students to be pulled out from their regular instruction in the areas in which they need the most help.

Program

Title 1 Serving students having difficulty with Reading and /or Math Skills

Students advance at different rates. Some require extra help. 

Selection of students for Title 1 support is determined by:

• consistent below grade level performance
• test scores
• teacher and/or parent referral

The purpose of Title I is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and assessments.

Schools are eligible for Title I services based on their student poverty rate. The Title I Targeted Assistance Schools designated for the 2019-20 school year are:

• Bolivar-Richburg Elementary School
• Bolivar-Richburg Junior/Senior High School   

What Does Title 1 look like at BRCS?

A title 1 teacher works with students from grades K-12 individually or in small groups. 

Extended instructions may be provided for students who need foundational skills.

Title 1 staff members work with students in the Title 1 rooms or in the regular classrooms to give them extra help. 

Title 1 is not special education

There are other programs for special needs. 

Students exit the program when they reach grade level.

Title I schools receive federal funding to supplement the school’s existing programs. These dollars are used to:

• Fund supplemental programs
• Fund supplemental staff and materials
• Fund programs and services that specifically support students with the greatest academic need

Title I funds are to be used to directly impact student achievement by:

• Providing additional services that increase the amount and quality of instructional time
• Providing enriched and accelerated academic programs
• Significantly elevating the quality of instruction
• Affording parents substantial and meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.

Monitoring

Throughout year, children are monitored and given progress reports. Progress reports are sent every 5 weeks while report cards are sent every 10 weeks.  Response to intervention meets when teachers request additional support.

In the fall, teachers are asked to complete an assurance folder for all students in the building since they are a school-wide program.  The following information should be included in each folder:

• Parent compacts & evidence of parental involvement
• Student data
• Student assessment data

These folders are maintained by the reading department.

Each building principal observes the staff on a regular basis to monitor teaching techniques and the progress of students.  Assessment data is sent home 4 times per year for all students. In addition, parents are encouraged to meet with all teachers to discuss their child’s progress.

Teachers are required to keep detailed records for each student.  Also, continuing education is stressed among Title I staff.  Title I funds help support 2 teachers to work with classroom teachers in providing them with additional professional development in the area of reading skills.  The 2 teachers also work with lower achieving students to build the student skill base. 

NYSED Complaint Procedures

http://www.nysed.gov/essa/new-york-state-essa-funded-programs-complaint-procedures

Notification of Rights under FERPA for Elementary and Secondary Schools 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records.  These rights are:

The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day Bolivar-Richburg Central School received a request for access.

Parents or eligible students should submit to the Bolivar-Richburg Central School appropriate building principal a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect.  The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. 

The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the school to amend a record should write the appropriate school building principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed.  If the Bolivar-Richburg Central School decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.  Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

The right to privacy of personally identifiable information in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. 

One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.  A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the school has outsourced services or functions it would otherwise use its own employees to perform (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent, student, or other volunteer assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

Upon request, Bolivar-Richburg Central School discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are: 

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC  20202-8520 

FERPA Directory Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Bolivar-Richburg Central School, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records.  However, Bolivar-Richburg Central School may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures.  The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the Bolivar-Richburg Central School District to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications.  Examples include:

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent.  Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks.  In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEA’s) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent.1

If you do not want Bolivar-Richburg Central School to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by September 30.  Bolivar-Richburg Central School has designated the following information as directory information:

• A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production;
• The annual yearbook;
• Honor roll or other recognition lists;
• Graduation programs; and
• Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.
• Student’s name
• Address
• Telephone listing
• Electronic mail address
• Photograph
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Grade level
• Participation of officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Degrees, honor, and awards received
• The most recent educational agency or institution attended
• Student ID number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used to communicate in electronic systems that cannot be used to access education records without a PIN, password, etc.  (A student’s SSN, in whole or in part, cannot be used for this purpose.)

1These laws are:  Section 9528 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 7908), as amended, and 10 U.S.C. § 503(c), as amended.

The Bolivar-Richburg Central School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military status, political affiliation, race, creed or religion, color, national origin, or disability in the employment and educational opportunities it offers, including career and technical educational opportunities as required by Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The Board of Education affirms its compliance with those sections of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 dealing with program accessibility.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in federally assisted programs or activities solely on the basis of disability.  The District shall make its program and facilities accessible to all its students with disabilities.

The District shall also identify, evaluate and extend to every qualified student with a disability under Section 504 a free, appropriate public education, including modifications, accommodations, specialized instruction or related aids and services, as deemed necessary to meet their educational needs as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students are met.

Sexual Harassment of Students

The Board of Education affirms its commitment to non-discrimination and recognizes its responsibility to provide for all District students an environment that is free of sexual harassment and intimidation.  Sexual harassment is a violation of law and stands in direct opposition to District policy.  Therefore, the Board prohibits and condemns all forms of sexual harassment by employees, school volunteers, students, and non-employees such as contractors and vendors which occur on school grounds and at all school sponsored events, programs and activities including those that take place at locations off school premises or those that take place in another state.  Generally, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct or communication of a sexual nature when:

1. Submission to or rejection of such sexually harassing conduct and/or communication by a student affects decisions regarding any aspect of the student’s education, including participation in school-sponsored activities;
2. Conditions exist within the school environment that allow or foster obscene pictures, lewd jokes, sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or other harassing activities of a sexual nature; and
3. Such conduct and/or communication has the purpose or effect of substantially or unreasonably interfering with a student’s academic performance or participation in an educational or extracurricular activity, or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning environment; and/or effectively bars the student’s access to an educational opportunity or benefit.

Complaint Process

Any student suspecting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military status, political affiliation, race, creed or religion, color, national origin, or disability may make a claim of discrimination using the procedure outlined below.  Anyone who is aware of or has a complaint about sexual harassment should also follow this procedure.  This claim or complaint is filed with the Superintendent/designee, who will assist with the complaint process if necessary.  The following information should be included on the complaint. 

1. The exact nature of the complaint – actions, policies, or practices believed to be discriminatory and any person believed to be responsible.
2. The date, time and place of the alleged discriminatory action(s).
3. The names of witnesses or persons who have knowledge about the complaint.
4. Any available written documentation or evidence that is relevant to the complaint.
5. The actions that could be taken to correct the complaint

The Superintendent/designee shall cause a review of the complaint to be conducted (including necessary meetings and interviews) and a written response mailed to the complainant within ten school days after receipt of the complaint.

If it is agreed that discrimination occurred, corrective action will be taken to restore denied rights.

If there is not agreement, a written appeal may be submitted to the Board of Education indicating the reasons for disagreement.  The Board of Education shall consider the appeal at its next regularly scheduled meeting following receipt of the appeal.

A complaint of illegal discrimination may also be filed with the Federal Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education.

• Pre-K Building Testing Results
• Elementary School Testing Results
• Middle/High School Testing Results

All schools of the Bolivar-Richburg Central School District are classified as Title I School-Wide schools.  Under No Child Left Behind, you have the right to request the following information about the qualifications of your child's classroom teacher and paraprofessional staff:

• Whether the teacher has state certification for the classes in which the teacher provides instruction.

• Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or provisional status.

• The teacher's bachelor's degree major and any other certifications or degrees held by the teacher by field or discipline.

• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Should you wish to request this informaiton, please contact the District Office, and we will be happy to provide it to you in a timely manner.

The Bolivar-Richburg Central School District seeks to use current technology, including electronic storage, retrieval, and analysis of information about students’ education experience in the district, to enhance the opportunities for learning and to increase the efficiency of our district and school operations.

The Bolivar-Richburg Central School District seeks to insure that parents have information about how the District stores, retrieves, and uses information about students, and to meet all legal requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of protected student data and protected principal and teacher data, including Section 2-d of the New York State Education Law.

To further these goals, the Bolivar-Richburg Central School District has posted this Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security.

• A student’s personally identifiable information cannot be sold or released for any commercial purposes.
• Parents have the right to inspect and review the complete contents of their child’s education record.  The procedures for exercising this right can be found in Board Policy 7240, Student Records:  Access and Challenge.  You may access this Policy from the District’s website.
• State and federal laws protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information, and safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices, including but not limited to, encryption, firewalls, and password protection, must be in place when data is stored or transferred.
• A complete list of all student data elements collected by the State is available at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/sirs/documentation/NYSEDstudentData.xlsx and a copy may be obtained by writing to the Office of Information & Reporting Services, New York State Education Department, Room 863 EBA, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12234.
• Parents have the right to have complaints about possible breaches of student data addressed.  Complaints should be directed in writing to the Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, Room 863 EBA, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12234.

Supplemental Information About Third Party Contracts

In order to meet 21st century expectations for effective education and efficient operation, the District utilizes several products and services that involve third party contractors receiving access to student data, or principal or teacher data, protected by Section 2-d of the Education Law.  The District recognizes that students, parents, and the school community have a legitimate interest in understanding which of the District’s vendors receive that data, for what purpose, and under what conditions.  The District has undertaken the task of compiling that information, and of insuring that each new contract adequately describes (1) the exclusive purposes for which the data will be used, (2) how the contractor will ensure that any subcontractors it uses will abide by the data protection and security requirements, (3) when the contract expires and what happens to the data at that time, (4) if and how an affected party can challenge the accuracy of the data is collected, (5) where the data will be stored, and (6) the security protections taken to ensure the data will be protected, including whether the data will be encrypted.

As part of the Bolivar-Richburg Central School District’s pest management program, pesticides are occasionally applied.  You have the right to be informed prior to any pesticide application made to the school grounds and buildings.  In certain emergencies, pesticides may be applied without prior notice, but you will be provided notice following any such application.  If you need prior notification, please contact the following:

Mr. Randy Harmon, Superintendent of Buildings & Grounds
Bolivar-Richburg Central School
100 School Street
Bolivar, NY  14715

Based on the concerns conveyed to the Commissioner surrounding the use of assessments, and in accordance with Section 1 of Subpart F of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2014, the Commissioner directed the Office of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness to review each district’s and BOCES’ APPR plan to identify opportunities for local action to ensure the minimum assessments necessary are used to inform effective decision making. The Department encourages leaders to use the Testing Transparency Report to help review their currently approved APPR plan to identify modifications that would be approvable by the Department and result in less testing for students. The Department has consistently communicated that the amount of testing should be the minimum necessary to inform effective decision-making at the classroom, school, district and BOCES level.

The Testing Transparency Reports for Bolivar-Richburg CSD are posted below.

The Department has prepared an FAQ Document entitled “Teach More, Test Less: Testing Transparency Reports FAQ” to accompany the release of these Testing Transparency Reports, available at: https://www.engageny.org/resource/guidance-on-the-approved-regulatory-amendments-to-appr-to-help-reduce-local-testing. NYSED has also prepared resources to guide the development of APPR plans. Please visit https://www.engageny.org/resource/appr-planning.

Districts that need and/or want to make material changes to their APPR plans to reduce testing should contact the Office of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness by emailing educatoreval@mail.nysed.gov.

FIRE INSPECTION:  In compliance with New York State Education Department Regulations, an annual fire inspection was conducted by certified inspectors.  All areas are in compliance.

STRUCTURAL INSPECTION:  In compliance with regulations, an annual structrual inspection was conducted by certified inspectors.  All areas are in compliance. 

Reports on the above inspections are on file and you are welcome to view them at any time during the normal school hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

ASBESTOS:  In compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPS) Asbestos Hazard Empergency Response Act (AHERA), all asbestos material in the school remains in good condition.

AHERA is a federal law enacted in 1987 which requires all school districts to re-inspect facilities for asbestos containing building materials.  The facilities have been inspected and response actions are planned to insure a continued safe environment for our students and employees.  Activities include training of maintenance staff to prevent disturbance of asbestos and periodic re-inspection and surveillance activities by trained personnel. 

Details of such activities are described in the district's AHERA Management Plan, which is available for your review in the district office.