District Notices

Asbestos management plan
In accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) of 1987, Jordan-Elbridge Central School District’s facilities have been inspected and response actions are planned to ensure 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 in Jordan-Elbridge Middle School, 9 N. Chappell St., Jordan.

Attendance
Attendance is a critical factor for student success in school. Consistent school attendance, improved academic performance and school completion have a positive correlation. Therefore, it is the policy of the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District to promote a sound attendance policy, which, in turn, will lead to the development of skills, habits, understanding and knowledge for the success of all of our students. New York State law requires a parent to provide an excuse for a student’s absence or tardiness. If a student is absent from school, he or she may not attend a school event or participate in any school activity being held on that same day.

Body mass index reporting policy
New York State requires schools to track each student’s Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight status category as part of school health examinations. Every year, the NYS Department of Health will survey some schools for the number of pupils in each of six possible weight status categories. If Jordan-Elbridge is surveyed by the state, the district will share summary group data only, not individual names or information. Parents who wish to exclude their child’s data from such group calculations must contact the child’s school nurse.

Child Abuse Hotline Notification

If you suspect a child is being abused or maltreated (neglected), report it by calling 1-800-342-3720, a toll-free 24-hour hotline operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police department. Information about reporting child abuse and maltreatment (neglect) is available online at http://ocfs.ny.gov/main/cps/.

¿Tiene sospechas de abuso o negligencia infantil? ¡Repórtalo ahora! 1-800-342-3720. ¿Peligro inmediato? Llame 911.

Code of conduct
The Jordan-Elbridge Central School District has a set of expectations for conduct on school property and at school functions that is based on the principles of civility, mutual respect, citizenship, character, tolerance, honesty and integrity. The Board of Education recognizes the need to clearly define these expectations, identify consequences of unacceptable conduct, and ensure that discipline is administered promptly and fairly. As a result, the board in June 2012 adopted a district Code of Conduct that applies to all students, employees, parents and visitors when on district property or when attending a district function.

FERPA: access to student records
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives students over 18 years of age and parents certain rights with respect to students’ education records. The rights are:

• To inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. They may arrange an appointment to review official records relating to them, including: progress reports, grades, aptitude and achievement test scores, psychological tests and teacher evaluations.
• To request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record, setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
• To consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions:

        o school officials with legitimate educational interest;
        o other schools to which a student is transferring;
        o specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
        o appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
        o organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
        o accrediting organizations;
        o to comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
        o appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
        o state and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific state law.

Fire inspection report policy
Notice is hereby given that the annual inspection for 2012 of structures within the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District for fire hazards which might endanger the lives of students, teachers, and employees therein has been completed. Structures inspected include: Jordan-Elbridge High School, Jordan-Elbridge Middle School, Elbridge Elementary School and the district bus garage. The report is available for review by all interested persons at the district office.

Firearms policy
In accordance with the Gun Free Schools Act of 1994, students may not bring onto school property any firearms as defined by federal law. The penalty will be a minimum one-year suspension from school, modifiable only by the Superintendent on a case-by-case basis.

Idling school buses on school grounds
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations require that the engine of a bus or truck powered by diesel fuel shall not idle for more than five consecutive minutes when the bus or truck is not in motion except when a bus or truck is forced to maintain motionless because of the traffic conditions over which the operator thereof has no control or when state regulations require the maintenance of a specific temperature for passenger comfort.

Non-discrimination policy
It is the policy of the district not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military status or disability in its educational programs, activities or employment, in accordance with Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments and Section 504 of the Rehabilitative Act of 1973. Any parent who believes his or her child is disabled has the right to refer the child to the building principal for evaluation. No otherwise qualified individual with a disability solely on the basis of that disability, shall be denied benefits of, or be subject to, discrimination from any program or activity of the district.

Any parent who believes his or her child has been denied the benefits of an appropriate education as a result of discrimination based on disability should contact the building principal or Colleen Frawley. Moreover, any person who believes his or her rights have been violated should contact Colleen Frawley at (315) 689-8500, ext. 5042.

Parents Bill of Rights     
Parents' Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security

In accordance with the requirements of a new Section 2-d that was added to the New York Education Law in 2014, the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District provides the following Parents’ Bill of Rights with respect to maintaining the privacy and security of student data:

1)    A student's personally identifiable information cannot be sold or released for any commercial purposes;

2)    Parents have the right to inspect and review the complete contents of their child's education record;

3)    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. Towards this end, the District has implemented the following safeguards to protect personally identifiable information about students, which is stored or transferred by the District, against unauthorized disclosure.
•     All databases that have student information are protected by a secure password and login. Logins are monitored, and passwords are kept up-to-date.
4. A complete list of all student data elements collected by the State shall be made available for public review online, and by mail, upon written request, when this list is provided by the State. In the meantime, information regarding data elements collected by the State Education Department (SED) is available online at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/sirs/2011-12/2011-12SIRSGuidance/NEWER/2013-14SIRSManual9-1_20131107.pdf

Parents have the right to submit complaints about possible breaches of student data or teacher or principal APPR data. Any such complaint must be submitted, in writing, to:      

James Froio
Jordan Elbridge Superintendent
N. Chappel St. Jordan, N.Y. 13080
315-689-8500 Ext. 5002

PLEASE NOTE: The foregoing Parents’ Bill of Rights is neither complete nor final, as the District is awaiting further guidance (as specified by law) regarding implementation of Section 2-d, from New York’s Commissioner of Education and from a new “Chief Privacy Officer” who is to be appointed by the Commissioner. Accordingly, this Parents’ Bill of Rights is subject to revision and/or supplementation as needed to comply with the District’s obligations under the law.

Additional information is available on the New York State Education Department’s website at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/docs/parents-bill-of-rights.pdf.      You can access the NYS Education Law 2-d Inventory of Data Elements by going to this link:      http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/data-privacy-security/inventory-of-data-elements-collected-by-nysed_0.pdf.  The email address for the New York State Chief Privacy Officer is Privacy@NYSED.gov.
 
Pest management
New York State Education Law requires all public and non-public elementary and secondary schools to provide written notification to all persons in parental relation, faculty and staff regarding the potential use of pesticides periodically throughout the school year.

The Jordan-Elbridge Central School District is required to maintain a list of persons in parental relation, faculty and staff who wish to receive 48-hour prior written notification of certain pesticide applications. The following pesticide applications are not subject to prior notification requirement:

• anti-microbial products;
• non-volatile rodenticides in tamper-resistant bait stations in areas inaccessible to children;
• non-volatile insecticidal baits in tamper-resistant bait stations in areas inaccessible to children;
• silica gels and other non-volatile, ready-to-use pastes, foams or gels in areas inaccessible to children;
• boric acid and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate;
• the application of EPA-designated bio-pesticides;
• the application of EPA-designated exempt materials under 40CFR152.25;
• the use of aerosol products with a directed spray in containers of 18 fluid ounces or less when used to protect individuals from an imminent threat from stinging and biting insects, including venomous spiders, bees, wasps and hornets.

In the event of an emergency application necessary to protect against an imminent threat to human health, a good faith effort will be made to supply written notification to those on the 48-hour prior notification list.

To receive 48-hour prior notification of pesticide applications scheduled to occur in a school, please call Director of Facilities II, Vinny Smith at 689-8500, Ext. 5203.

Release of student information to military recruiters
Pursuant to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District upon request will disclose students’ names, addresses and telephone listings to military recruiters. Parents and students can request the district not release such information without prior written parental consent.

Smoke-free schools
In accordance with the federal Pro-Children Act of 1994, smoking will not be allowed in any of our school buildings or on school grounds/property at any time by anyone.

Staff qualifications: parents’ right to know
In accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, parents/guardians have the right to request information about the professional qualifications of their children’s classroom teachers. This includes whether the teacher has state certification for the classes being taught; the teacher's bachelor's degree major and any other certifications or degrees by field or discipline; and whether the child is provided services by instructional aides or similar paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications. To obtain this information, call the district office at 689-8500.

Student directory information
From time to time, student directory information (e.g., name, grade, photo, awards) depicting activities in the schools is released for use in district publications, on the district website or given to the media. Parents who object to the release of their child’s directory information and/or photograph should notify both the superintendent and their child’s building principal in writing by Sept 15.

Student privacy policy
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents certain rights regarding district surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams. Parents may exercise their right to excuse their child from participating in any survey created by a third party (before it is distributed to students) and questionnaires intended to collect personal information from students for marketing purposes.

Use of school facilities
The Board of Education welcomes any opportunity to make school facilities available to the people of the district for all purposes that are authorized by State Education Law. As per Board of Education policy, a certificate of insurance with a minimum coverage of $1 million, naming the Jordan-Elbridge School District as additional insured, is required. Please make application with the appropriate building principal for use of a particular building. For use of gymnasiums and fields, please contact Mark Schermerhorn at the high school or see the facilities use form on this website.


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