Policies

Asbestos Management Plan

In accordance with the EPA Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, the Glens Falls City School District has in place an asbestos management plan to identify and manage asbestos building materials. The Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) for the district is kept on file at the district office at 15 Quade Street, Glens Falls. These records are available for review during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or by making an appointment. For more information, contact the district office at 518-792-1212. Information about required inspections and any scheduled asbestos projects occurring this school year is contained within the AMP.

Child Find ProgramThe district has an obligation to offer a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities who are residents of the district. With parental consent, district staff evaluates students who may require specialized instruction and/or other accommodations to access and benefit from the educational services and programs our schools offer. If you believe your child has a disability that requires specialized instruction or accommodations, you are encouraged to contact your child’s building principal or the Office of Special Education at 518-793-7395 to discuss whether a referral to the Committee on Special Education or the 504 Team is appropriate.

Child Protective Services Investigations

Consistent with the district’s commitment to keep students safe from harm and the obligation of school officials to report to child protective services when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a student has been abused or maltreated, the district will cooperate with local child protective services workers who wish to conduct interviews of students on school property relating to allegations of suspected child abuse, and/or neglect, or custody investigations.

All requests by child protective services to interview a student on school property shall be made directly to the building principal or his or her designee. The building principal or his or her designee shall set the time and place of the interview. The building principal or his or her designee shall decide if it is necessary and appropriate for a school official to be present during the interview, depending on the age of the student being interviewed and the nature of the allegations. If the nature of the allegations is such that it may be necessary for the student to remove any of his or her clothing in order for the child protective services worker to verify the allegations, the school nurse or other district medical personnel must be present during that portion of the interview. No student may be required to remove his or her clothing in front of a child protective services worker or school district official of the opposite sex.

A child protective services worker may not remove a student from school property without a court order, unless the worker reasonably believes that the student would be subject to danger or abuse if not he or she was not removed from school before a court order can reasonably be obtained. If the worker believes the student would be subject to danger of abuse, the worker may remove the student without a court order and without the parent’s consent.

Data Privacy and Security

BOARD POLICY: PRIVACY AND SECURITY FOR STUDENT DATA AND TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL DATA (#5676)

The District is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of student data and teacher and principal data and will follow all applicable laws and regulations for the handling and storage of this data in the District and when disclosing or releasing it to others, including, but not limited to, third-party contractors. The District adopts this policy to implement the requirements of Education Law Section 2-d and its implementing regulations, as well as to align the District's data privacy and security practices with the National Institute for Standards and Technology Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (Version 1.1).

• Board Policy #5676 (PDF)

INVENTORY OF THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTS DEVELOPED AND MAINTAINED:

• Glens Falls DPS Inventory Page

PARENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS FOR DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY:

• Parents' Bill of Rights for Data Privacy

DATA PROTECTION OFFICER:

The Data Protection Officer for Glens Falls City School District is Paul Streicher, Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

• 518-832-4453
• 10 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801
• email: pstreicher [at] gfsd.org

UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE COMPLAINT PROCEDURE:

Parents, eligible students (students who are at least 18 years of age or attending a postsecondary institution at any age), principals, teachers, and employees of an educational agency may file a complaint about a possible breach or improper disclosure of student data and/or protected teacher or principal data. To begin this process, please request a complaint form from your child's school principal, or the District IT office, located in the High School.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the current federal law for K-12 public education which aims to ensure all children get a quality education. The law outlines how states can use federal money to support public schools and requires that states hold public schools accountable for how students achieve.

ESSA promotes educational equity, which means that all students succeed and thrive in school no matter who they are, where they live, or where they go to school. Accountability systems help make this possible by sparking an honest conversation about what schools are doing well and what they need to do to improve. Accountability systems provide opportunities to learn from high-performing schools and direct funds and resources to districts and schools that need to improve.

The law builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents and students across the country.

FERPA provides the following rights to parents of students enrolled in district schools (these rights transfer from the parent to the student once he/she turns 18 or is attending college):

1. You may inspect and review your child’s education records, by contacting the school principal, who will arrange for you to inspect them within 45 days. You may obtain a copy of any record by giving the principal a request that specifically identifies the record you want copied. The copies will be made within a reasonable time after your request is received; you may be charged .25 cents per page for the copies.

2. You may seek amendment of your child’s records if you believe they are inaccurate or in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights, by contacting the district Records Access Officer. You should tell the officer what specific portions of your child’s records you believe are inaccurate, misleading or a violation of privacy rights, and how you want them amended. If the officer determines that the record should not be amended, you have the right to a hearing to review that determination; the process for requesting a hearing will be explained to you at the time of the officer’s determination.

3. The district cannot generally disclose personally identifiable information contained in your child’s records to anyone outside the district without your consent. The district will disclose your child’s records to school officials only if they are providing educational services to your child, or otherwise need access to the information in those records in order to perform the work of the district. School officials include: administrators, teachers, and support staff employed by the district; Board of Education members; a parent or student serving on a district body such as the Committee on Special Education or the Student Senate; or any individual or company such as a law firm, medical consultant or specialist which contracts to provide services to the district or its students. The district will forward your child’s records to other educational agencies or institutions, including other school districts, in which your child seeks or intends to enroll, or from which your child is receiving services, upon the request of the agency or institution. You may request a copy of any record which has been sent to such an agency or institution, and you may seek amendment of any such record as described in Section 2 of this Notice.

4. If you believe the school district has not complied fully with FERPA or its regulations, you may file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, Washington D.C., 20202-4605. Procedures for filing this complaint can be obtained from the Records Access Officer. The district’s Records Access Officer is Anthony Cammarata, Glens Falls City School District, 15 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. His phone number is 518-792-1212.

Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), parents have the right to inspect and opt their child out of any student survey that reveals information about personal attitudes, behaviors or beliefs. Parents also have the right to receive notice of and opt their child out of any activities that involve the collection, disclosure or use of a student’s personal information for marketing purposes and out of any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening, except for hearing, vision and scoliosis screenings or as permitted or required by state law.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) PolicyNew York State Education Law requires the district 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 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 requirements:

• A school remains unoccupied for a continuous 72 hours following an application;
• Anti-microbial products;
• Nonvolatile rodenticides or insecticidal baits in tamper resistant bait stations, silica gels and other nonvolatile ready-to-use pastes, foams or gels in areas inaccessible to children;
• Boric acid and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate;
• The application of EPA designated biopesticides or 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. If you would like to receive 48-hour prior notification of pesticide applications that are scheduled to occur in your school, please contact Kristopher Gardner, Director of Facilities, at 31 Glenwood Avenue, or by phone at 518-792-2706.

Public Access to Records (FOIL)To request records under the Freedom of Information Law, contact Amy Towers, Records Officer, at atowers@gfsd.org or in writing to Amy Towers, Records Officer, GFSD, 15 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801.  Access to records of the District will be consistent with the rules and regulations established by the State Committee on Open Government and will comply with all the requirements of the New York State Public Officers Law Sections 87 and 89.

A Records Access Officer will be designated by the Superintendent, subject to the approval of the Board, who will have the duty of coordinating the District’s response to public request for access to records.

The District will provide copies of records in the format and on the medium requested by the person filing the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request if the District can reasonably do so regardless of burden, volume or cost of the request.

Requests for Records via Email

If the District has the capability to retrieve electronic records, it must provide such records electronically upon request. The District will accept requests for records submitted in the form of electronic mail and respond to these requests by electronic mail using the forms supplied by the District. This information will be posted on the District website, clearly designating the email address for purposes of receiving requests for records via this format.

When the District maintains requested records electronically, the response will inform the requester that the records are accessible via the internet and in printed form either on paper or other information storage medium.

Education Law § 2116
Public Officers Law §§ 87 and 89
21 NYCRR Parts 1401 and 9760

Pursuant to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the school district must disclose to military recruiters and institutions of higher learning, upon request, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of our high school junior and senior students. This information is routinely used by members of the Armed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps) as well as colleges and vocational schools.

However, parents or students may request, in writing, that the district not release such information. Parents, or students who are at least 18 years old, wishing to exercise their option to withhold their consent to the release of this information must contact the high school main office by September 30 of the current school year. After this date, the school will be expected to release the information when requested.

Should you have any questions regarding this request, or if you are in need of further information, please feel free to contact the school at 518-792-6564.

Section 504 Grievance ProcedureThe Glens Falls City School District does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission, access to services, treatment or employment in its programs and activities. Any complaints of discrimination in violation of federal law should be addressed through the following grievance procedure:

STEP 1: Informal Discussion with Coordinator
Complainants are encouraged to try to resolve problems promptly through informal dispute resolution. The complainant should meet with the building Principal to discuss his/her complaint. The Principal will investigate, documenting all steps (including dates and nature of meetings, disposition and dates of disposition), and will reply in writing to the complainant within five working days of the initial meeting.

STEP 2: Written Complaint
If the complaint is not satisfactorily resolved through Step 1, the complainant may file a written grievance with Section 504 coordinator within 10 working days of disposition at Step 1.
The written complaint must include: a clear statement of the alleged violation; the remedy sought by the complainant; and the complainant’s signature and the date.

The district’s Section 504 coordinator will conduct a full investigation of the grievance and will prepare a written report of the investigation that will include:

• A clear statement of allegations of the grievant and remedy sought.
• A statement of the facts as contended by each party.
• A statement of the facts as found by the coordinator and evidence to support each fact.
• A narrative describing attempts to resolve the grievance.
• The coordinator’s conclusions on whether the grievance is valid.

If the coordinator believes the grievance is valid, the coordinator will recommend appropriate action to the Superintendent of schools.

The report will be filed with the Superintendent within 15 days of receipt of the written grievance. A copy of the report will be provided to the complainant.

If the Superintendent agrees with the recommendations of the coordinator, the recommendations will be implemented.

STEP 3: Appeal to School Board
If the complaint is not satisfactorily resolved through Step 2, the complainant may file a written appeal to the Board of Education. The appeal, which must be filed within 10 days of the Superintendent’s decision, must include copies of the disposition at Step 1, if applicable, the written complaint, the coordinator’s report and the Superintendent’s decision at Step 2.

The appeal will be considered at the next regularly scheduled meeting as long as the appeal is filed at least five working days before the meeting. Within 10 working days of considering the appeal, the board will issue a written decision through the Superintendent’s Office.

OCR Complaint
At any stage of this grievance procedure, the complainant has the right to file formal complaints with the District Section 504 coordinator: Krislynn Dengler, Superintendent, Glens Falls City Schools, 15 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801.

Staff QualificationsPursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act, parents may request information about the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers including 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 paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Requests for the above information may be directed in writing to the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Amanda Simmes, 15 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 or 518-792-0107.