FACILITIES NOTICES

ANTI-IDLING LAW
New York State requires school districts to minimize unnecessary vehicle emissions during student transportation. The goal is to create healthier school environments by reducing unnecessary vehicle emissions and protecting student and community health.

All school district vehicles must turn off their engines when parked on school grounds, in front of a school, or while loading and unloading passengers. This applies to all school-owned or leased vehicles, not just school buses.

Limited idling is permitted in specific situations:
-Performing mechanical work
-Maintaining appropriate passenger temperatures
-Conducting emergency evacuations
-Operating wheelchair lifts

School districts must:
-Provide annual notice to personnel about the law
-Develop policies for efficient passenger loading

If you wish to view the exact wording of this law, please visit the New York State Education Department 

ASBESTOS NOTIFICATION COMPLIANCE
In compliance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), an inspection of asbestos-containing building materials is regularly performed for our school building. Such an inspection is required every three years, along with a periodic surveillance every six months. The inspection results and the complete Asbestos Management Plan are on file in the school district administrative offices, and are available for public review upon request.

FIRE INSPECTION
The annual fire inspection was conducted in May 2024 and the required reports were submitted to the New York State Education Department. 

PESTICIDE USE
Each year the district is required to offer to district residents the option of receiving prior notice of pesticide application on school grounds. This applies to all staff and residents of the district. If you are interested in receiving notification you will need to contact the school in writing stating your name, address and telephone number. We are required to report three times each year if we have used pesticides since the beginning of the school year. If we have not had the need to use pesticides it is not necessary to report. Therefore, during the first two weeks of September, we will be collecting the requests for notification. This information will be kept in the office of the Director of Facilities and for reference during the school year. It should be noted that if the school is going to be closed for 72 hours after the application of a pesticide, no notification is necessary.

WATER TESTING 
Safe and healthy school environments can foster healthy and successful children. To protect public health, the Public Health Law and New York State Health Department (NYSDOH) regulations require that all public schools and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES) test lead levels in water from every outlet that is being used, or could potentially be used, for drinking or cooking. If lead is found at any water outlet at levels above 15 parts per billion (ppb), which is equal to 15 micrograms per liter (µg/L), the NYSDOH requires that the school take action to reduce the exposure to lead.

As per state guidelines, the Waterford-Halfmoon UFSD had all water outlets sampled

What is first draw testing of school drinking water for lead?
The “on-again, off-again” nature of water use at most schools can raise lead levels in school drinking water. Water that remains in pipes overnight, over a weekend, or over vacation periods stays in contact with lead pipes or lead solder and, as a result, could contain higher levels of lead. This is why schools are required to collect a sample after the water has been sitting in the plumbing system for a certain period of time. This “first draw” sample is likely to show higher levels of lead for that outlet than what you would see if you sampled after using the water continuously. However, even if the first draw sample does not reflect what you would see with continuous usage, it is still important because it can identify outlets that have elevated lead levels.

What are the health effects of lead?
Lead is a metal that can harm children and adults when it gets into their bodies. Lead is a known neurotoxin, particularly harmful to the developing brain and nervous system of children under 6 years old. Lead can harm a young child’s growth, behavior, and ability to learn. Lead exposure during pregnancy may contribute to low birth weight and developmental delays in infants. There are many sources of lead exposure in the environment, and it is important to reduce all lead exposure as much as possible. Water testing helps identify and correct possible sources of lead that contribute to exposure from drinking water. 

What are the other sources of lead exposure?
Lead is a metal that has been used for centuries for many purposes, resulting in widespread distribution in the environment.  Major sources of lead exposure include lead-based paint in older housing, and lead that built up over decades in soil and dust due to historical use of lead in gasoline, paint, and manufacturing. Lead can also be found in a number of consumer products, including certain types of pottery, pewter, brass fixtures, foods, plumbing materials, and cosmetics. Lead seldom occurs naturally in water supplies but drinking water could become a possible source of lead exposure if the building’s plumbing contains lead. The primary source of lead exposure for most children with elevated blood-lead levels is lead-based paint. 

Should your child be tested for lead?
The risk to an individual child from past exposure to elevated lead in drinking water depends on many factors; for example, a child’s age, weight, amount of water consumed, and the amount of lead in the water. Children may also be exposed to other significant sources of lead including paint, soil and dust. Since blood lead testing is the only way to determine a child’s blood lead level, parents should discuss their child’s health history with their child’s physician to determine if blood lead testing is appropriate. Pregnant women or women of childbearing age should also consider discussing this matter with their physician.

For more information regarding the testing program or sampling results, contact Neil Cary, Director of Facilities at (518) 237-0800.

PARENT RESOURCES

APPR RATING AND SCORE RELEASE PROCESS
Pursuant to Education Law Section 3012-c, parents and legal guardians of students may request the final quality rating and composite effectiveness score for each of the teachers and for the principal of the school building to which your child is assigned each school year. Please be advised that the law does not allow and prohibits the release of any additional information about the individual teacher beyond the final rating and composite score.  

Only parents and legal guardians may have access to the final quality rating and composite score of the student’s teacher(s) and principal. The School District is required by the law to take reasonable steps to ensure that the person requesting the information is a parent or legal guardian of the student to whom the teacher(s) or principal is assigned. Therefore, any request must be in writing on the form provided on the district’s website at www.whufsd.org. No oral requests will be honored. The School District may request additional verification such as licenses or other photo identification to verify that the person requesting the information is the parent or legal guardian of the student. In the case of legal guardians, the School District will require proof of guardianship (e.g. court orders, etc.). The status of the requesting person will be verified against other information concerning the student in the possession of the School District (e.g. information or documents submitted at the time of registration) and the requesting person will be notified once their request has been verified and approved. 

Once the request is approved, an appointment with the administrator, or designated individual authorized to release such information, will be arranged. At the meeting the rating and score will be verbally provided. At this same meeting, the parent or guardian will also receive the required explanation regarding the rating and score to best understand them in the context of teacher evaluation and student performance. In the event a parent or guardian is unable to meet in person, they may receive the information verbally by phone. Since all of the information needed to establish final teacher and principal ratings and composite scores is not provided until the beginning of school (i.e. final information is often provided by the State Education Department to school districts on or around September 1), the availability to receive the final rating and composite scores for a student’s teacher(s) and principal for the current school year shall not be accessible by parents/legal guardians until the end of September. Requests for the information may be made anytime on or after that date. You should also be advised that a teacher or principal may appeal their final rating and composite score. This will impact both the timing of when such information can be provided to a parent or guardian since, if an appeal is filed by the teacher or principal to the APPR rating, then the rating and composite score will not be available until that appeal process has concluded. 

If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact the Superintendent of Schools (or other designated administrator). 

CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE
To report child abuse or neglect contact the Office of Children and Family Services
1-800-342-3720
Child Protective Services

LÍNEA DE ABUSO INFANTIL
Para reportar el abuso infantil o descuido hay que contactar la Oficina de Servicios para Niños y Familias 
1-800-342-3720
Servicios de Protección Infantil

CODE OF CONDUCT
Use the link above to seen the most recent Code of Conduct. 

FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students who are 18 years of age or older (“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 the District receives a request for access.
Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal or Director of Special Education a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The District 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 District to amend their child’s or their education record should write the school principal or Director of Special Education, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the District official decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the District will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and 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 consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained 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 District as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the District Board of Education; a person or company with whom the District has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another District 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.  

FERPA also authorizes the release of “directory information” without prior consent, unless the parent/guardian or eligible student (age 18 or older) requests, in writing, that directory information not be disclosed. The District considers the following information “directory information”:  

-Student’s name
-Student’s address
-Telephone number (s)
-Email address(es)
-Student’s date and place of birth
-Major field of study
-Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
-Weight and height of members of athletic teams
-Dates of attendance (“from and to” dates of enrollment)
-Degrees, honors, and awards received
-Date of graduation
-Grade level
-The most recent educational agency or institution attended.  

Photographs and video/digital images are also considered to be “directory information” by the District. Videotapes, digital movies and/or photographs may be shared with the public through, for example, public media outlets, the District newsletters, reports, website and other District communications, unless the parent/guardian or eligible student requests, in writing, that videotapes, digital movies or photographs of the student not be publicized.  

Two federal laws require the District to provide military recruiters and institutions of higher education, upon request, with three directory information categories of its secondary students: names, addresses and telephone numbers, unless parents or eligible students have advised the District that they do not want this information disclosed without their prior written consent. 

Those parents/guardians or eligible students who do not want directory information released and/ or do not want videotapes, digital movies, images and/or photographs published and/or do not want the limited release of directory information to military recruiters and/or institutions of higher education, must notify the District Office in writing by October 1 of the school year regarding the desired limitations on release of directory information. The address for the 125 Middletown Road, Waterford, New York 12188.  

The District, as authorized by FERPA, discloses personally identifiable student information without consent to other schools, school systems or institutions of postsecondary education in which a student seeks or intends to enroll or that are providing services to the student, upon receiving a request from any such institution. Parents/guardians or eligible students can receive a copy of all information disclosed upon request.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free School District to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  

The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4605

MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT 
Every school district must appoint a homeless liaison to help children and youth in temporary housing participate in school. The Mckinney-Vento Act covers children and youth who don’t have a fixed, adequate, and regular nighttime residence, such as those living:
-in an emergency or transitional shelter;
-with friends or relatives due to loss of housing or economic hardship (doubled up);
-in a motel, hotel, or campground;
-in a car, bus or train station, or other public place;
-in an abandoned building or some other inadequate accommodations; or
-in temporary situations while awaiting foster care placement.

For more information on the McKinney-Vento Act, please contact Waterford-Halfmoon UFSD’s homeless liaison, Christopher Scanlan at (518) 237-0800 x3601.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Waterford-Halfmoon UFSD does not discriminate in its programs and activities, including employment and admission as applicable, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, economic status, marital status, veterans’ status, political affiliation, domestic victim status, use of a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog, disability, or other classifications protected under federal or state law, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The designated district compliance officer(s) will coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, and the New York State Human Rights Law. The BOCES Civil Rights Compliance Officers are: Christopher Scanlan, 125 Middletown Road, Waterford, NY 12188, 518-237-0800 ext 3710, cscanlan@whufsd.org and Jennifer Bull, 125 Middletown Road, Waterford, NY 12188, 518-237-0800 ext 3315, jbull@whufsd.org. Complaints may also be filed with the Office for Civil Rights, New York Office, U.S. Department of Education, 32 Old Slip, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10005-2500, phone (646) 428-3800, fax (646) 428-3843, email: OCR.NewYork@ed.gov.

PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS  – DATA PRIVACY
Use the link above to see more information on data privacy.