ACCOMMODATION OF SINCERELY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS:
● Board Policy 2240 - CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM:
The Board recognizes that a course of study or certain instructional materials may contain content and/or activities that some parents find objectionable. If after careful, personal, review of the program lessons and/or materials a parent indicates to the school that either content or activities that conflict with his/her religious beliefs or value system, the school will honor a written request for his/her child to be excused from particular hours or lessons for specified reasons. Alternative learning activities during times of parent requested absences will be provided. The student, however, will not be excused from participating in the course or activities mandated by the District.
Complaints may be made to the building principal. All requests shall be judged individually, based upon state and federal guidelines. The principal shall inform the parents/guardians in writing and in a timely manner of his/her decision. If a parent/guardian is not satisfied with the building principal’s decision, he/she may appeal to the Superintendent and, if necessary, to the Board. Appeals beyond the Board may be made to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in accordance with provisions of state law.
● Board Policy 2270 - RELIGION IN THE CURRICULUM
CHILD FIND NOTICE:
The School District of Rhinelander is required to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools in the school district, and homeless children. The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find. The school district conducts Child Development Screenings for children ages 3 years, 0 months to 5 years, 11 months each year. Children may participate in Child Development screenings if families, caregivers, and/or service providers have concerns about a child’s development. Each screening takes approximately 45 minutes, which includes time to review results and recommendations with parents and/or guardians.
EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH:
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (MVHAA):
This act defines homeless children as individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This includes children who share the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason. Children living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or campgrounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations are also included in this population. The following services may be provided for homeless children: enrollment assistance, free breakfast/lunch, books, school supplies, and referral to social service agencies, community resources and other related services that can assist basic needs.
If you are personally aware of or are acquainted with any children or youth who may qualify according to the above criteria, the Rhinelander School District provides the following assurances to parents and guardians of homeless children and youth and unaccompanied homeless youth:
· The child or youth shall be immediately enrolled and allowed to fully participate in school, even if unable to produce records normally required for enrollment (e.g., academic records, immunization and other required health records, proof of residency, or other documentation) or has missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness.
· Homeless children and youths are not stigmatized or segregated on the basis of their status as homeless and have full and equal educational and related opportunities.
· Meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children including special notices of events, parent-teacher conferences, newsletters, and access to student records.
· Immediate enrollment and transportation to the school of origin. “School of origin” means the school that a child or youth attended when permanently housed or the school in which the child or youth was last enrolled, including a preschool.
· Written explanation of any decisions related to school selection or enrollment made by the school, the local educational agency, or the State educational agency involved, including the rights of the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth to appeal and receive prompt resolution of such decisions.
If you are or aware of the families who are homeless or if you are in need of additional information on how homelessness is defined, please call:
Lauren Bessa
School Social Worker
School District of Rhinelander
665 Coolidge Avenue, Suite B
Rhinelander, Wisconsin 54501
715-365-9771
bessalau@rhinelander.k12.wi.us
RELEASE OF STUDENTS:
● Board Policy 5230 - RELEASE OF STUDENTS TO AUTHORIZED PERSONS
No student shall be released to anyone who is not authorized by a parent to do so.
SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCEDURES AND SERVICES:
The following procedural safeguards notice is based on a model developed by the United States Department of Education, with adaptations for use by Wisconsin School districts and other local education agencies. It is provided to families of children with disabilities annually. Procedural Safeguards Booklet link.
NOTICE TO PARENTS AND INDIVIDUALS REQUIRED TO MAKE REFERRALS:
Upon request, the school district is required to evaluate a child for eligibility of special education services. A request for evaluation is known as a referral. When the school district receives a referral, it will appoint an Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team to determine if the child has a disability and if the child needs special education services. The school district locates, identifies, and evaluates all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private (including religious) schools, elementary schools, and secondary schools located in the school district. A physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker, or administrator of a social agency who reasonably believes a child brought to him or her for services is a child with a disability has a legal duty to refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides. Before referring a child, the person making the referral must inform the child's parent that the referral will be made. Others, including parents, who reasonably believe a child has a disability, may also make a referral, to the school district in which the child resides. A referral of a homeless child may be made. Referrals must be in writing and include the reason why the person believes a child has a disability. A referral may be made by contacting Richard Gretzinger at 715-365-9700 ext. 5728 or by writing him at 665 Coolidge Ave., Suite B, Rhinelander, WI 54501.
SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOLARSHIP:
The Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP) allows a student with a disability, who meets certain eligibility requirements, to receive a state-funded scholarship to attend a participating private school. The Special Needs Scholarship Program is governed by Wisconsin Statute 115.7915 and Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter PI 49.
Information and application materials are available on the DPI website.
STUDENT BEHAVIOR:
● Board Policy 5517 - STUDENT ANTI-HARASSMENT
It is the policy of the Board to maintain an educational environment that is free from all forms of harassment. This commitment applies to all District operations, programs, and activities. All students, administrators, teachers, staff, and all other school personnel share responsibility for avoiding, discouraging, and reporting any form of harassment. This policy applies to conduct occurring in any manner or setting over which the Board can exercise control, including on school property, or at another location if such conduct occurs during an activity sponsored by the Board.
● Board Policy 5517.01 - BULLYING
The Board is committed to providing a safe, positive, productive, and nurturing educational environment for all of its students. The Board encourages the promotion of positive interpersonal relations between members of the school community. Bullying toward a student, whether by other students, staff, or third parties is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. This prohibition includes physical, verbal, and psychological abuse. The Board will not tolerate any gestures, comments, threats, or actions which cause or threaten to cause bodily harm or personal degradation.
● Board Policy 5500 - STUDENT CODE OF CLASSROOM CONDUCT
Respect for law and for those persons in authority shall be expected of all students. This includes conformity to school rules as well as general provisions of law regarding minors. Respect for the rights of others, consideration of their privileges, and cooperative citizenship shall also be expected of all members of the school community.Respect for real and personal property; pride in one's work; achievement within the range of one's ability; and exemplary personal standards of courtesy, decency, and honesty should be maintained in the schools of the District.
● Board Policy 5511 - DRESS AND GROOMING
Responsibility for the personal appearance of students enrolled in the District shall normally rest with the students themselves and their parent(s)/guardian(s). Student dress or grooming should not, however, affect the health or safety of students or disrupt the learning process within the classroom or school.
No student shall be permitted to wear any clothing that is normally identified with a gang or gang-related activities (e.g. gang-related colors) or clothing that contains pictures and/or writing referring to alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, sexual references, profanity, and/or illegal drugs. If there is a disagreement between students and/or parents and the staff regarding the appropriateness of clothing, the principal will use his/her discretion to make the decision.
This policy is in force during the school day, in school vehicles, in school buses, and at all school activities.
● Board Policies 3217, 4217, 5772, 7217 - WEAPONS
Without the permission of the Superintendent, the Board prohibits professional employees from possessing, storing, making, or using a weapon in any setting that is under the control or supervision of the District for the purpose of school activities that are approved and authorized by the Board, including but not limited to: property leased, owned, or contracted for by the District; a school-sponsored event; or, in a District vehicle, to the extent permitted by law
● Board Policy 5771 - SEARCH AND SEIZURE
The Board has charged the building principal or his/her designee with the responsibility of safeguarding the safety and well-being of the students in their care. In the discharge of that responsibility, school authorities may search school property such as lockers used by students or the person or personal property including vehicles of a student in accordance with this policy.
● Board Policy 5530 - DRUG PREVENTION
The Board recognizes that the misuse of drugs is a serious problem; with legal, physical, and social implications for the entire school community.
STUDENT INFORMATION, RECORDS, and FERPA RIGHTS:
Student Records:
○ Board Policy 8330 - STUDENT RECORDS
In order to provide appropriate educational services and programming, the Board must collect, retain, and use information about individual students. Simultaneously, the Board recognizes the need to safeguard students’ privacy and restrict access to students’ personally identifiable information.
The Board designates as student "directory data": student’s name; address; telephone number; date and place of birth; photograph; major field of study; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; height and weight, if a member of an athletic team; dates of attendance; date of graduation; degrees and awards received; name of the school most recently previously attended.
Parents and eligible students may refuse to allow the Board to disclose any or all of such "directory data'' upon written notification to the Board within fourteen (14) days after receipt of the District Administrator's annual public notice or enrollment of the student into the District if such enrollment occurs after the annual public notice. Any parent or eligible student who refuses to allow disclosure of directory data and who participates in the extra-curricular activity must complete the appropriate acknowledgement, which includes a limitation on the refusal to disclose directory data obtained during the course of the student’s participation in extracurricular activities.
Student records including disciplinary records with respect to suspensions and expulsions to a private or public school or a school district in which a student of the District is enrolled, seeks or intends to enroll, or is instructed to enroll on a full-time basis will be forwarded.
FERPA Rights:
○ FERPA is a Federal law that is administered by the Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) in the U.S. Department of Education (Department). FERPA protects “education records,” which are generally defined as records that are directly related to a student and maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution.
The rights provided by FERPA to a parent include, but are not limited to:
• Access to Education Records Under FERPA, a school or State educational agency (SEA) must provide a parent with an opportunity to inspect and review their child’s education records within a reasonable period of time, but not more than 45 calendar days following receipt of a request. A school or SEA is generally not required to provide copies of the education records unless circumstances effectively prevent the parent from exercising the right to inspect and review the education records. For example, if a parent who does not live within commuting distance of their child’s school requests that the school provide access to his or her child’s education records, the school would be required to make other arrangements for the parent to inspect and review the requested records, or to provide a copy of the requested records.
• Amendment of Education Records Under FERPA, a parent has the right to seek amendment or correction of their child’s education records that the parent believes to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the child’s rights of privacy. However, while a school is not required to amend an education record in accordance with a parent’s request, a school is required to consider the request for amendment, to inform the parent of its decision, and, if the request is denied, to advise the parent of his or her right to a hearing on the matter. If, as a result of the hearing, a school decides not to amend the education records, then the parent has the right to insert a statement in the record commenting on the contested information or stating why the parent disagrees with the decision, or both. That statement must remain with the contested part of the education record for as long as the record is maintained and be included whenever the contested part is disclosed. While a parent has the right to seek to amend non-substantive factual errors in the student’s education records, the right is not unlimited, and a school is not required by FERPA to afford a parent the right to seek to change substantive decisions made by school officials, such as substantive decisions made in the context of grades given to a student based on their performance, other evaluations of the student’s performance, or disciplinary decisions. These substantive decisions also include evaluations of whether a student has a disability and is eligible for special education and related services, disagreements about the content of a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), or the student’s educational placement under Part B of IDEA. While under FERPA a parent may seek amendment to correct a non-substantive factual error in an IEP, a parent should utilize the Part B of IDEA dispute resolution procedures (State complaints, mediation, or due process hearing procedures) to resolve disputes with a school regarding substantive matters. Each State has resources to help parents to participate effectively in their children’s education and development. State contact information is available on the IDEA website.
• Disclosure of Education Records Under FERPA, a school generally may not disclose PII from a student’s education records to a third party unless the student’s parent has provided prior written consent. However, there are a number of exceptions to FERPA’s general consent requirement. Under these exceptions, schools are permitted to disclose PII from education records without consent, but they are not required to do so by FERPA.
FERPA also permits a school to disclose PII from a student’s education records, without consent, when such information has been appropriately designated as “directory information” and the parent has not opted out of the disclosure of such designated information.
Complaints of Alleged Violations with FERPA:
Parents who believe that their FERPA rights may have been violated may file a complaint with SPPO on the U.S. Department of Education website.
SURVEYS, STUDENT PRIVACY, AND PARENTAL REVIEW AND ACCESS:
○ Board Policy 2416 - STUDENT PRIVACY AND PARENTAL ACCESS TO INFORMATION
This policy outlines procedures related to obtaining information from students through a survey, questionnaire, or evaluation type instrument. These instruments must be approved by the Superintendent. The student's parent/guardian will be notified in advance of their student's participation in a survey or questionnaire. Parents have the right to inspect, upon request, any instrument used in the collection of personal information before the instrument is administered or distributed to the student. For the privacy of students whose parents request that they not take part in the survey, arrangements will be made prior to the time period when the survey will be given, for the student(s) to go to a supervised location where under the supervision of a staff member the student will be provided with an alternate activity.