Asbestos Management

All asbestos inspections under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1966 (AHERA) have been completed. In accordance with AHERA, triennial re-inspections are required by an accredited inspector. Our facilities were inspected in May 2023, and we are in compliance with all requirements. The District has a plan in place to organize routine inspections and train maintenance staff. The AHERA Inspection and Management Plan is available for review in the Buildings and Grounds Office, located at 12 MacArthur Drive.

District-Wide Safety Plan

In accordance with the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, we have a District-Wide Safety Plan to meet the needs of the District. The plan is intended to address emergencies such as school cancellation, early dismissal, and sheltering and is available for review by District residents during regular school hours in the Buildings and Grounds Office, located at 12 MacArthur Drive.

Annual Fire Inspection Report

The annual inspection of buildings for fire hazards, which might endanger the lives of students, staff, and visitors, has been completed. The report is available for review in the Buildings and Grounds Office, located at 12 MacArthur Drive.

Pesticide Application Notice

NYS Education Law Section 409-H, effective July 1, 2001, requires all public and nonpublic 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 year. Under State Law, we are required to maintain a list of staff and persons in parental relations who wish to receive forty-eight-hour notification of pesticide applications at relevant school facilities. At this time, we are providing notification that no pesticides have been applied in the District.

To register with the school to be on a 48-hour notification list, submit a written request to Director of Facilities Chad Bliss, Buildings & Grounds Office, 12 MacArthur Drive, Batavia, NY 14020. The written request must be submitted annually.

Student Information and Student Privacy

The Batavia City School District has always recognized the importance of the protection of student privacy and the rights of students’ parents/guardians in regard to the privacy of their child(ren). In addition, there are several laws in place that require the District to notify parents (and students over age 18) of particular legal rights. Following are some of the privacy issues that relate to all students. For more grade-specific information, please refer to the student handbooks.

Access to Records

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), parents (and students over 18) have the right to inspect and review the student’s records or to request the amendment of records believed to be inaccurate or misleading. With few exceptions (such as a criminal investigation) student records are private unless the parent (or student, if over age 18) consents to disclosure of personally identifiable information.

Disclosure to Military

As part of federal legislation, school districts are required to provide students’ names, addresses, and telephone listings to military recruiters. Parents and students have the right to opt-out and refuse to allow disclosure of this information. Contact the Batavia High School Counseling Office to submit such a request.

Data Privacy

State and federal laws protect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of student data. Students’ personally identifiable information cannot be sold or released for any commercial purpose. Furthermore, school districts and other educational agencies are required to have safeguards in place for the storage and transfer of student information.

Opting Out of Publications

Federal law allows schools to disclose “directory information” without written parental consent unless the parents have advised the school district to the contrary. Directory information is identifiers such as name, grade, activity or award, photograph, or video footage that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released. The primary purpose is to allow the school district to include this type of information in school or District publications, on the district’s website and social media outlets, and for appropriate release to the media. (Please note that the media follow their own guidelines at public events, including events held on school property.) Examples of how information, photographs and/or videos are used include a school playbill showing roles in a drama production; a sporting event announcement or printed program containing a team roster and players’ stats; school yearbooks; our newsletters, website, and social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter for sharing announcements of and recognition for honors, awards, and achievements, as well as showing class, club, or team activities; and graduation programs listing award recipients. One exception to note is releasing information that would identify a child, by name, as a person in need of special services; that is prohibited by law.

Any parent who does NOT want the District to disclose their child’s directory information or photograph/video footage should notify both the building principal and the Superintendent of Schools - in writing - by September 15 (or within fifteen days of registration) of each school year. This information will then be shared with the appropriate personnel, such as the child’s teacher(s), the District public relations coordinator, and the District webmaster. While notification may occur at any time, the District is not required to delete or re-do publications that may already be in place at the time of notification. As previously noted, the District cannot be responsible for media coverage of activities and events.

Schools and the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

HIPAA (the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act) is a federal law that provides standards for the protection of individual health information. In a school setting, HIPAA affects the nature of the exchange of information from the student’s health care provider to the school. Informal exchanges between health providers and school health staff are no longer permitted; explicit written authorization is required from the parent or guardian in order for information to flow to the school. For example, immunization records require such authorization.

FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) continues to govern the confidentiality, privacy, and exchange of health care information that is contained in the student’s educational record. For example, it is not necessary to obtain a release of information from a parent or guardian in order to share relevant information with school staff for the purposes of insuring the best and most appropriate care for a student.

For additional information, please contact the New York State Center for School Health Services at (585) 617-2380 or online at www.schoolhealthny.com.

Admission/Registration

A child is eligible for kindergarten if s/he attains the age of five years on or before the first of December of the year in which s/he applies for entrance.

Those incoming students, as well as all new student registrations, are processed in the Registrar’s Office in the District’s administrative wing of Batavia High School, 260 State Street. All registration packets are available on the District website and from the Registrar’s Office. If assistance is needed, please call that office at 343-2480 x1010.

To register their child(ren), parents must bring in the completed registration packet(s), two proofs of District residency (as outlined in the registration packet), as well as, for each child being registered, the birth certificate, proof of a NYS-mandated physical, and complete immunization records with the doctor’s signature. The child’s social security card, while optional, is helpful for use in our student information system to differentiate between students who may have the same or similar names.

Nutritional Services

The District is committed to providing our students with all the tools they need to succeed, including nutritious meals.

Details about Nutritional Services, including menus, Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) funding for meals, and CEP Household Income Eligibility Form, can be found on the District’s Nutritional Services website page.

Student Meals and the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program

Beginning in 2018-2022, because the District applied for and was granted federal funding, every school day, every student attending a District school is eligible to receive a nutritious breakfast and a nutritious lunch at no cost to their families. Batavia qualifies for this Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) funding – a provision of The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act – because of its classification as an economically disadvantaged community due to a significant number of students already qualifying for free or reduced meals. 2020-21 is the third year of the CEP authorization, which is for a total of four years. At the end of the four-year authorization, the District will be eligible to re-apply for additional four-year terms as long as the federal program is funded. Annual savings, per student that eats both breakfast and lunch is over $600 a school year. We reapplied for this grant in spring 2021; approved for 2022-23 through 2026-27.

CEP’s Household Income Eligibility Form

Although the in-school meals are provided to all regardless of income, all families are urged to complete one CEP Household Income Eligibility Form to qualify the District for other income-based funding and grants – a process which was formerly measured by information recorded on the Free and Reduced Meal Applications. The District currently receives a significant amount of money in grants and other funding based on economic need; collecting this data will permit us to continue to apply for and receive critical funding for which we are eligible. The form is available as a pull-out insert in the school calendar, online on the District’s Nutritional Service web page, and at all schools’ open house events.

Daily Meals Served: Breakfast and Lunch

• Every school day, every student enrolled in the District receives a full breakfast and a full lunch at no cost, regardless of the family’s household income.

• Students are not required to participate; students may still bring their lunch or make a la carte purchases if that is their preference.

• For meal selections, the District follows all food and dietary guidelines that are set by New York State Child Nutrition Program and complies with the federal program, Choosemyplate.gov. For breakfast, the District offers two grains, a fruit, and a milk or milk variety. Students must choose at least three of the four offered items and one of those chosen must be the fruit. For lunch, the District offers a protein, a grain, a fruit, a vegetable, and a milk or milk variety. Students must choose three of the five offered items and one of those chosen must be the fruit or vegetable.

• It is important to note that the District offers a complete meal to each student in order to qualify for the CEP fully-funded reimbursable meal, but if a student refuses to take the complete meal, then the student must pay a la carte prices for the foods he or she has selected.

• Milk or milk variety is offered with each breakfast and lunch or with any additional paid meals. However, milk or milk variety purchased separately (such as for students who bring their lunch) costs $0.60.

• Second meals (for breakfast and lunch) are not covered under the program, and it is each family’s responsibility to pay for those meals at the time of purchase.

• There is NO CHARGING allowed for a la carte items or for additional meals.

• Payment is due at the time of purchase.

Costs for Second Meals

• At Jackson and John Kennedy, a second full breakfast is $1.75, and a second full lunch is $2.50.

• At the Middle School and High School, a second full breakfast is $1.75, and a second full lunch is $2.75.

District-Wide Policy for Charging and Options for Purchasing Food Items

Because each school day, each student is eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost, there is NO CHARGING allowed. Instead, students may pay cash or utilize My School Bucks, the computerized point-of-sale system whereby parents can pre-pay, and child(ren) then can use a personal identification number (PIN) for their meal purchases. Money can be added to the My School Bucks accounts in two ways: through an online account or by sending in money to school.

• Secure online payments can be made, and accounts can be monitored after setting up an electronic account at www.myschoolbucks.com., also accessible through a link on the District website. The ‘myschoolbucks’ mobile app is also available through most app stores. While many features of the account are free to use - such as monitoring it and signing up for email notifications of low balance - there is a $2.49 transaction fee charged by the management company when making a deposit. (For more information on this option, go to the link for Breakfast and Lunch information on the District website.) The Parent Help Line is 1-855-832-5226.

• Prepayment monies can be sent to the school at any time. Checks (payable to “Batavia City Schools”) are recommended and must include the child’s first and last name.

• A LA CARTE: My School Bucks account may be used for a la carte purchases or for any additional/second meals.

• Refunds from My School Bucks: If a refund of the account balance is desired, please contact the Coordinator of Nutritional Services, Susan Presher, by email at slpresher@bataviacsd.org or by standard mail at 260 State Street, Batavia, NY 14020.

How to Reach Nutritional Services

To contact the Nutritional Services Department or a school’s cafeteria, please call 343-2480 and add this desired extension when prompted:

• Susan Presher, Coordinator of Nutritional Services: x 1007

• Conor Bleier, Assistant Coordinator of Nutritional Services: x 1007

• Jackson: x 4005 • John Kennedy: x 5005 • BMS: x 3007 • BHS: x 2009