District Notifications

American Rescue Plan Act and Foundation Funding Plans

The New York State and Federal Government have allocated funds to assist school districts with expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to support students’ academic, social, and emotional needs.

View New Hartford’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) & Foundation Funding Plans.

• ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund Allocations
• ARP Application

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Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR)

Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) is the process by which New York’s public school teachers and principals are evaluated. Governed by the principles outlined in Education Law 3012-d and aligned with New York State teaching and leadership standards, each school district develops its own evaluation plan within those guidelines that must be submitted and approved by the New York State Education Department.

Access New Hartford CSD’s APPR Plan on our Teacher Evaluations & Qualifications page.

As part of the APPR system, teachers and principals in New York State receive an effectiveness rating annually. The APPR system rates classroom teachers and principals as “highly effective,” “effective,” “developing” or “ineffective.” The district has a release procedure of APPR teacher and principal effectiveness scores. 

While APPR scores are not considered public information, the law requires that a school district release to parents and legal guardians of a student the final quality rating and composite effectiveness score of their child’s current classroom teachers and principal, upon request and verification of identity.

The following forms can be utilized to request APPR scores:

• BOE Policy 1100.1 – APPR Caregiver Request Form Principal
• BOE Policy 1100.2 – APPR Caregiver Request Form Teacher

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Asbestos Management Plan

In accordance with the requirements of the federal regulation known as AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act), the school district has conducted inspections and developed management plans for each of the district’s schools. These management plans are available for your review during regular business hours at the individual schools. Included in these management plans is information regarding AHERA inspections, operations and maintenance, period surveillance and response action activities.

It is the intention of the New Hartford Central School District to comply with all federal and state regulations controlling asbestos and to take the appropriate steps necessary to ensure students and employees have a healthy and safe environment in which to learn and work.

Board of Education Policies:

• 5003 – Short Term Worker Asbestos Notification
• 5003.1 – Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act Short Term Notification Form
• 5003.2 – Acknowledgement Of Receipt Of Asbestos Notification Form

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Child Abuse Hotline Notification

Child Abuse is Everyone’s Problem | ¡El abuso infantil es el problema de todos!

Pursuant to Education Law sections 101, 207, 409-l and Chapter 105 of the Laws of 2016, new subdivision (nn) is added to section 100.2 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education requiring every public school and charter school to post in English and in Spanish the toll-free telephone number operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to receive reports of child abuse or neglect, and directions for accessing the OCFS website.

If you suspect a child is being abused or maltreated (neglected), report it by calling the toll-free 24-hour hotline operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services at 1(800)-342-3720.

¿Sospecha abuso o maltrato infantil? ¿Alguien le ha hecho daño? Reporte el abuso y el maltrato infantil, allemande al 1(800)-342-3720.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police department.

Visit the NYS Office of Children and Family Services to learn more about reporting child abuse and maltreatment (neglect).

Oficina de Servicios para Niños y Familias del Estado de Nueva York.

Board of Education Policies:

• 6400 – Reporting Possible Child Abuse Or Maltreatment
• 6400.1 – Reporting Possible Child Abuse Or Maltreatment
• 6401 – Child Abuse In An Educational Setting
• 6401.2 – Notification Of Teachers Duty To Report Child Abuse

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Code of Conduct

The District establishes this Code of Conduct for the maintenance of public order on school property and at school functions to govern the conduct of students, teachers and other school personnel, and visitors.

This Code of Conduct has been developed consistent with the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (Chapter 181 of the Laws of 2000), The Dignity for all Students Act, and Section 100.2 of the implementing Commissioners Regulations and in collaboration with student, teacher, administrators and parent organizations, school safety personnel and other school personnel.

View the full Code of Conduct.

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Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)

The goal of the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) is to provide students with a safe, supportive education environment that is free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying.

Some of the law requirements include:

• establishing anti-harrassment and discrimination policies
• creating school training programs
• and including a course in civility, citizenship and character education in the curriculum for every grade level.

You should never feel that it is not safe for you to come to school and participate in all school activities. You should never be prevented from concentrating on your schoolwork because another student or a school staff member is teasing you, making fun of you, pushing you around, or threatening you in some way, because of your actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin (where your family comes from), ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), or sex, or for any other reason. 

You may not act toward another student in a way that might reasonably make them feel threatened or unsafe, or that might reasonably make them unable to concentrate on their schoolwork because of what you might think about their race, color, weight, national origin (where their family comes from), ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), or sex, or for any other reason. It is against school rules for any student or staff member to do this by physical actions or by verbal statements, including electronic messages (Cyber Bullying). This kind of conduct (behavior) is prohibited on school property, on school buses, and at all school-sponsored events.

What are Public Schools Required to Do When Students with Disabilities Are Bullied? 

Learn more in the United States Department of Education Parent Fact Sheet.

You should report acts of bullying, discrimination, harassment and other inappropriate actions that harm others to your Dignity Act Coordinator. In elementary schools, your Principal serves as The Dignity Act Coordinator. In junior high or high school, your Dean of Students serves as The Dignity Act Coordinator.

To report an act, you can also utilize New Hartford CSD’s DASA Reporting Google Form or fill out and return the printable 0015.2 – DASA Reporting Form.

DASA Contacts

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Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

New York State Education Department has created a process for resolving complaints alleging that a local educational agency (LEA), grantee or NYSED has violated a law, rule, or regulation in the administration of any “covered Federal program” under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

These procedures offer parents and other stakeholders a process to file complaints and allow for the timely resolution of such complaints. A complainant may include any of the following: parents, public agencies, and other individuals or organizations.

To learn more about these procedures and how to file a complaint, please visit the NYSED website.

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Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides parents/guardians and students who are 18 years of age or older (known as “eligible students”) with certain rights with respect to the student’s education records.

Parents/guardians and eligible students have the right to:

• Inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day a request for access is received by the school. These requests should be submitted to your child’s school principal.
• Request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent/guardian or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights;
• Provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent;
• File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the 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

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Families in Transition

The Families In Transition (FIT) Program is the direct result of the federal, McKinney-Vento-MV Act of 1987. The Act was passed in order to address the educational needs of more than half of the homeless students nationwide who were having to switch schools multiple times throughout a single school year and lacked school stability.

The MV Act has recently been reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA.) This program makes certain that homeless students are identified and registered immediately and that students and families are educated of their rights – eliminating barriers to their attendance and academic success.

Board of Education Policies:

• 6003 – Education Of Homeless Children
• 6003.1 – Procedures For Achieving Education Of Homeless Children
• 6003.2 – Designation Of School District Of Attendance For A Homeless Child Stac 202

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Grade Promotion and Placement Policy

It is the responsibility of the New Hartford CSD Board of Education to prescribe the course of study by which students shall be graded and classified, and to regulate the admissions of students and their transfer from one class or department to another, as their scholarship shall warrant. It is the responsibility of the Superintendent to supervise and direct the courses of study, and the examination and promotion of pupils. Accordingly, decisions regarding the grade level at which a student is admitted, and whether a student is retained in grade or promoted to the next grade shall be made by the Superintendent in consultation with appropriate administrators, and consistent with this Policy.

Board of Education Policies:

• 7108 Grade Level Placement, Retention and Promotion.

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Integrated Pest Management Policy

The New Hartford Central School District (the District), in accordance with Section 409-K of the NYS Education Law, prohibits the use of pesticides on playgrounds (including playground equipment), turf, athletic or playing fields, except as described in Section III of the policy.

Board of Education Policies:

• 5004 Notification Of Pesticide Application

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Meal Charging and Prohibition Against Meal Shaming

It is the district’s goal to provide students with access to nutritious no-cost or low-cost meals each school day and to ensure that a student whose parent/guardian has unpaid meal charges is not shamed or treated differently than a student whose parent/guardian does not have unpaid meal charges.

Although payment for school meals is typically due at the time of the sale (through a prepaid balance, cash or some other means), the New Hartford Central School District recognizes that at times, students are unable to make this payment for a variety of reasons. The district has established a school meal charge policy to provide clear information about how these situations will be handled, including steps designed to avoid any embarrassment of children.

Board of Education Policies:

• 5201 – Free and Reduced Meals Policy

Read the Meal Charge and Prohibition Against Meal Shaming Plan from the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES (OHM) Food Service Program.

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Pandemic Plan

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Public Access to District Records (FOIL)

Under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), the public is entitled to inspect certain school district records. The Committee on Open Government is responsible for overseeing and advising with regard to the Freedom of Information, Open Meetings and Personal Privacy Protection Laws.

 The district’s Records Officer is Kim Schweitzer, the District Clerk.

Kim Schweitzer
Phone: (315) 624-1218
Email: kschweitzer@nhart.org

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Public Relations

The purpose of the New Hartford Central School District’s Public Relations Program is to keep the lines of communication open with the public. To this end, the Board of Education (the Board) encourages the use of all appropriate means to keep the community accurately informed about the educational programs within the District, and to seek information about community attitudes and aspirations for those programs.

Board of Education Policies:

• 1302 – Advertisements In School Publications
• 1303 – Public Solicitations Or Advertising In Schools
• 1401 – Public Relations

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School Safety Plan

Emergencies and violent incidents in school districts are critical issues that must be addressed in an expeditious and effective manner. Districts are required to develop a District-wide School Safety Plan designed to prevent or minimize the effects of serious violent incidents and emergencies and to facilitate the coordination of the district with local and county resources in the event of such incidents or emergencies.

The district-wide plan is responsive to the needs of all schools within the district and is consistent with the more detailed emergency response plans required at the school building level. Districts are at risk of a wide variety of acts of violence, and natural and technological disasters. To address these threats, the State of New York has enacted the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) law. This component of Project SAVE is a comprehensive planning effort that addresses risk reduction/prevention, response, and recovery with respect to a variety of emergencies in the school district and its schools.

New Hartford Central School (NHCS) continues to support this integral component of the SAVE legislation through the regular review and updating of its contents. The district superintendent encourages and advocates this ongoing district-wide cooperation and support of Project SAVE.

Learn more on our School Safety page.
View our District-wide School Safety Plan.

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Smart Schools Investment Plan

View New Hartford CSD’s 2017 and revised 2020 Smart Schools Investment Plan (SSIP) on the district Technology Page.

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Teacher Qualifications

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, parents/guardians have the right to know the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers.

Learn more about Teacher Qualifications & Evaluations.

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Title I Parents Right to Know, Parental Involvement, and Complaint Procedures

The New Hartford Central School District recognizes that the purpose of Title I funding is to improve the educational opportunities of educationally disadvantaged students. The District therefore shall use Title I resources to help educationally deprived students succeed in regular district programs, attain grade level proficiency, and improve achievement in basic and advanced skills.

View the Title I page in our Academics Section to learn about the District’s expectations for parent and family engagement in Title I programs.

Board of Education Policies:

• 1101 Parent and Family Engagement in Title I Programs 
• 7307 Parental and Family Engagement in Title I Programs
• 7303.2 Parent and Family Engagement Plan

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