Transcript Rights and Responsibilities for All Members of the Weymouth School Community WEYMOUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS September 2009

Rights and Responsibilities
for All Members of the
Weymouth School Community
WEYMOUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
September 2009
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Educational Rights and Special Populations
◦ Civil rights, harassment, diverse learners, section
504, special education, limited English proficiency
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Student and Staff Wellbeing
◦ Physical restraint, universal precautions, fire safety,
crisis management, reporting child abuse, bullying
prevention
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Professional Expectations
◦ Confidentiality, acceptable computer/network use,
attire, class planning requirements, professional
development
Educational Rights
and Special
Populations
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All students have the right to access the general
curriculum regardless of their gender, race, color,
national origin, sexual orientation, religion or
disability.
All students and staff are to be treated equally
without regard to sex, race, religion, national
origin, disability or sexual orientation.
Teachers are expected to compensate for any bias
which they may encounter in their classrooms.
The following is a list of laws that prohibit discrimination for the identified
special populations as well as the district coordinator responsible for
insuring compliance:
Title VI (race, color, national origin) Mary Ann DeMello, Asst. Super.
Title XI (gender)
Matt Ferron, Asst. Super.
McKinney-Vento (homeless)
Mary Ann DeMello, Asst. Super
Title I (low-income)
Jeremy Burm, Title I Director
EEO Act of 1974 (LEP)
Mary Ann DeMello, Asst. Super
Section 504/ADA (disabled)
Mary Ann DeMello, Asst. Super
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Level One: Meet with supervisor/principal within 15 school days. The
supervisor/principal shall investigate and submit a report within 15
school days.
Level Two: Formal complaint in writing to the Assistant
Superintendent. The Assistant Superintendent will investigate and
submit a report within 15 school days.
Level Three: File an appeal, within 15 school days, in writing, to the
Superintendent. Within 15 school days of receipt of the appeal, the
Superintendent will render a decision.
Level Four: File an appeal in writing within 15 school days to the
Weymouth School Committee. Within 30 days the School Committee
will meet with the grievant in an effort to settle the grievance.
Further information can be found in the Employee Handbook
Differentiated Instruction is the
practice of delivering content using a
variety of strategies so that students
can access the curriculum in a way
that matches their unique learning
styles.
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Your Student Intervention Team can review a
student’s progress and suggest additional
strategies and accommodations.
Students with clear or probable indicators of a
disability should be promptly referred to the
Student Intervention Team.
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Schools provide a variety of services
through General Education , including
classroom accommodations to meet
learner needs.
Some students require additional
supports, including specialized
instruction, that are provided through
Special Education.
Disabled students with
substantial limitations who
require accommodations
have these documented on
504 plans.
Disabled students who
require specialized instruction
or related services have
specific learning goals and
objectives detailed on IEP’s.
Students learn in
different ways!
Students
Needing
Specialized
Instruction
Disabled
Students
All Learners
A
person is considered eligible for services
under Section 504 when he/she has a
physical or mental impairment that
SUBSTANTIALLY limits one or more major
life activities.
 Major
*
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Life Activities include:
caring for one’s self
* seeing
learning
* speaking
hearing
* breathing
working
performing manual tasks
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Section 504 plans delineate reasonable
accommodations that are delivered through
regular education supports.
Section 504 plans are legally binding contracts
between the district and the parent and must
be implemented as written.
When a student is suspected of having a
disability that substantially limits a major life
function, either the teacher or parent should
refer the student to the building principal
and/or building 504 coordinator.
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A student is eligible for special education
services when all three are true:
◦ The student has one or more disabilities
AND
◦ The student is NOT making effective progress in
school as a direct result of the disability(ies)
AND
◦ The student requires specialized instruction in
order to make effective progress.
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Either a staff member or a parent has the right
to request an evaluation to determine the
presence of a disability.
Requests by parents DO NOT have to be made
in writing.
Referral requests from staff members MUST be
initiated through the Student Support
Intervention Team.
All referrals for special education evaluation
MUST go through the building administrator.
TIMELINES ARE CRITICAL! The parent must
receive a procedure letter and consent to
evaluate form within 5 days of the request.
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Students on IEP’s and 504 Plans are protected
by civil rights law regarding discipline.
Students may be disciplined similarly to general
education peers UNLESS their behavior is a
manifestation of their disability.
Students protected by IEP’s and 504’s can only
be excluded from their educational program for
a MAXIMUM of 10 days total in a school year.
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Communications with parents MUST be in their
native language.
Students with LEP can also have special education
needs and must be evaluated in their native
language, as well as in English.
Students should not be referred for a special
education evaluation solely due to their Limited
English Proficiency. LEP is not a disability.
LEP students who experience significant lack of
progress should be referred to the Student
Intervention Team.
HEY, WAKE UP…I
CAN HEAR YOU
SNORING IN THE
BACK OF THE
ROOM!
Student and Staff
Well-Being
Physical Restraint
“The use of bodily
force to limit a
student’s
freedom of
movement.”
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Not Physical Restraint
“Touching or holding a
student without the use
of force” –includes
physical escort, touching
to provide instructional
assistance, and other
forms of physical
contact that do not
include the use of force.
Other, non-physical, interventions
have been tried and failed or are
judged to be inadequate to the
circumstances.
AND
 A student’s behavior poses a threat of
IMMINENT, SERIOUS, PHYSICAL HARM
to self and/or others.
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When non-physical interventions
could be used.
As a means of punishment.
As a response to property
destruction, school
disruption, refusal to
comply, or verbal threats.
Physical
Restraint
should only
be used as a
last resort!
Some staff members have received
in-depth specialized training including :
 Prevention techniques
 De-escalation strategies
HELP!
 Proper restraint techniques
Know who they are…
they can help.
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All applications of physical restraint must be
reported verbally to the school administration
immediately.
A completed Physical Restraint Report Form
(available in school office) must be submitted to
the principal no later than the next school working
day.
The principal will verbally inform the student’s
parent/guardian of such restraint as soon as
possible, and by written report postmarked no later
than three school working days following the use
of such restraint.
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Extended restraints
(over 20 minutes)
Any time there is a
serious injury.
Within 5 school days of the restraint,
the district must send a report to the
DESE along with a log of any restraints
that occurred in the prior 30 days.
For students with disabilities (with
IEPs or 504 plans), physical restraint
can be used for different reasons
(other than danger) if reasons are
detailed and part of the accepted IEP
or 504 Plan. Certain limits and
reporting requirements still apply.
All staff members will be given a Universal Precautions
Kit to be kept readily available containing gloves, gauze
pads, etc. to be used in case of emergency.
Wear gloves when handling
blood or any bodily fluids.
Exits: Know where your primary and secondary classroom
exits are located as well as building evacuation procedures.
Decorations and Student Work: No more than
20% of classroom walls should be covered with
paper materials (only 10% in corridors)
HVAC: Keep ventilation units (under window
ledges) free from papers and books to allow air
to circulate properly.
Carpets: Carpeting is difficult to maintain. If necessary, small carpets
may be used in classrooms only if they are certified as Class I.
Crisis Management
In an emergency, your students are counting
on you to be calm and keep them safe. They
are your first priority.
KEEP COOL,
MAN!
Know the members of your building crisis team.
WHO IS A MANDATED REPORTER?
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Psychologists and nurses
Public or private school teachers
Educational administrators
Social workers and counselors
School attendance officers
Other agency personnel
THAT’S
YOU!
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All teachers, school nurses, administrators, and
guidance personnel are required to report
suspected cases of child abuse
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Teachers and other staff should report suspected
child abuse orally to the building principal.
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After investigation the principal will report the
incident to Central Office and DCF.
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A written report on the appropriate form (51A),
shall be filed with DCF within 48 hours of the
initial call.
Students have the right to feel safe, valued
and respected at school.
Bullying is the repeated use by one or more students of a written,
verbal or electronic expression or a physical act or gesture that
does one of the following:
causes physical or emotional harm to the victim or damage
to the victim’s property
places the victim in reasonable fear of harm to himself or of
damage to his property
creates a hostile environment at school for the victim
infringes on the rights of the victim at school
materially and substantially disrupts the education process or
the orderly operation of a school. (Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2010)
You are the caretakers for our students. If you observer bullying
taking place or are made aware of it, the following steps must be
implemented:
Step One:
Assess for immediate safety
Send a completed Incident Report Form to building administrator
(Forms are in employee handbook)
Step Two:
Administrative investigation – interviews with students, contact parents
Step Three:
Administrator monitors safety of target, assigns consequences to
aggressor if warranted
Step Four:
Document actions and notify parents and teachers of actions taken
No one should be afraid
to come to school.
N N
COME ON!
IT’S NOT
THAT BAD!
PROFESSIONAL
EXPECTATIONS
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A school district and its employees may not release
any information from a student record without the
informed, written consent of the eligible student or
parent/guardians.
Only staff who are currently providing services to a
student have the right to access a student’s record.
Staff may not discuss the behavior
or disabilities of a student with
anyone other than the student’s
parent/guardian without written
consent.
All records and correspondence,
including electronic records AND
EMAIL, that pertain to a student,
are subject to the state and
federal laws that regulate public
records and student records.
These records are subject to
production upon request by a
parent or subpoena.
Do not put
anything in an
email that you
would not want
to be made
public or read
on the front
page of the
newspaper.
The school network and equipment is to be
used for teaching, learning and class
management.
Personal phones and mobile devices should
be off or set to receive silent messages during
instructional times.
All passwords must be kept confidential and changed
frequently. Never leave your password in an unsecured
location (a desk drawer or under your keyboard).
Please review the detailed acceptable use
policy available on the WPS website.
Professional Attire
You are a role model for
your students. Dress in a
manner that is appropriate
and professional.
Planning for Instruction
 Plan books and seating charts must be kept
current and readily available. Plan books
should be specific enough to enable a
substitute teacher to carry on effectively for a
week in your absence.
 All teachers are required to keep seating
charts and records of assessment, which
should be started as soon as possible, but no
later than September15th.
THE END !