Annual Fire Inspection Report

Notice is hereby given that the annual inspection for 2024 of the Warrensburg Central School District for fire hazards which might endanger the lives of students, teachers, employees therein, has been completed and the report thereof is available at the office of the Warrensburg Central School District for inspection by all interested persons.

Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR): APPR Plans

New York State Education Law requires school districts to post their APPR plans to their district website. Find the APPR plan here.

Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR): Obtaining Teacher/Principal APPR Score

New York State Education Law requires each classroom teacher and school principal to receive an annual professional performance review (APPR) that results in a composite effectiveness score and rating. All parents/guardians have the right to obtain the APPR quality ratings and composite effectiveness scores for their child’s current teacher(s) and principal(s) once they are available. To initiate this request, please contact your child’s principal in their corresponding school.

ARP ESSER Fund Reporting

The Warrensburg Central School District has received a federal coronavirus relief package of $2,285,301 as through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. 

This funding will be used toward sustaining safe operations of our schools while addressing academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. As required by state education law, the district maintains an ARP ESSER plan and must post this plan on its website. This plan is designed to outline how these funds will be used. The Warrensburg Central School District’s plan is available here.

Body Mass Index

New York State requires schools to track each student's body mass index (BMI) and weight status category as part of school health examinations. Every year, the New York State Department of Health surveys some schools for the number of students in each weight status category. If Warrensburg Central School District is surveyed by the state, the district will share summary group data only and will not share summary group calculations. In order to opt out of the sharing of this data, parents/guardians must contact Ennea LaBar at labaren@wcsd.org.

Child Abuse Hotline

 If you suspect a child is being abused or maltreated (neglected), report it by calling 1-800-342-3720, a toll-free 24-hour hotline operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police department. Information about reporting child abuse and maltreatment (neglect) is available here.

Code of Conduct

Click here to read our Student Code of Conduct.

Concussion Protocol

New York state requires tackle football programs to provide information about concussions and sub-concussive blows, and the injuries that might occur as a result of such blows, to the parents/guardians of all children participating in tackle football programs. The following materials are available that you are aware of the risks of concussion and other brain injuries.

Continuity of Operations

New York State requires school districts to develop a continuity of operations plan and make it available. The Warrensburg Central School District is providing the following plan so stakeholders are aware of the district's plans in the event of an ongoing public health emergency involving communicable disease.

• District Wide Safety Plan 2024-25

Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)

The goal of the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) is to provide students with a safe and supportive learning environment that is free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying. Some of the law requirements include: establishing anti-harassment and discrimination policies, creating school training programs, and including a course in civility, citizenship and character education in the curriculum for every grade level. Click here to view the policies and process for reporting harassment, bullying, and discrimination.

Each school in the district has a coordinator who has been trained to respond to issues related to DASA. The coordinators are:

District: Christian Bruce, Director of Pupil Personnel Services
Elementary School: Keith LaLone, Elementary School Principal
Jr/Sr High School: Jeff Holcomb, Jr/Sr High School Principal

District-wide School Safety Plans

As required by state education law, the Warrensburg Central School District maintains a district-wide safety plan and must post this plan on its website. This plan is designed to prevent or minimize the effects of violent incidents and emergencies and to facilitate the coordination of schools and school districts with local and county resources in the event of such incidents or emergencies. The Warrensburg Central School District’s plan is available here. The plan also includes the method by which Warrensburg CSD  will ensure the availability of devices, internet access, provision of special education and related services for students with disabilities, and the expectations for time spent in different remote modalities.

Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act

The Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act is a new law as of July 1, 2022. This law requires schools, students, and parents/guardians have information on sudden cardiac arrest risks, signs, and symptoms. Please note that sudden cardiac arrest in children and youth is rare. The incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) on the playing field is 0.61 in 100,000.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is an emergency that happens when the heart suddenly stops working. SCA can cause death if not treated immediately, and even with treatment death may occur. Immediate treatment is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). All public schools must have a staff member trained in the use of CPR and AED in school and at all school athletic events.

Preventing SCA before it happens is the best way to save a life. Both your family health history and your child’s personal history must be told to healthcare providers to help them know if your child is at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. Ask your child if they are having any of the symptoms listed below and tell a healthcare provider. Know your family history and tell a healthcare provider of any risk factors listed below.

The signs or symptoms are:

• Fainting or seizure, especially during or right after exercise or with excitement or startled
• Racing heart, palpitations, or irregular heartbeat
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, or extreme fatigue with exercise
• Chest pain or discomfort with exercise
• Excessive shortness of breath during exercise
• Excessive, unexpected fatigue during or after exercise

Student’s Personal Risk Factors are:

• Use of diet pills, performance-enhancing supplements, energy drinks, or drugs such as cocaine, inhalants, or “recreational” drugs
• Elevated blood pressure or cholesterol.
• History of health care provider ordered test(s) for heart related issues.

Student’s Family History Risk Factors are:

• Family history of known heart abnormalities or sudden death before 50 years of age
• Family members with unexplained fainting, seizures, drowning, near drowning or car accidents before 50 years of age
• Structural heart abnormality, repaired or unrepaired
• Any relative diagnosed with the following conditions:
  • Enlarged Heart/ Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy/Dilated Cardiomyopathy
  • Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
  • Heart rhythm problems, long or short QT interval
  • Brugada Syndrome
  • Catecholaminergic Ventricular Tachycardia
  • Marfan Syndrome- aortic rupture
  • Heart attack at 50 years or younger
  • Pacemaker or implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD)

SCA in students at risk can be triggered by athletic activities. To decrease any chance of SCA in a student, the Interval Health History for Athletics must be completed and signed by a parent/guardian before each sports season unless a physical examination has been conducted within 30 days before the start of the season. This form has questions to help identify changes since the last physical examination or health history was completed. School personnel may require a student with health or history changes to see a healthcare provider before participating in athletics.

Finally, the law requires any student who has signs and symptoms of pending SCA be removed from athletic activity until seen by a physician. The physician must provide written clearance to the school for the student to be able to return to athletics.

Please contact the State Education Department’s Office of Student Support Services for questions at studentsupportservices@nysed.gov or 518-486-6090.

Ed Law 2D

New York State Education Law gives you the right to information about how Warrensburg CSD is safeguarding student and staff data.

Read the Bill of Rights (Parents’ Bill of Rights)

The Warrensburg CSD is committed to ensuring student privacy in accordance with local, state and federal regulations and district policies. To this end and pursuant to U.S. Department of Education (DOE) regulations (Education Law §2-d), the district is providing the following Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security:

• A student’s personally identifiable information cannot be sold or released for any commercial or marketing purposes
• Parents/guardians have the right to inspect and review the complete contents of their child’s education record, including any student data maintained by the Warrensburg Central School District.
• State and federal laws protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information, and safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices – including but not limited to, encryption, firewalls and password protection – must be in place when data is stored or transferred.
• A complete list of all student data elements collected by the state is available for public review in an Excel file at NYSED Data Elements List.
• Parents/guardians may also obtain a copy of this list by writing to the Office of Information and Reporting Services, New York State Education Department, Room 863 EBA, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12234.
• Parents/guardians have the right to have complaints about possible breaches of student data addressed. Complaints should be directed to Thomas Caruso, Director of Technology, at carusot@wcsd.org.

Learn more about the vendors we work with here.

Review our Data Security and Privacy Policy

If at any time the district learns that student and/or employee data has been compromised, parents/guardians will be notified, and the data breach will be reported to the New York State Education Department. Parents/guardians who have concerns or complaints about data privacy or security may file a complaint by contacting Thomas Caruso, Director of Technology phone: (518) 623-2861 ext. 120 email: carusot@wcsd.org

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

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 building principal.
  • Elementary School: Keith LaLone, Elementary School Principal
  • Jr/Sr High School: Jeff Holcomb, Jr/Sr High 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 as outlined below;
• 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 are: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202.

Disclosures without prior consent
Disclosure of personally identifiable information from a student’s education records is permitted without the consent of the parent/guardian or eligible student if it meets certain conditions, such as if the disclosure is:

• To officials of another school, school system or institution of postsecondary education where the student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled;
• To authorized representatives of the U.S. comptroller general, the U.S. attorney general, the U.S. secretary of education or state and local educational authorities;
• In connection with applications or determinations for financial aid;
• To state and local officials or authorities to whom information is specifically allowed to be reported or disclosed by a state statute that concerns the juvenile justice system;
• To organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, the school that meet certain requirements;
• To accrediting organizations to carry out their accrediting functions;
• To parents/guardians of an eligible student if the student is a dependent for IRS tax purposes;
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
• To appropriate officials in connection with a health or safety emergency;
• Designated as “directory information” by the district;
• To an agency caseworker or other representative of a state or local child welfare agency or tribal organization that is authorized to access a student’s case plan;
• To the secretary of agriculture or authorized representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service for national school lunch and nutrition programs.

Grade Promotion and Placement Policy

Decisions about student promotion and placement are at the discretion of the building principal. These decisions are guided by recommendations of teachers and staff members, past academic performance and parent/guardian input. Past academic performance refers to a variety of indicators of student achievement and growth. The district’s promotion and placement policy was adopted by the Board of Education following a review by the district administration.

Idling School Buses on School Grounds

State law requires school districts to take steps to minimize the idling of the engines of school buses and other school vehicles on school grounds. While students are boarding and departing school buses, the engine should be turned off. Students should be instructed about the importance of getting on and off buses in an orderly and efficient fashion to minimize loading and unloading time. Bus engines should also be off while parked at sporting events and other school activities. Exceptions to this “no idling” policy can be made in cases of emergency, mechanical issues or for necessary heating.

Instructional Technology Plan
As required by Commissioner’s Regulation 100.12, the Warrensburg Central School District maintains an Instructional Technology Plan to help support achievement and engagement through the seamless integration of technology into teaching and learning, improve learning experiences for students and increase equitable access to technology-rich learning experiences for students and staff. The Warrensburg Central School District’s plan is available here.

Lead Testing

In September 2016, a state law went into effect that requires all public school district in New York State to test water for lead. The law requires school district to sample all water outlets currently or potentially used for drinking or cooking purposes in buildings that may be occupied by students and to submit those samples to a state approved lab for analysis. Regulations call for testing to take place again in 2020 and every five years thereafter, unless the state Commissioner of Health requires testing sooner. The state established an action level of 15 micrograms of lead per liter, typically referred to as "parts per billion" (ppb). If a sample of from a water outlet exceeds this level, schools must take steps to prevent the use of the outlet for drinking or cooking purposes until it is remediated and follow-up testing confirms it is no longer above the action level. School districts are required to report the results of all water testing to the state Department of Health, the state Education Department and the local health department and to post the results, along with any remediation plans if required, on the official district website. Click here to view our current water test results.

Meal Charging and Prohibition Against Meal Shaming

It is the District's goal to provide students with access to nuh·itious no- 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. Unpaid meal charges place a large financial burden on the District. The purpose of this policy is to ensure compliance with federal requirements for the USDA Child Nutrition Program and to provide oversight and accountability for the collection of outstanding student meal balances to ensure that the student is not stigmatized, distressed, or embarrassed. The intent of this policy is to establish procedures to address unpaid meal charges throughout the District in a way that does not stigmatize, distress, or embarrass students. The provisions of this policy pertain to regular priced reimbursable school breakfast, lunch and snack meals only. Charging of items outside of the reimbursable meals (a la carte items, adult meals, etc.) is expressly prohibited.

Access to Meals

1. Free meal benefit eligible students will be allowed to receive a free breakfast and lunch meal of their choice each day. A la carte items or other similar items must be paid/prepaid.
2. Reduced meal benefit eligible students will be allowed to receive a breakfast of their choice for $0.00 and lunch of their choice for $0.00 each day. A la carte items or other similar items must be paid/prepaid.
3. Full pay students will pay for meals at the District's published paid meal rate each day. The charge meals offered to students will be reimbursable meals available to all students, unless the student's parent or guardian has specifically provided written permission to the District to withhold a meal. A la carte items or other similar items must be paid/prepaid.

Ongoing Staff Training

1. Staff will be trained annually and throughout the year as needed on the procedures for managing meal charges using the State Education Department (SED) Webinar or the District's training program.
2. Staff training will include ongoing eligibility certification for free or reduced-price meals.

Parent Notification

Parents/guardians will be notified that a student's meal card or account balance is exhausted and has accrued unpaid meal charges within 5 days of the charge and then every 7 days/weeks thereafter.

Parent Outreach

1. Staff will communicate with parents/guardians with five or more unpaid meal charges to determine eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.
2. Staff will make two documented attempts to reach out to parents/guardians to complete a meal application in addition to the application and instructions provided in the school enrollment packet.
3. Staff will contact the parent/guardian to offer assistance with the completion of the meal application to determine if there are other issues within the household causing the student to have insufficient funds, offering any other assistance that is appropriate.

Minimizing Student Distress

1. Staff will not publicly identify or stigmatize any student in line for a meal or discuss any outstanding meal debt in the presence of any other students.
2. Students with unpaid meal charges will not be required to wear a wristband or handstamp, or to do chores or other work to pay for meals.
3. Staff will not tln·ow away a meal after it has been served because of the student's inability to pay for the meal or because of previous unpaid meal charges.
4. Staff will not take any action directed at a student to collect unpaid meal charges.
5. Staff will deal directly with parents/guardians regarding unpaid meal charges.

Ongoing Eligibility Certification

1. Staff will conduct direct certification through the New York Student Identification System (NYSSIS) or using SED Roster Upload to maximize free eligibility. NYSED provides updated direct certification data monthly.
2. Staff will provide parents/guardians with free and reduced-price applications and instructions at the beginning of each school year in the school enrollment packet.
3. If the District uses an electronic meal application, it will provide an explanation of the process in the school enrollment packet and instructions on how to request a paper application at no cost.
4. The District will provide at least two additional free and reduced-price applications throughout the school year to families identified as owing meal charges.
5. The District will use its administrative prerogative to complete an application on a student's behalf judiciously, and only after using exhaustive efforts to obtain a completed application from the student's parent/guardian. The District will complete the application using only available information on family size and income that falls within approvable guidelines.
6. The District will coordinate with the foster, homeless, migrant, and runaway coordinators to certify eligible students. School liaisons required for homeless, foster, and migrant students will coordinate with the nutrition department to make sure these students receive free school meals, in accordance with federal law.

Prepaid Accounts

Students/Parents/Guardians may pay for meals in advance via MySchoolBucks or with a check payable to Warrensburg Central School District Lunch Fund. Further details are available on the District's webpage at www.wcsd.org. Funds should be maintained in accounts to minimize the possibility that a student may be without meal money on any given day. Any remaining funds for a particular student may be carried over to the next school year.

To obtain a refund for a withdrawn or graduating student, a written or e-mailed request for a refund of any money remaining in the student's account must be submitted. Students who are graduating at the end of the year will be given the option to transfer any remaining money to a sibling's account through a written request.

Unclaimed funds must be requested within one school year. Unclaimed funds will then become the property of the District Food Service Program.

New York State Report Card

New York State Education Law requires school districts to make report card and accountability report information available on district websites. Click here to view the report card.

Open Meeting Laws

The Warrensburg CSD’s Board of Education will be meeting on the second Monday of each month starting at 6 pm at the Jr/Sr High School Library Media Center. This meeting will be held in person. Public comments and participation will be allowed in person. If you have any questions about board, see the Board of Education Page. Discussions from the meeting will be shared on BoardDocs.

School Counseling/Guidance Programs

New York State Education Law requires the Warrensburg Central School District to develop district-wide and building-level comprehensive developmental school counseling guidance plans and to post these plans on the district website. These plans are presented here.

School Meals: Meal Modifications

While a variety of food choices are made available to all students, parents and guardians may also request meal modifications if the available options do not meet their child’s dietary needs. To request a meal modification, please contact Jeffrey Bartone, CRBOCES School Lunch Director phone: 518-912-5092 bartonej@wcsd.org. 

Smart Schools Investment Plan

As required by the Smart Schools Bond Act (SSBA) Implementation Guidance, the Warrensburg Central School District must post a final Smart Schools Investment Plan on its website. This plan is designed for the district to participate in the Smart Schools Bond Act of 2014. The act authorized the state to finance $2 billion for educational technology and infrastructure to improve learning and opportunity for New York students. Warrensburg CSD’s plan is available here.

Title I

Teacher Qualifications

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), parents/guardians have the right to know the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers, including:

• Whether a teacher has state certification for the grade levels and subjects he or she is teaching;
• Whether a teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived;
• Whether the teacher is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher; 
• Whether their child receives services from paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications; and
• Whether their child has been taught for four or more weeks in a row by a teacher “who does not meet applicable state certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.”

Parents/guardians may request their child’s classroom teacher’s professional qualifications by contacting Christian Bruce, Director of Pupil Personnel Services phone: 518-623-9747 email: brucec@wcsd.org

Click here for more information about our Title I services.

Title IX

It is the policy of the Warrensburg Central School District to provide a learning and working environment that is safe, welcoming, and free from discrimination on the basis of sex. Title IX requires the school district not to discriminate. View the district’s full harassment and non-discrimination policy here. Reports of sexual harassment can be made at any time, including during non-business hours using the telephone number or e-mail address, or by mailing to the office address listed for the for the Title IX Coordinator:

Christian Bruce, Director of Pupil Personnel Services
Phone: 518-623-9747
brucec@wcsd.org

In compliance with section 106.45 of Title IX, we have included a link to all materials used to train Title IX Coordinators, investigators, decision-makers, and any person who facilitates an informal resolution process in Title IX compliance and practices for the district. View training materials here. 

Transportation to Non-public Schools

If your child attends a non-public school within the Warrensburg Central School District area and needs transportation to their school, please contact Bryan Hoolihan at phone: (518) 623-3570 email: hoolihanb@wcsd.org to determine if the district can provide transportation. Transportation requests for the upcoming school year should be made by April 1 each year.