Garfield Heights City School District is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, genetic information, race, color, age, religion, disabilities, military status, sexual orientation, or national origin in its programs and activities, including employment opportunities.

The Board of Education will not discriminate nor tolerate harassment in its educational programs or activities for any reasons, including on the basis of religion race, color, national origin, sex, disability, military status, ancestry, age, or genetic information.

The district is in compliance with Title VI, Title VII, Title IX and Section 504 regulations. Complete policies are available on the website under Board of Education Policies. Complaints of discrimination should be referred to Sean Patton, Assistant Superintendent, at 5640 Briarcliff Drive, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125 or by calling (216) 475-8100.

 

 

The Board designates the following individual to serve as the District’s Title IX Coordinator:  Sean Patton,  Assistant Superintendent. Any person may report sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, at any time, including during non-business hours.  Such a report may be made in person, by mail, by telephone, or by electronic mail, using the contact information listed for the Title IX Coordinator, or by any other means that results in the Title IX Coordinator receiving the person’s verbal or written report. 

 

Students and their parents or guardians may object to the release of student directory information. Directory information includes: name, address, telephone number, place and date of birth, field of study, activity and sport participation, athletic height and weight, attendance, graduation date and awards. A written objection must be given to the principal

Directory information requested by armed forces recruiters must be released under law.  Parents/guardians or students 18 years of age may exclude having the student’s directory information distributed to armed forces recruiters by making such a request in writing to the high school office.

Directory information cannot be released for profit-making purposes.

 

Ohio law prohibits the disclosure of personally identifiable information about students in public schools. It refers to information contained in a student record that would not usually be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released. The law prohibits the disclosure of names or any other personal identifiable information about students to any person or group for use in a profit-making activity.

An exception to the non-disclosure rule is made in the case of “directory information.” Directory information may be released without prior written consent unless a parent notifies a school or school district in writing that he or she does not want the information to be released. 

 

Name

Address

Telephone number

Email address

Date and place of birth

Major field of study

Grade

Photograph

Participation in officially recognized activities and sports

Weight and height

Dates of attendance

Date of graduation

Degree, honors, and awards received

 

Directory information allows the school district to include certain information from a student’s record like graduation programs, billing for a play, yearbooks, and so on.

 

Directory information does not include a student’s Social Security number or student ID number.

 

Dr. Gordon Dupree, Director of Pupil Services, is the district contact for student FERPA-related issues.

He can be reached at (216) 475-8100. 

The Garfield Heights City School District seeks to identify, locate and evaluate all children from birth to age 21 who may have a disability.

Disability, in this instance, means such conditions as hearing impairments, visual impairments, speech or language impairments, specific learning disabilities, emotionally disturbed, multiple disabilities, mental retardation, other health impairments, physical impairments, autism, and traumatic brain injury. Parents may not be aware that their child has a disability or that there are programs and services available.

Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, and concerned citizens, are asked to help find any child who may have a disability and need special education and related services.

 

Notify Jonah Forte, Director of Special Education at 5640 Briarcliff Drive, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125 or by calling (216) 475-8100.

Garfield Heights City Schools are committed to the provision of a free, appropriate, public education for children with disabilities identified in accordance with applicable State and Federal law, rules, and regulations.

In keeping with the requirements of the Ohio Department of Education for compliance with the Operating Standards for Ohio Schools Serving Children with Disabilities, the district has adopted the ODE Model Policies and Procedures. 

 

In addition, Garfield Heights City School District will identify students who are Limited English Proficient (LEP), including immigrant children and youth, to assess their ability to participate in District programs and develop and administer a program that meets the English language and academic needs of these students. For Limited English Proficient (LEP) please contact Pupil Services at (216) 475-8100.

 

The Board of Education welcomes and encourages any and all comments from individuals interested in the Americans With Disabilities Act (A.D.A.). The A.D.A. contains Title I-Employment, Title II-Public Services, and Title III-Public Accommodations.

Please contact Jonah Forte, Director of Special Education at (216) 475-8100.

  

The State of Ohio passed a law, OAC 3301-51-15, which addresses the issue of identifying children who are gifted. “Gifted” students perform or show potential for performing, at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment.

 

This law requires that gifted and talented students be identified in grades K-12 in every school district in Ohio in several areas: Superior Cognitive Ability, Superior Academic Ability in math, science, social studies, and language arts, Creative thinking ability, and Visual and Performing Arts ability such as art, music, dance, and drama.

 

The gifted operating standards require districts to conduct whole-grade screenings, which test all students for gifted identification at one grade level in the K-2 grade band and on grade level in the 3-6 grade band

 

Students must display these abilities at a level superior to that of children of similar age.

For students, employees or residents with complaints or concerns under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 can obtain a complaint form from the District’s 504 Compliance Officer, Sean Patton, at 5640 Briarcliff Drive, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125. The phone number is (216) 475-8100. The District’s grievance procedure may be obtained from the above individual at the address and phone number indicated.

 

In compliance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, the Garfield Heights City School District insures that homeless children and youth are: advised on the choice of schools; immediately enrolled; and promptly provided necessary services including transportation, to allow homeless children and youths to exercise their choices of school.

Lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; Living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping ground due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; Living in an emergency or transitional shelter; Being abandoned in a hospital; Having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for humans; Living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting;  Being migratory because of living in any of the circumstances described above.

Dr. Gordon Dupree, Director of Pupil Services, is the district contact for homeless children and can be reached at (216) 475-8100. 

Educational programs are offered in our district by the use of Federal funds and in accordance with Title programming. Educational needs, as determined by Federal and State criteria, include assessment with performance measures mandated by the Ohio Department of Education as well as those determined by the district professional staff, that will assist in the diagnosis, teaching, and learning of students.

In accordance with the requirement of Federal law, for each school receiving Title funds, the Superintendent shall make sure all parents of students may request the following information on the student’s classroom teachers: whether the teacher(s) have met the State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject area they are teaching and whether educational aides have an ODE permit which makes them qualified as paraprofessionals providing services to their child(ren).

 

Garfield Heights City School District utilizes Highly Qualified Teachers and paraprofessionals.

 

The US EPA published their AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) Regulations in 1986. These regulations require all local education agencies (LEA’s) to have their buildings inspected for asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM), to have a written Asbestos Management Plan created, and to institute an Asbestos Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Program to train in-house personnel how to properly manage and work around the ACBM in their buildings. An annual notification is required to be sent to all school district employees, parents, groups, and organizations to explain the Management Plan and any current relevant activities. The Garfield Heights City School District has completed all of these requirements.

 

The master copy of the Asbestos Management Plan for all school buildings is maintained at the Board Office. A copy of the Asbestos Management Plan that is specific to each building is maintained in each building.

 

The Asbestos Management Plan is available for review by any interested party by contacting Allen Sluka, Treasurer/CFO/Business Services. Copies of any pages from the Management Plan will be provided at a cost of $0.10 per page.

 

The purpose of this Annual Notification is to explain the status and availability of the Asbestos Management Plan.

 

Our district public records policy is posted in each school and available on this website under our Board of Education Policies. Please contact Allen Sluka, Treasurer/CFO/Business Services at (216) 475-8100.

 

In the event of an emergency situation at school, parents will be notified by school officials through a phone messaging system. The recorded phone call will be made to the home phone number on file as part of the student’s record.  These calls are sent to all student phone numbers simultaneously.  If the call is not picked up, the message is left on an available answering service or machine.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) afford parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:

 

 

The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the District receives a request for access.

 

Parents of eligible students should submit to the principal a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the record may be inspected.

  

Please view Board of Education under Policy for more details on our district website

 

Due Process Rights are part of any student discipline. All members of the staff will follow policy and guidelines when dealing with student discipline. Due Process rights are detailed on the district website under Policy.

 

The Board of Education 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. Aggressive behavior 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. This policy applies to all activities in the District, including activities on school property or while en route to or from school and those occurring off school property if the student or employee is at any school-sponsored, school-approved or school-related activity or function, such as field trips or athletic events where students are under the school’s control, or where an employee is engaged in school business.

 

The Board of Education maintains an education and work environment which is free from all forms of unlawful harassment, including sexual harassment. This commitment applies to 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 unlawful harassment. This policy applies to unlawful conduct occurring on school property, or at another location if such conduct occurs during an activity sponsored by the Board. The district will vigorously enforce its prohibition against harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other unlawful basis, and encourages those within the district community as well as third parties, who feel aggrieved to seek assistance to rectify the problems. The district will investigate all allegations of harassment and in those cases where unlawful harassment is substantiated; the district will take immediate steps to end the harassment. Individuals who are found to have engaged in unlawful harassment will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

Because the Board hosts a website and stores information on it at the direction of users, it is classified as an online service provider for copyright purposes. In order to limit the Board’s liability relating to material/information residing, at the direction of a user, on its system or network, Director of Technology, Shari Bailey, is the agent to receive notification of claimed infringement.

 

She can be reached at 5640 Briarcliff Drive, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125 or (216) 475-8100.

 

The Board of Education is committed to maintaining a safe and drug-free environment in all of our schools the Board believes that school crime and violence are multifaceted problems that need to be addressed in a manner that utilizes all available resources in the community through a coordinated effort of school district personnel, law enforcement agencies, and families. The Board further believes that school administrators and local law enforcement officials must work together to provide for the safety and welfare of students while they are at school or a school-related event or are on their way to and from school. The district has a Safety Team at each building and is committed to the safety and security of our students. In coordination with the Garfield Heights Police and Garfield Heights Fire Department our crisis and safety preparedness plan is updated for each of our buildings.

 

Contact Dr. Gordon Dupree, Director of Pupil Services at (216) 475-8100 with questions.

 

School authorities are charged 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 the person or property, including vehicles, of a student, with or without the student’s consent, whenever they reasonably suspect that the search is required to discover evidence of a violation of law or of school rules. Administrators are permitted to conduct a random search of any student’s locker and its contents at any time.

 

Contact Gordon Dupree, Director of Pupil Services at (216) 475-8100 for questions.

 

 

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