Notifications and General Information

The Wheatland-Chili Central School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, color, national origin or handicapping condition in its educational programs, activities or employment practices. It is the policy of the Board of Education to comply with the regulations listed in Title IX of the 1972 Educational Requirements and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Any member of the Wheatland-Chili Central School District staff or any Wheatland-Chili Central School District pupil or parent believing themselves aggrieved because of discrimination based on sex, age, race, color, national origin, or handicapping condition should be in contact with the Office of Superintendent of Schools. 

New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) seeks to provide the state’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function. In addition, DASA prohibits harassment, bullying and/or discrimination that occurs off school property where such acts create or would foreseeably create a risk of substantial disruption within the school environment, where it is foreseeable that such acts might reach school property. This also includes cyberbullying, which is defined as harassment or bullying which occurs through any form of electronic communication. 

DASA also requires instruction to expand the concepts of tolerance, respect for others and dignity to include: an awareness and sensitivity to harassment, bullying, discrimination and civility in the relations of people, including, but not limited to, different races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, gender identity and sexes. In addition, curriculum includes instruction in the safe, responsible use of the I\internet and electronic communications. In accordance with the Dignity for All Students Act, the District will take necessary steps to address these matters. If you have questions/concerns, please contact your school’s principal. 

The Board of Education affirms its commitment to nondiscrimination and recognizes its responsibility to provide an environment on school property, including school buses, and at school functions, that is free of harassment and intimidation as required by federal and state law. “School property” means in or within any building, structure, athletic playing field, playground, parking lot or land contained within the real property boundary line of a public elementary and secondary school or in or on a school bus, as defined in Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 142. “School function” means any school-sponsored curricular or extracurricular event, activity or trip. Discrimination and harassment are a violation of law and stand in direct opposition to District policy. Therefore, the Board prohibits and condemns all forms of discrimination and harassment by employees, school volunteers students, and non-employees such as contractors and vendors as well as any third parties who are participating in, observing or otherwise engaging in activities subject to the supervision and control of the District. 

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents certain rights regarding District surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes and certain physical exams. Parents may exercise their right to excuse their child from participating in any survey created by a third party (before it is distributed to students) and questionnaires intended to collect personal information from students for marketing purposes. 

Education Law  § 2-d requires each educational agency in New York State to develop a Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security and publish it on its website. 

The purpose of the Parents’ Bill of Rights is to provide information to parents (which also include legal guardians or persons in parental relation to a student, but generally not the parents of a student who is age eighteen or over) and eligible students about certain legal requirements that protect personally identifiable information pursuant to state and federal laws.   

This is to advise you of your rights with respect to the school records relating to your child, or yourself (for students 18 or older) with regard to the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”). 

Parents of a student under 18 or a student 18 or older (an “eligible student”) have a right to inspect and review any and all official records, files and data directly related to their children or themselves, including all material that is incorporated into each student’s cumulative record folder and intended for school use or to be available to parties outside the school or school system, and specifically including, but not limited to, identifying data, academic work completed, level of achievement (grades, standardized achievement test scores), attendance data, scores on standardized intelligence, aptitude and psychological tests, interest inventory results, health data, family background information, teacher or counselor ratings and observations and verified reports of serious recurrent behavior patterns. 

A parent of a student under 18 years of age or an eligible student shall make a request for access to a child’s or their own school records in writing to school principal (preK-5) or school counselor (6-12). Upon receipt of such request, arrangements shall be made to provide access to such records within a reasonable period of time, but in no case no more than 15 days after the request has been received. 

Such parents and students are also entitled to an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of such records to insure that they are not inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of students and to provide an opportunity for the correction or deletion of any such inaccurate, misleading or otherwise inappropriate data contained therein. Any questions concerning the procedures to be followed in requesting such a hearing should be directed to the Superintendent of Schools. 

Student records and any material contained therein which is personally identifiable are confidential and may not be released or made available to persons other than parents or eligible students without the written consent of such parents or eligible student. There are a number of exceptions to this rule, such as other school employees and officials and certain state and federal officials, who have legitimate educational need for access to such records in the course of their employment. 

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (“NCLB”), the District (Military Recruiters’ Access to Secondary School Students and Information on Students Policy #7243) is required to disclose the names, addresses and telephone numbers of high school students to military recruiters, subject to the right of parents and students over age 18 (“eligible students”) to “opt out” and preclude such disclosure. Parents and eligible students who wish to “opt out” and preclude disclosure must complete an “opt out” form and return the form to the high school principal by Oct.1 of each school year. The form is included on the District website. 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, generally requires that the District obtain your written consent prior to disclosing personally identifiable information from your child’s/your education records to persons other than those with a legitimate educational interest. The District may, however, disclose “directory information” for limited purposes without your written consent, unless you have timely advised the District of your decision to opt out of such disclosure(s) in whole or in part. 

Directory information is information contained in an education record of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. The District defines “directory information” to include only the following: 

• Name 
• Address 
• Telephone listing 
• Dates of attendance 
• Photograph/image 
• Grade level 
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports 
• Honors and awards received 

In accordance with FERPA and Board Policy No. 7242, “Limited Disclosure of Student Directory Information,” the District’s disclosure of directory information will be limited to specific parties and specific purposes only. Specifically, the District will include directory information in certain school publications, such as the yearbook, honor roll and other recognition lists, graduation programs, sports activity sheets, and playbills showing your child’s/your role in drama productions in a timely manner and without the necessity for requesting consent in situations in which it is expected that there would be no significant concern about invasion of privacy or any danger or harm from the disclosure. Unless the parent/eligible student opts out, the District will make the disclosure without obtaining consent. The District may also disclose directory information to outside organizations/parties without a parent’s/eligible student’s prior written consent but only for school-related activities or purposes. Examples of such outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. 

The District shall not disclose directory information in any situation when a risk to student safety, risk of identity theft, or other harm to student(s) is reasonably perceived. 

If you do not want the District to disclose any or all of the types of information designated above as directory information from your child’s/your education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing of such decision to opt out in whole or in part. Your written notice must be received by your school principal at 13 Beckwith Avenue (T. J. Connor) or 940 North Road (Middle/High School), on or before October 1. A “Notice of Objection to Release of Limited Student Directory Information” is contained on the District website at wheatlandchili.org for your convenience. 

The McKinney-Vento Act covers youth who don’t have a fixed, adequate and regular nighttime residence. If you lost your housing due to economic hardship and now live doubled-up with family or friends; in a shelter, motel, vehicle, camping ground or temporary trailer; on the street; or in another type of temporary housing, your child may be able to receive help through the McKinney-Vento Act. For more information, please contact the Pupil Personnel Services Office at 585-889-6249.

800- 418-6423 ext. 359 

Call the Safe School Helpline to report incidents and activities that may be harmful to students or our schools. The Helpline is open 24/7, 365 days a year, and all tips are anonymous. 

Families can visit criminaljustice.ny.gov/nsor or call 800-262-3257 to obtain information about sex offenders residing in their communities. 

Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) is a federal law enacted in 1987 which requires all school districts to reinspect facilities for asbestos containing building materials. Our facilities have been inspected and response actions are planned to insure a continued safe environment for our students and employees. Activities include training of maintenance staff to prevent disturbance of asbestos and periodic reinspection and surveillance activities by trained personnel. Details of such activities are described in the District’s AHERA Management Plan which is available for review in the Central Office. 

In accordance with New York State Education Department law, public schools must provide written notification 48 hours in advance of application if required. The District implements integrated pest management; pesticides are only applied upon express authorization of the District. 

For information, contact Steven Farrell, Facilities Supervisor. 

The District encourages community use of school facilities when such use is in the public interest, does not conflict with school activities and is not detrimental to the purpose of schools. Residents, staff members and community groups can make facility use requests on the District website. 

Consistent with Chapter 68 of the Laws of 2012, which amends Education Law 3012-c, the Commissioner is required to disclose professional performance review data for teachers and Principals on the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website and in any other manner to make such data widely available to the public. However, the release of such aggregate data may not include personally identifiable information for any teacher or Principal. Such public disclosure of final quality ratings and composite effectiveness scores will be suitable for research, analysis and comparison of APPR data for teachers and Principals across the state.

Upon request, the District will release to parents/legal guardians the final quality ratings and composite effectiveness scores for teachers and Principals to which their student is currently assigned. The District's obligation to disclose this information is limited to those teachers and Building Principals subject to Education Law 3012-c. The District will provide conspicuous notice to parents/legal guardians of their right to obtain such information and the methods by which the data can be obtained. Upon request, parents will receive an oral or written explanation of the composite effectiveness scoring ranges for final quality ratings and be offered the opportunity to understand such scores in the context of teacher evaluation and student performance. When a request for this information is received, reasonable efforts will be made to verify that it is a bona fide request by a parent/legal guardian entitled to review the data.

Annual professional performance reviews of individual teachers and Principals shall not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).

For more information, contact the Central Office at 585-889-6284.

New York State’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) allows members of the public to access records of governmental agencies. FOIL provides a process for the review and copying of an agency’s records. 

Freedom of Information Law requests for State Education Department records may be submitted by:

1. Email to District Clerk Diane Stocking

2. Mail:

Diane Stocking
13 Beckwith Avenue
Scottsville, NY 14546

Middle/High School

To report a student absent, contact the Health Services Office by 7:45 a.m.* on the day of absence.

Phone
585-889-6221

^*Parents and guardians who have not notified the school by 7:45 a.m. on the day of their child's absence will receive a robocall notifying them of the student's unexcused absence. 

T. J. Connor Elementary School

To report a student absent, contact the Security Office by 9 a.m.^* on the day of absence.

Phone
585-889-6935

^*Parents and guardians who have not notified the school by 9 a.m. on the day of their child's absence will receive a robocall notifying them of the student's unexcused absence. 

Middle/High School

Building Opens
7:25 a.m.

Grades 6-12
7:35 a.m. to 2:14 p.m. 

T. J. Connor Elementary School

Building Opens
8:30 a.m.

Full-Day Pre-K and K-5
8:45 a.m. to 3:08 p.m.

Half-Day Pre-K
8:45-11 a.m.

Students are marked late after 8:50 a.m.

Change of a student’s personal status should be reported to the District Registrar in advance. Changes to be reported include:

• Moving (within or out of the District) 
• Telephone number change 
• Name change (family or individual) 
• Temporary residence change due to family emergency 

Other situations (extended vacations, trips abroad, etc.) should be reported in advance to the student’s school. 

All personal information is handled confidentially.

Families who are new to the District should register their children for school at the District's Central Office as soon as possible.  

Children may begin school at Wheatland-Chili before they reside in the District if their parents or guardians are in the process of establishing residence in the District and that process can be verified through records. 

School personnel may give your children tests to determine the best classroom placement and courses for them. The school will make arrangements for the transfer of your children’s records from their former school after you sign a release form. 

Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration

Children who turn 4 years old on or before December 1 are eligible to enter pre-K in September of the same year. Children who turn 5 years old on or before December 1 are eligible to enter kindergarten in September of the same year. 

Registration information for both grades will be mailed to families in the beginning of January and registration appointments will be scheduled the last week of January. Families will be given an appointment for screening in March. Information nights for incoming pre-K and kindergarten families will be held in May. Please check the online calendar for specific dates and times. 

Proof of Guardianship 

A student may be eligible to attend the Wheatland-Chili Central School District when their legal guardian resides in the District. Proof of such status is required by the Superintendent. Forms can be requested at the Central Office. 

Contact

Jennifer Adrian, District Registrar
585-889-6268

Click here for student registration forms and resources.