2019 “Big Enough to Challenge, Small Enough to Care” 2019 Federal Law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires that all kindergarten program until graduation from high school or school districts report the professional teaching qualification the end of the school term in which a student reaches the age of teachers to the public. The Ferndale Area School of twenty-one (21) years, whichever occurs first. District of District’s professional personnel are all highly qualified residence shall be defined as the school district in which a teachers (100%). This means that every teacher has a student's parents/guardians reside. For more information college degree in the courses they teach and are certified by and/or to see the full board policy on enrollment of students, the Pennsylvania Department of Education with a teaching please refer to Policy No. 200 Enrollment of Students under license. Additionally, all paraprofessionals (teacher aides) in the Board Policies tab on the district’s website the Ferndale Area School District are highly qualified www.fasdk12.org. (100%). This means that every teacher aide has a college Homeless Each year, more than 800,000 school age children degree and/or is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of in the United States experience homelessness. The Ferndale Education with a Paraprofessional Credential of Competency Area School District is required to provide activities for, and certificate. All of our teachers and teacher aides receive services to, homeless children, including preschool age professional development annually in their areas of study to homeless children and youths, enabling them to enroll in, continually update their knowledge and skills. attend, and succeed in school or preschool programs. The All instructional materials, including teachers’ manuals, law states that, pending resolution of a dispute about school audiovisuals, or other supplementary instructional material, placement, a school district must immediately enroll a used in the instructional program shall be available for homeless student in the student’s school of origin or other inspection by the parents or students in accordance with school selected on the basis of the child’s best interest. Board policy. Instructional materials do not include tests or Homeless students are defined as individuals lacking a fixed, academic assessments. Parents and students (age 18 and regular and adequate nighttime residence, which include the over) have a right to access information about the following conditions: sharing the housing of other persons curriculum, including expected student learning outcomes, due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason; instructional materials and assessment techniques. For more living in motels, hotels, or camping grounds due to lack of information and/or to see the full board policy on review of alternative adequate accommodations; living in emergency, instructional materials, please refer to Policy No. 105.1 transitional or domestic violence shelters; abandoned in Review of Instructional Materials by Parents/Guardians and hospitals; awaiting foster care placement; using public or Students under the Board Policies tab on the district’s private places not designed for or ordinarily used as regular website www.fasdk12.org. sleeping accommodations for human beings, as a primary Attendance The Board requires that school age students nighttime residence; living in cars, parks, public spaces, enrolled in district schools attend school regularly, in abandoned buildings, substandard housing, transportation accordance with state laws. The educational program offered stations or similar settings; living as migratory children in by the district is predicated upon the presence of the student conditions described in previous examples; living as run- and requires continuity of instruction and classroom away children, abandoned or forced out of homes by participation in order for students to achieve academic parents/guardians or caretakers, or separated from standards and consistent educational progress. Attendance parents/guardians for any other reason; and living as school shall be required of all students enrolled in district schools age parents/guardians in houses for school age during the days and hours that school is in session. For more parents/guardians if they have no other living information and/or to see the full board policy on attendance, accommodations. please refer to Policy No. 204 Attendance under the Board If you know of a child/student who may be homeless, please Policies tab on the district’s website www.fasdk12.org. call any of the school offices and notify staff there who will Enrollment of Students The Board shall enroll school age follow up on your concern. For more information on students eligible to attend district schools, in accordance with homeless education and/or to see the full board policy on applicable laws and regulations, Board policy and homeless students, please refer to the district’s website administrative regulations. School age shall be defined as the www.fasdk12.org, Homeless Education and Policy No. 251 period from the earliest admission age for the district’s Homeless Students under the Board Policies tab. Page 2 Ferndale Area School District Board of Education President What’s Inside Mrs. Sandra Chobany - Dale Annual Public Notices .................................................... 3 Vice-President Special Education Services and Programs ..................... 4 Mrs. Susan Boyle - Dale Visiting Your Child’s School ............................................ 6 Secretary Mrs. Melissa Garman - Ferndale How to Communicate a Question or Concern ................. 6 Treasurer Public Participation in Board Meetings ........................... 7 Mr. Jason Moschgat - Middle Taylor Delays, Cancellations, and Early Dismissals ................... 7 Board Members Mr. Joshua Hyland - Middle Taylor Dr. James McKendree - Middle Taylor Mr. Richard Pavic - Ferndale Mr. Stephen Thompson - Ferndale Mrs. Patricia Wilson - Dale Administration Ferndale Area School District School Board Meetings 100 Dartmouth Avenue The Ferndale Area School District Board of Johnstown, PA 15905 Directors meets on the third Wednesday of each 814-535-1507 month in the District Office Board Room at 6:00 p.m. except for the months of May, June, Superintendent of Schools November and December, and when otherwise Mrs. Carole M. Kakabar advertised. Meetings are not scheduled for the Business Manager month of July. Mr. David Gates Director of Education Dr. William Brotz Ferndale Area Junior-Senior High School The Open Records Law, effective January 1, 2009, allows 600 Harlan Avenue increased access to public records. Information can be Johnstown, PA 15905 requested from the Ferndale Area School District by mail, 814-288-5757 fax, email or in person. The District has five business days to respond. If the District doesn’t respond or denies Principal your request, an appeal can be filed with the Office of Open Records. Copying fees, up to 25 cents per page, Mr. Travis Robison may be charged. The Ferndale Area School District has Assistant Principal appointed Mr. David Gates, Business Manager, as their Mrs. Molly O’Neil Right-to-Know Officer, given the responsibility of answering information requests from the public. You may contact Mr. Gates at Ferndale Area Administrative Office, 100 Dartmouth Avenue, Johnstown, PA 15905, Ferndale Area Elementary School telephone: (814) 535-1507. The form for requested 100 Dartmouth Avenue information can be obtained on our website at Johnstown, PA 15905 www.fasdk12.org, District, under the Right-to-Know tab. 814-535-6724 Principal Mrs. Rachelle Hrabosky Page 3 Gifted Education The Ferndale Area School District offers Tobacco/Nicotine The Board recognizes that tobacco, gifted support services in both of its buildings. This program nicotine and nicotine delivery products present a health and focuses on enrichment and acceleration activities that safety hazard that can have serious consequences for both supplement the regular education program. Instructional users and nonusers and the safety and environment of the services are provided through direct instruction, teacher and schools. The Board prohibits possession, use or sale of student consultation, and classroom enrichment. The District tobacco, nicotine, nicotine delivery products, and vaping conducts a screening process based upon review of all products by students at any time in a school building and on educational records and parent/teacher input to identify any property, buses, vans and vehicles that are owned, leased students who might qualify for gifted support services. When or controlled by the school district. The Board also prohibits the data supports the need for a full evaluation, the District possession, use or sale of tobacco, nicotine, nicotine delivery will seek parental consent. The evaluation includes products, and vaping products by students at school- observations from school personnel, performance on sponsored activities that are held off school property (day or standardized assessments, review of the student’s academic night). The Board prohibits tobacco possession, use or sale of records, as well as family and teacher input. If the results of tobacco, nicotine, nicotine delivery products, and vaping the gifted evaluation indicate that the student meets the products by students when they represent the school (i.e. Chapter 16 criteria as an individual who is in need of gifted work study program,