New York State Attorney General &
New York State Education Department

Joint Report on

The Investigation into the
Death of Trevyan Rowe

Page 1   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 New York State Attorney General &
New York State Education Department
Joint Report on The Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe
Executive Summary
 
On the morning of March 8, 2018, Trevyan Devon Rowe (“Trevyan”), a 14-year-old
student of the Rochester City School District (“RCSD”), boarded and rode the school bus to James
P.B. Duffy School No. 12 (“School #12”), a kindergarten through eighth grade school located in
Rochester, New York. When Trevyan got off the bus, however, he did not enter the school, but
rather exited school property and went missing. Tragically, three days later on March 11, 2018,
Trevyan’s body was found in the nearby Genesee River.
 
On March 19, 2018, the New York State Attorney General and New York State Education
Department Commissioner launched a civil investigation into the facts and circumstances
surrounding Trevyan’s death, including a review of RCSD’s policies, procedures and protocols.
The investigation consisted of reviewing hundreds of pages of policy documents and email
correspondence, conducting site visits, and interviewing approximately fifty staff members and
certain members of Trevyan’s family who were willing to be interviewed.
The tragic facts surrounding this situation present a clear picture of a student facing serious
mental health issues who was also receiving special education and related services in a school
in which safety and school climate were compromised and policies were lacking and/or not
consistently implemented.
As discussed in detail below, the findings of the investigation are categorized into four
main areas: (A) mental health services, including behavioral intervention; (B) special education;
(C) attendance policies; and (D) school safety considerations, including transportation.
Regarding mental health issues, the investigation found: (A) potentially inadequate and/
or delayed services for mental health treatment; (B) an overly narrow application of behavioral
intervention plans; and (C) consistent lack of documentation when behavior crises occur.
With respect to special education, the investigation revealed: (A) that there were initial
delays in providing Trevyan with special education services upon his transfer to RCSD from a
school in Texas; (B) it may have been appropriate to change Trevyan’s disability classification
from learning disabled to emotionally disturbed as he continued to develop over time as a student
at School #12, and at the very least an emotional disturbance classification does not appear to
have been adequately considered and documented at his Committee on Special Education (“CSE”)
meetings; and (C) misunderstandings of disability classifications in a chaotic school climate
perpetuated the inability of RCSD to provide assistance to Trevyan through the special education
process.

Page 1   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 In terms of attendance policies, the investigation found: (A) RCSD employed overly
permissive procedures that allowed school staff to submit their attendance records days, weeks,
and sometimes even months after the class in question, and to freely make changes to those records
after submission without meaningful oversight; (B) RCSD had an inadequate and untimely system
for parental notification of unexcused absences; and (C) school administrators failed to play any
active or meaningful role whatsoever in ensuring that attendance was taken in a timely and accurate
manner.
Finally, turning to the issue of school safety and transportation, the investigation concluded
that: (A) RCSD employed insufficient procedures to ensure the safety of students during arrival
and dismissal; (B) chronic staff turnover and the use of substitutes within the District, combined
with inadequate creation and retention of student records, resulted in the potential for students
to fall between the cracks; (C) RCSD either did not employ a centralized policy for creating
or maintaining safety or emergency plans for individual students such as Trevyan, or has not
adequately trained its staff on that centralized policy; (D) the general building safety plan at School
#12 was not sufficiently known to and/or understood by staff and (E) a chaotic school environment
existed.
The factual findings appearing below are presented in chronological order when possible.
By publishing this joint report, the New York State Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) and
the New York State Education Department (“SED”) do not purport to identify any single cause for
Trevyan’s tragic death, which appears to have been the result of a combination of multiple factors.
Rather, this report is aimed at identifying ways that RCSD and other school districts can attempt to
prevent or reduce the risk of tragedies like Trevyan’s death from happening in the future.
Statement of Facts1
After having attended school as a special education student in both Arkansas and Texas, on
April 13, 2013, Trevyan Rowe was enrolled in RCSD towards the end of his third grade year. He
was originally enrolled in RCSD as a general education student, as there were delays in RCSD’s
receipt and review of his prior education records. After approximately one month at School #12,
Trevyan was identified as a student with a disability, and he was classified as learning disabled.
In his five school years as a student at RCSD, Trevyan exhibited increasingly problematic
behaviors and suicidal ideations, which are detailed as relevant in the substantive sections below,
as well as in the timeline appended to this report. In summary, even upon his initial arrival,
Trevyan was known to have experienced traumatic events, but he was not recommended for
in-school counseling during his first four years at RCSD. Over the ensuing years, he became
confused and panicked during a fire drill, wandered away from classes when he reportedly became
overwhelmed, and had the Mobile Crisis Team at Strong Memorial Hospital called on him on at
least three occasions in or about November 2013, sometime in the fall of 2016, and in September
2017.

1

For a more complete timeline of events, please refer to the Appendix appearing at the end of this Report.
Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 2

 By the time Trevyan was a fifth grader, he was observed writing suicidal statements in
his school notebooks, and would occasionally raise his hand to ask off-topic questions about
attempting to kill himself during class lectures. Nevertheless, for the entire period from fifth grade
until his final school year at RCSD (2017-2018), school staff who became aware of Trevyan’s
behaviors and severe emotional issues, including social workers, recommended that he receive
only outside mental health counseling, but did not recommend in-school mental health counseling.
Staff’s focus on community mental health services continued for years despite repeated indications
that those recommendations would not, or perhaps could not, be carried out, even as Trevyan’s
behaviors increasingly affected his studies at School #12.
In May 2017, in addition to reviewing his next year’s Individualized Education Program
(“IEP”), Trevyan had a reevaluation of his disability classification. The behavioral assessment
tests performed on Trevyan in preparation for what would be his last CSE meeting revealed that
his cognitive abilities had shown significant improvement. Tests relevant to his learning disability
revealed scores in the average range, whereas his anxiety and depression scores were in the
“clinically significant” range, i.e., the most concerning. At the meeting in May 2017, although
staff reportedly considered a classification of emotional disturbance, it was ultimately decided that
Trevyan would continue to be classified as learning disabled. For the first time, however, in-school
psychological counseling services were added as a related service on his IEP. Those counseling
services would be with the social worker on staff at School #12, but would not commence until the
following school year (2017-2018).
However, when Trevyan began seventh grade in the fall of 2017, his problematic behaviors
had reached a new level. For instance, at dismissal time on or about September 20, 2017, he
became extremely upset and threatened (and according to some even attempted) to run between
the buses to harm himself. When the school safety officer caught up with him, Trevyan told him
that he wanted to kill himself, so Trevyan was physically escorted back into the building. Because
Trevyan denied wanting to kill himself when evaluated by the newly-assigned social worker at
School #12, he was sent home. School staff contacted the Mobile Crisis Unit and had them go to
Trevyan’s home that day, but they did not involve themselves any further except being told by the
family advocate who had been assigned that her calls had not been returned. The investigation
revealed no evidence of any further actions taken by RCSD to follow up on this situation, including
for example, by additional attempts to contact or engage the family.
As detailed in Section I below, episodes like these recurred through the rest of 2017, but
staff still did not develop a written safety plan, or convene the CSE to review Trevyan’s behavioral
needs. In one example, Trevyan made disturbing comments about harming himself or others in
school notebooks. On another occasion in October 2017, he became upset during his special
education class and ran out of School #12. The principal was out of the office on that day; the
administrator covering for her attempted to search for Trevyan, but he could not be located.
Eventually, after approximately an hour had passed, Trevyan returned to the school. Even after
that elopement, there was still no written safety plan created. Despite these events, school staff
then described Trevyan’s behavior as having improved at the beginning of 2018, although it does
not appear that he had received any mental health services in addition to his IEP-mandated inschool psychological counseling.
Page 3   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 Thereafter, at approximately 7:37 a.m. on March 8, 2018 according to RCSD cameras,
Trevyan arrived at School #12 via the school bus, but he never entered the school that day. Video
footage reveals that he immediately turned right and headed northbound towards the side of the
building. Within seconds, still undetected, he turned left and headed west along the library wall. By
approximately 7:42 a.m., he had exited the school property and entered the wooded area surrounding
school grounds. As explained in Section 4 below, the staff members regularly assigned to monitor
bus arrivals were primarily standing inside or right next to the building entrances, where they were
unable to see Trevyan’s elopement. Those who were standing further outside, including on the
sidewalks, are observable on camera talking amongst themselves and only intermittently, if ever,
facing the direction of students disembarking from buses. The bus driver, who was a substitute
filling in that day, also with no knowledge of prior issues involving Trevyan, similarly failed to
observe when Trevyan exited the bus and traveled in the wrong direction, away from the school.
The investigation revealed that the attendance record for Trevyan’s first period was timely
submitted at 7:52 a.m., but Trevyan was erroneously marked “present.” Because the RCSD system
of sending out notification calls (“robocalls”) to parents of children who were marked “unexcused
absent” could only be triggered by attendance taken during that first period class, no robocall
went out to the phone number on file for Trevyan that morning. In any event, robocalls were not
scheduled to occur until 11:00 a.m., which may have been too late to have helped Trevyan, who
was reported in a 911 call to have been standing on a non-pedestrian bridge above the Genesee
River shortly after 8:00 a.m. Reportedly, when state police arrived at the bridge, no one was seen
and the call was cleared.
Although Trevyan’s second period teacher accurately marked him “unexcused absent,”
nothing further was done to inquire into his absence and the school day passed like any other. It was
not until Trevyan failed to get off the school bus at the end of the day, and his family members came
to School #12 looking for him at approximately 3:26 p.m., that any school staff even knew he was
missing. For nearly two hours, Trevyan’s assigned vice principal and his fifth through sixth grade
special education teacher attempted to determine whether he had taken the school bus that morning
or attended any of his classes that day. Police were not contacted until approximately 5:15 p.m.; two
officers from the Rochester City Police Department arrived at the school at 5:44 p.m.

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 4

 School #12 had an interim principal as of March 8, 2018, and she had not been in the
building that day due to a principal’s meeting. The interim principal was contacted at some
point that evening, and arrived at the school at approximately 6:58 p.m. Additionally, per RCSD
protocol, school staff contacted the School Chief, but she was at a Board of Education meeting that
evening, along with numerous RCSD officials including the Superintendent and Chief Operating
Officer. The School Chief did not call school staff back until after 7:00 p.m. Several phone calls
were also made by school staff and the School Chief to the Director of Safety and Security for
RCSD, but the Director had been out on medical leave that day and was taking medications that
impaired her ability to recall any details of her conversations that evening and there is no evidence
that she designated an alternate to act in her stead. Eventually, at 8:20 p.m., the Director of Safety
and Security sent out a blast email to the RCSD executive cabinet describing three noteworthy
incidents that had occurred within the District that day, including the fact that Trevyan had gone
missing from School #12. Trevyan’s situation appeared third in the list of the three issues and read
as follows:
“There is a missing School #12 student who rode the bus to school, but didn’t come
into the school. This evening it was reported that the student had lost his phone
and made a comment if he didn’t find it, he was going to kill himself. The police
and the parents were working with the school administrators on this investigation.”
Officials employed by the District’s Safety and Security Department were not dispatched to
assist police until the following morning. Many school and District staff members reported finding
out for the first time that Trevyan was missing only when they watched the news on the morning of
Friday, March 9, 2018. District officials reported to investigators, though, that Safety and Security
Department staff members did participate in attempting to locate Trevyan from Friday through
Sunday, March 11, 2018. Sometime in the evening on Sunday, March 11, 2018, police contacted
District officials and informed them that Trevyan’s body had been located in the Genesee River.

Page 5   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 1.  Mental Health Services, Including Behavioral Intervention
 
Our investigation revealed three main concerns relating to RCSD’s provision of mental health
services, including behavioral intervention: (A) potentially inadequate and/or delayed services for
mental health treatment; (B) an overly narrow/inadequate application of behavioral intervention
plans; and (C) consistent lack of documentation when behavioral crises occurred.
After a delay of about a month after enrolling in RCSD on or about April 8, 2013, which
is discussed in more detail in the Special Education Services section of this report, Trevyan was
provided with an IEP in May 2013. The May 2013 IEP did not provide for any counseling services
throughout the 2013-2014 school year, during which time Trevyan was retained to repeat third grade.
Even at that time, though, there were documented mental health concerns involving Trevyan. He was
known to have experienced multiple traumatic events in his life, and there were discussions between
RCSD staff members about the possibility of him suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
(“PTSD”). It was reportedly recommended that Trevyan receive mental health counseling outside
of the school setting. Ultimately, though, the social worker at School #12 decided not to recommend
any school-based counseling at that time.
Notably, a psychological evaluation of Trevyan was conducted in May 2013, and a draft
version of the resulting report contained three recommendations pertaining to mental health, namely,
to make efforts to monitor his suicidal ideation, develop a safety plan, and initiate positive statements
to strengthen his internal coping strategies. However, those recommendations were omitted from the
final version of the evaluation report that was placed in Trevyan’s cumulative file, and none of the
concerns about his mental health appeared in the final IEP, despite the fact that the draft psychological
evaluation points out the need for mental health services, specifically to monitor Trevyan’s suicide
ideation (there is no explanation as to why those recommendations were omitted in the final version).
Thus, the investigation reveals that, as early as May 2013, within a month of Trevyan’s first entry
into RCSD from Texas, evidence of mental health issues, including suicidal ideation, were present.
Upon his arrival at RCSD, Trevyan’s teachers began to note several other areas of concern.
For one, they developed an Emergency Evacuation Plan for Trevyan, following an incident when
he had become disoriented and required one-on-one support to exit the building during a fire drill
in June 2013. It is unclear how long that Emergency Evacuation Plan was continued, but it was not
referenced on his next IEP, which was created in May 2014. Trevyan left the classroom unattended
on at least one occasion in September 2013, which was noted to be consistent with reports of his
having roamed and hidden in the classroom when he attended school in Arkansas.
Later, in November 2013, the social worker at School #12 assessed Trevyan’s mental health
status and concluded that he did not pose a danger to himself or others at that time, but she still
referred him to the Mobile Crisis Team at Strong Memorial Hospital. Neither Trevyan’s cumulative
file, nor his special education file, contain any documents setting forth the details of the events that
prompted the social worker to perform that assessment or make that referral, nor did any of the
interviewees recall that day’s events. What is clear from the record, however, is that Trevyan was
still not provided with school-based counseling at that time, and his next IEP, which was developed
at a meeting held in May 2014, is silent on the matter of any mental health concerns.
Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 6

 During the 2014-2015 school year, Trevyan’s fourth grade teacher observed his behavior to
be erratic; he would reportedly appear to be happy one minute but then would become very upset.
In October 2014, there was a conference with Trevyan’s guardian where it was decided that the
social worker would help in getting him outside mental health counseling. Although it appears
that an appointment was scheduled for him at an outside clinic, the RCSD staff interviewed did
not believe that Trevyan ever received the recommended mental health counseling. In his next IEP
developed at the next annual review in May 2015, Trevyan continued to be classified as learning
disabled, and no references were made to any concerns about his mental health. To the contrary, in
fact, that IEP provides that Trevyan did not demonstrate any social or emotional needs that school
staff believed required psychological counseling in the school setting.
As a fifth grader in the 2015-2016 school year, and a sixth grader in the 2016-2017 school
year, Trevyan continued to exhibit problematic behaviors at school, and yet he still did not receive
any school-based counseling. Several times, he left what are referred to as “special area subjects,”
including physical education and music class, unattended and without an excuse. He was observed
writing suicidal statements in his notebooks, and he would occasionally raise his hand and ask offtopic questions about attempting suicide during lessons. It does not appear that any RCSD staff
kept a formal record of those occurrences. According to his teacher, a social worker was called on
each occasion, but, when interviewed during this investigation, the social workers were no longer
employed at School #12, and were unable to recall any specific incidents, nor to even confirm
whether they were the ones who had responded.
The lack of documentation and action with appropriate follow through of these crises
appears to be a chronic problem. It was explained to investigators that social workers are called
to meet with individual students who are “in crisis,” but those calls do not place the student into
that social worker’s regular caseload. In RCSD, each individual social worker appears to employ
their own varying method (and degree) of note-taking practices, such that there does not appear to
be any centralized paper record created. Nor does there appear to be any attempt at consistency
in RCSD in sending the same social worker when a student repeatedly presents in crisis (unless
that student is already receiving psychological counseling as a related service under an IEP, which
Trevyan was not at this time). Especially because social workers are regularly transferred between
schools, proper documentation maintained in a centralized file specific to the student is essential to
track that student’s wellbeing and to identify when suicidal ideations or other negative behaviors
are escalating.
At some point during his sixth grade year (2016-2017), the Mobile Crisis Unit was called
to the school, and Trevyan was found to pose a danger to himself or others and was taken to the
hospital. Trevyan was reportedly making threats of self-harm, writing about ways to commit
suicide in his school notebook, and giving away his belongings to classmates. It was reported to
investigators that there was no social worker assigned to School #12 when the Mobile Crisis Unit
was called. In October 2016, school staff were under the impression that Trevyan was awaiting an
opening at an inpatient mental health center, but this is not believed to have come to fruition. His
teacher discussed the need to complete an emergency plan for him around that time, but no written
plan has been provided to our investigators, and RCSD has informed us that it does not appear
that the District ever had a formal written safety plan for Trevyan. Consistent with this, none of
Page 7   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 Trevyan’s IEPs note the existence of a safety or emergency plan, and Trevyan’s special education
teacher from the following school year denied receiving any such plan.
Notably, there are records in Trevyan’s special education file indicating that his mother
took him to an outside medical provider in November 2016, and that doctor diagnosed Trevyan
with an unspecified conduct disorder. Although those medical records were sent to the school
and placed in Trevyan’s cumulative file, it does not appear that there was any further follow up by
school staff. Trevyan’s special education classification remained learning disabled while at RCSD.
Eventually, at his regularly-scheduled CSE meeting in May 2017, and after the numerous
incidents described throughout this report, it was decided that Trevyan would begin to receive inschool psychological counseling services. His services consisted of a small group session and an
individual session, each to take place 30 minutes per week. Those counseling services would be
with the social worker on staff at School #12, but would not commence until the upcoming 20172018 school year.
When Trevyan began 7th grade in the fall of 2017, he was assigned to a new special education
teacher, who was completely unaware of the events discussed above and his history of suicidal
ideation. When she reviewed his updated IEP, it described Trevyan as a student with a learning
disability and said little, if anything, about depression or suicidal ideation. The only possible
indication would have had to have been gleaned from vague statements such as the following note
by the school social worker: “Trevyan needs to develop social skills to communicate effectively
to get his needs met and the ability to interpret social cues appropriately. He also needs individual
counseling to work on his high anxiety and frustration as well as negative feelings about himself.
I am therefore recommending both individual counseling ... and group counseling.”
By the time the 2017-2018 school year got underway, Trevyan was exhibiting even more
troubling behavior. At dismissal time on or about September 20, 2017, it was reported to school
staff by other students that Trevyan was attempting to run between the buses with a desire to harm
himself. When the school safety officer caught up with him, Trevyan was extremely upset and said
that he wanted to kill himself; he had to be physically escorted back into the building. Trevyan’s
school administrator met with him and asked whether he wanted to hurt himself, at which point
he kept saying, “If I say no, can I go home, can I get on the bus?” His special education teacher
arrived at some point during the incident, and Trevyan likewise told her that he just wanted to go
home.
Before leaving school that day, Trevyan was assessed by the new social worker. The
assessment notes that, during the interview, Trevyan changed his statement so he was no longer
expressing an intent to harm himself. Trevyan further denied having a plan, and said he did not
intend to act on his suicidal thoughts because doing so would be “too painful.” According to the
social worker, she obtained Trevyan’s mother’s consent and then called the Mobile Crisis Unit to
assess Trevyan at home. The social worker and Trevyan’s school administrator then drove him
home. Upon their arrival, one or more of Trevyan’s siblings came to the door and said that his
mother was asleep. The social worker and school administrator left the home without speaking
to Trevyan’s mother, and before the Mobile Crisis Unit had arrived. While the social worker
Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 8

 followed up in the following days, she learned that Trevyan had been given a family advocate
to assist in getting him community-based mental health services, but no one had returned the
family advocate’s calls. The investigation revealed no evidence that RSCD staff attempted to, for
example, ensure that Trevyan was left at home under proper supervision and/or that the Mobile
Crisis Unit actually arrived that day, or that any subsequent actions were taken by RCSD to follow
up on this situation, including additional attempts to contact or engage the family.
The social worker reported to investigators that there was no official form to complete
regarding the September 20, 2017 events. However, in response to a request for policy and
procedure documents by OAG and SED, RCSD provided, inter alia, the documents attached
hereto as Exhibit A which did include a suicide assessment component. RCSD has confirmed that
it has no record of the documents contained in Exhibit A having ever been completed for Trevyan.
Following this incident, there is no evidence that any actions were taken by anyone in the RCSD
to address possible safety concerns regarding Trevyan’s suicidal ideation or his potentially unsafe
behavior during arrival and dismissal. At a counseling session with the social worker on October
2, 2017, Trevyan reportedly discussed wanting to become a “terrorist.” The next day, October
3, 2017, his special education teacher observed him writing the word “die” all over his paper, so
she notified the social worker, who came upstairs to speak with him about it. Trevyan expressed
reluctance to discuss what he had written, and said that it was not about himself. In an email to
Trevyan’s school administrator, the social worker said that Trevyan “just needs more than what
school counseling can provide.” It does not appear that a suicide assessment form was completed
at that time, nor did any of these additional events apparently prompt staff to write a safety or
emergency plan for Trevyan. Additionally, there is no indication that the district-wide school
safety plan was sought or reviewed to ascertain how to deal with an implied or direct threat of
suicide, which such plan is required to address (8 NYCRR §155.17[c][1]).
Several weeks later, on October 27, 2017, Trevyan became upset with his special education
teacher, ran out of class, and exited the school at approximately 10:10 a.m. Several administrators
and security officers went looking for him, but Trevyan returned to school approximately an hour
later. He reported to school staff that he had gone to a nearby cemetery during the elopement.
According to Trevyan’s school administrator, those staff members who were involved in the prior
incidents were already aware that it was necessary to “keep an eye out for him,” but she too was
unaware of any formal written plan for his safety either prior to, or after, this elopement from
school. The investigation reveals no evidence that a written safety plan was drafted or implemented
following this elopement.
Finally, on or about December 15, 2017, Trevyan again became upset during his special
education class shortly before dismissal. His teacher observed him throwing a number of his
personal belongings into the garbage can, which she then retrieved. She permitted him to get on
the bus at dismissal, but his teacher then recounted the incident to his social worker and school
administrator since it did not “sit well” with her. It was decided that she and the social worker
would go to Trevyan’s home to make his mother aware of how upset he had become. When they
arrived at Trevyan’s home, they were informed that Trevyan’s mother was not at home, and that
Trevyan’s bus had not yet arrived to drop him off, so they left a message for his mother explaining
what had happened and asking her to call them back. Trevyan’s mother reportedly did not call
Page 9   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 back, and there do not appear to have been any further efforts by school staff to follow up on this
incident.
The notes of individuals having contact with Trevyan that were provided in connection with
this investigation do not address any subsequent events involving Trevyan until his disappearance
on March 8, 2018. The staff members who were interviewed denied that any other troubling
incidents occurred during that time. His special education teacher reported that Trevyan’s outlook
appeared to improve in the time before his death. According to his social worker, he remained
uncomfortable with his individual counseling sessions with her, but he never stopped attending
them. She was never made aware of his receipt of any outside mental health services prior to
March 8, 2018, and does not believe that he received any.
It is beyond dispute that a student cannot succeed at school when issues such as depression
or anger are causing him to write suicidal statements in school notebooks, ask unrelated questions
about self-harm during lessons, elope from classes and then from school entirely, and require Mobile
Crisis Unit services during school hours. Based on the information gathered in this investigation,
RCSD should have considered whether Trevyan’s education was being impacted to a greater
degree by issues such as depression and suicidal ideation than by the cognitive impairments he
had when he arrived at RCSD in 2013. In publishing field advisories, SED has instructed school
districts on health and safety precautions for students with disabilities, including the importance of
requesting additional meetings when pressing safety concerns arise. There are two field advisories
that are particularly relevant here in that they were issued in the wake of an elopement of a student
with a disability from a school in New York City, resulting in that student’s tragic death. Both field
advisories are attached hereto as Exhibit B. One of them, issued in April 2014, states that “when
a behavioral concern is raised that was not considered by the CSE, the teacher or other staff should
use appropriate discretion to request a meeting of the CSE to review and, if appropriate, revise the
student’s [IEP] and consider a functional behavioral assessment and behavioral intervention plan
to address the concern.” However, none of the RCSD staff members interviewed who regularly
participate in annual reviews and reevaluations were familiar with the field advisory, and few,
if any, had ever heard of a CSE meeting taking place to address new issues prior to the review
coming due.
As discussed in more detail in the Special Education Services section of this report,
Trevyan’s special education classification was also significant. If Trevyan’s classification had
been changed to emotional disturbance at the May 2017 reevaluation, or if the prior behaviors
discussed in this report had been better documented in the 2017-2018 IEP, Trevyan’s 7th grade
special education teacher may have been made aware of his history of suicidal ideation. The
difficulty of determining the credibility of an adolescent’s threat to harm himself was a frustration
repeatedly expressed to investigators, but that task is rendered nearly impossible if prior incidents
of making and/or acting on such threats are not memorialized in writing. The investigation revealed
a consistent lack of documentation in this regard.

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 10

 Additionally, during this investigation, school staff who were interviewed described a
common misperception that in order to have a functional behavioral assessment (“FBA”) and/or a
behavioral intervention plan (“BIP”), a student requires a classification of emotionally disturbed.
The investigation revealed that there is a misunderstanding held by some staff members that a BIP
is only appropriate to address outward acts of aggression or other externalized behaviors generally
resulting in disciplinary action.
In the field advisories mentioned above, though, SED specifically instructed school districts
about the development of a BIP for students with wandering tendencies. The first advisory, issued
in November 2013, explains that each CSE “must identify if the student has behaviors that impede
his or her learning or that of others,” including “a consideration of whether a student has the
tendency to wander or elope and, if so, to ensure that [an FBA] of the behavior is conducted and
that the behavior is addressed through proper supervision and through an individualized [BIP]
based on the results of the FBA.” See Exhibit B (emphasis added). Thus, even if it was appropriate
to continue Trevyan’s classification of learning disabled, his escalating behaviors in fall 2017 and
winter 2018 should have triggered another CSE meeting, a referral for an FBA, and consideration
of a BIP within the special education realm, not to mention a school safety plan in the form of the
template provided by RCSD but which was apparently never used for Trevyan. See Exhibit A.
Also, to the extent that school staff sought to excuse their inaction involving Trevyan based
on his family’s alleged lack of follow-through in obtaining outside mental health treatment, it is
true that parental consent is undoubtedly an essential component of providing services under the
IDEA. See, e.g., 20 U.S.C. §§ 1414(a)(1)(D) and (c)(3). Of course, this investigation into RCSD’s
policies and practices was not focused on the actions of Trevyan’s legal guardian, but it should be
noted that the investigation did not reveal any outward opposition by her.2
 
As noted above, Trevyan’s mother took Trevyan to see a doctor in November of 2016.
Further, based on the documentation provided to OAG and SED, it appears that the May 2017 CSE
meeting was the first time that in-school psychological counseling was recommended by school
staff, and it was reportedly agreed upon without objections on that same date.
 
School staff were unable to explain their lack of follow up regarding the diagnosis of
unspecified conduct disorder from an outside medical provider for Trevyan in November 2016.
Additionally, any licensed clinical social workers employed at School #12 are licensed to diagnose
patients with anxiety and depression under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
2

As there were many questions raised in the media coverage of this incident about whether Trevyan was autistic, it
bears mention that our investigation revealed no evidence of his having ever received a medical diagnosis of autism,
nor was he ever classified as autistic in connection with the special education services he received from RCSD. When
Trevyan’s mother took him to the doctor in November 2016, she expressed her belief that Trevyan may have an autism
spectrum disorder. That doctor therefore recommended that Trevyan be tested for autism, but the diagnosis that she
actually recorded in his chart was unspecified conduct disorder, which is more indicative of emotional disturbance than
any other classification. It also bears mention that, of the thirteen classifications in connection with special education,
autism is the one where there is the strongest preference to first obtain an outside medical diagnosis, which diagnosis
cannot be made by a social worker or other School #12 staff. For these reasons, the results of this investigation suggest
that it was not an autism spectrum disorder that potentially went unaddressed in Trevyan’s life, but rather it was much
more likely an untreated mental health disorder.
Page 11   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 Disorders (DSM). The school district also apparently makes referrals to an outside psychiatrist
in the Rochester community, and yet no documentation has been provided in this investigation
demonstrating that such a referral was ever effectively communicated in Trevyan’s case.
 
Throughout this investigation there were numerous failures by staff to ensure Trevyan
received the interventions and supports he needed, especially when it was clear that he wanted to
hurt himself. The New York State 2016-2017 enacted budget amended Education Law §2801-a
regarding school safety plans to require that annual school safety training for staff and students
include training on mental health. Education Law §2801-a was also amended to require that
district-wide safety plans include policies and procedures for (1) responding to implied or direct
threats of violence by students, teachers, and other school personnel as well as visitors to the school,
including threats by students against themselves, including suicide; and (2) contacting parents,
guardians or persons in parental relation to an individual student in the event of an implied or direct
threat of violence by such student against themselves, including suicide. As a result, SED provided
schools with resources on understanding the warning signs of depression, suicide and other mental
problems. (see: http://p1232.nysed.gov/sss/documents/MentalHealthResourcesforEducators.pdf
and http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/ssae/schoolsafety/save/). RCSD is required to certify that all
staff are trained in mental health when they submit their Basic Educational Data System (BEDS)
data to SED in October of each year.
 
This investigation has raised serious questions as to whether adequate responses were
taken to refer and/or provide mental health services to address Trevyan’s mental health issues,
specifically his suicidal ideation and depression. One recommendation is for RCSD to partner
with a community mental health agency to provide extensive training on the warning signs of
depression, suicide and other mental health problems, and focus the training on ways for all school
personnel to learn to recognize these signs and provide the necessary and appropriate referrals and/
or services in order to prevent a tragedy like this ever occurring again.
 
In addition, the new, Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center will be
available to provide training and resources to schools beginning this year and will focus on mental
health, trauma, informed practices and other key issues impacting the health and safety of students.

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 12

 2.  SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
Our investigation revealed: (A) that there were initial delays in providing Trevyan with special
education services upon his transfer to RCSD; (B) it may have been appropriate to change Trevyan’s
disability classification from learning disabled to emotionally disturbed as he continued to develop
over time as a student at School #12, and at the very least an emotional disturbance classification
does not appear to have been adequately considered and documented at his CSE meetings; and (C)
misunderstandings of disability classifications in a chaotic school climate perpetuated the inability of
RCSD to provide assistance to Trevyan through the special education process.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (the “IDEA”) has
defined the special education law prior to and throughout the time that Trevyan was a student
of RCSD. Under the IDEA, “[a]ny State educational agency, State agency, or local educational
agency that receives assistance under this subchapter shall establish and maintain procedures
in accordance with this section to ensure that children with disabilities and their parents are
guaranteed procedural safeguards with respect to the provision of a free appropriate public
education by such agencies.” 20 U.S.C. § 1401(a). The term “child with a disability” means
a child “(i) with intellectual disabilities, hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or
language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance
(referred to in this chapter as “emotional disturbance”), orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic
brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities; and (ii) who, by reason
thereof, needs special education and related services.” 20 U.S.C. § 1401(3)(A).
At the outset, it bears mention that Trevyan’s transfer records should have been obtained
and reviewed sooner upon his enrollment at RCSD on or about April 8, 2013, as he had already
been identified as a child with a disability in two other states, but he was initially enrolled at RCSD
as a general education student not receiving any special education services. “In the case of a child
with a disability who transfers school districts within the same academic year, who enrolls in a
new school, and who had an IEP that was in effect in another State, the local educational agency
shall provide such child with a free appropriate public education, including services comparable
to those described in the previously held IEP, in consultation with the parents until such time as
the local educational agency conducts an evaluation . . . and develops a new IEP.” 20 U.S.C. §
1414(d)(2)(C). In fact, in most circumstances, an educational agency may disclose personally
identifiable information from a student’s education record without the usual required consents,
but after making a reasonable attempt to notify the parent, to officials of another school where
the student seeks to enroll and the disclosure is related to the student’s enrollment or transfer. 34
C.F.R. §§ 99.31(a)(2); 99.34.
During the course of the investigation, it was reported to OAG and SED that RCSD
eventually obtained Trevyan’s transfer records from the school he had attended in Arkansas, but
that records were never received from the Texas school district. However, a review of Trevyan’s
cumulative school record reveals that, as early as April 15, 2013, RCSD had sufficient information
from the Texas school district to indicate that Trevyan had been a special education student in that
state. Nevertheless, Trevyan was not given an Interim Placement Agreement for special education
services through RCSD until nearly a month later on May 6, 2013.
Page 13   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 Furthermore, there appears to have been a misunderstanding amongst RCSD staff regarding
how long Trevyan had attended school in Texas, which may have contributed to their failure to
obtain his complete Texas records. RCSD staff communicated a continued belief during interviews
that Trevyan had attended school in Texas for only a brief period of time, whereas enrollment
records provided to RCSD on April 15, 2013 indicate his enrollment for at least one year. It is also
concerning that RCSD never obtained a complete copy of Trevyan’s transfer records from Texas,
including his IEP for the 2012-2013 school year. RCSD staff who were interviewed on this subject
claimed that the Texas school district failed to respond to repeated requests for the records, but no
documents supporting these claims could be found in Trevyan’s cumulative file. However, it bears
mention that, in seeking to obtain the complete Texas records in connection with this investigation
nearly five years after Trevyan’s relocation to Rochester, our investigators were able to quickly
obtain them.
Once RCSD staff became aware of Trevyan’s need for special education services, he was
tested and classified as learning disabled in an IEP created at a CSE meeting held in May 2013.
His classification was based upon the facts that his verbal abilities were in the very-low range,
his nonverbal reasoning abilities were in the low range, and his academic skills were significantly
delayed in all areas. Trevyan’s special education programs and related services under this IEP
included a resource room program where he received assistance in the areas of English and
Language Arts one hour per school day, as well as speech/language therapy in a small group setting
for thirty minutes per day.
Throughout the entire time that Trevyan was a student at RCSD, he was classified as a
student with a learning disability. One of the behavior assessment tests performed on Trevyan in
preparation for the May 2017 CSE meeting revealed that he scored in the average level for learning
problems, whereas his anxiety and depression scores were in the highest “clinically significant”
range. Regarding cognition, his general conceptual ability (GCA) standard score was also in
the “average” range. Nevertheless, Trevyan’s primary classification of learning disabled remained
unchanged.
The IDEA and federal regulations set forth a total of thirteen disability classifications and,
based on this investigation, the two that appear to be most relevant to Trevyan’s case are “specific
learning disability” and “emotional disturbance.” Specific learning disability is defined under the
law as “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding
or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen,
think, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual
disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.” 34
C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(10)(i); see 8 NYCRR §200.1(zz)(6). The term does not include “learning
problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of intellectual
disability, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.” 34
C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(10)(ii); see 8 NYCRR §200.1(zz)(6).

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 14

 Emotional disturbance on the other hand is defined as “a condition exhibiting one or more
of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely
affects a child’s educational performance:
“(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health
factors.
“(B)  An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with
peers and teachers.
“(C)  Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
“(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
“(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or
school problems.”
34 C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(4). 8 NYCRR §200.1(zz)(4)
In light of these definitions, and as detailed above, there are indications that the CSE should
have more thoroughly considered and/or recommended that Trevyan’s primary classification should
have, at some point, been changed to emotional disturbance. That is certainly not to say that he did
not have a learning disability, but as explained to investigators by the School #12 psychologist, “it’s
our job to say what is the factor that’s most preventing this child from succeeding at school.” It is also
important to note that Trevyan had improved over the years in speech and language therapy.
There are a few other issues to note on the subject of proper disability classifications,
and the overall question of whether Trevyan’s special education services were sufficient. First,
a significant number of the special education and mental health staff were unaware that the legal
definition of emotional disturbance includes “[a] general pervasive mood of unhappiness or
depression,” but rather were under the misimpression that it was meant to capture only those
students who are outwardly disruptive and regularly commit disciplinary violations.
Second, a student’s classification and special education and related services are, in a sense,
always under review in that, if suspected to be inaccurate or inadequate, those issues should be
addressed immediately with parental consent, rather than waiting for the next regularly-scheduled
CSE meeting. The IDEA establishes minimal requirements for reviewing the classification and
services provided to disabled students. Specifically, school districts must conduct one annual review
of a disabled student’s IEP (see 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(4)(A)(i); 8 NYCRR §200.4(f)). However,
a CSE is required to arrange for an appropriate reevaluation of a student with a disability if the
school district determines that the educational or related services needs warrant a reevaluation or
if the student’s parent or teacher requests a reevaluation, but not more frequently than once a year
unless the parent and the representative of the school district appointed to the CSE agree otherwise
and at least once every three years, except where the school district and the parent agree in writing
that such reevaluation is unnecessary (8 NYCRR §200.4(b)(4)).
Page 15   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 This investigation uncovered one potential reason for the failure to hold an immediate CSE
meeting for Trevyan, at least to the extent that that failure occurred during the 2017-2018 school
year. Specifically, in July 2017, the District decided to restructure its special education department
and laid off 22 staff members holding the title of Coordinating Administrators of Special Education
(“CASE”), which thereby decreased the total number of CASEs employed by RCSD from 38 to
only 16. Prior to those terminations, CASEs were the staff members charged with facilitating
both annual reviews and reevaluations for disabled students throughout the District, and after
the layoffs occurred, the schools within the District were left scrambling to fill the void. As
reported to investigators, each individual school was charged with deciding which administrator
or administrators would take over managing CSE meetings and carrying out IDEA requirements.
These changes appear to have been a mislaid attempt at complying with a report entitled
“Report of the Review of Special Education – Rochester City School District,” which had been
commissioned by RCSD and prepared by Judy Elliott, Ph.D. in April 2017, in the hopes of
improving compliance within the District. The Elliott Report had identified numerous critical
issues within the District, including but not limited to failures to conduct FBAs for all students
who required them, CSE meeting minutes that were not fully reflective of meeting decisions, and
insufficient staff to timely conduct CSE meetings. As explained by the RCSD Superintendent, one
recommendation in the Report was not to cut, but rather to transition from so many administrators
to more instructional experts and coaches that could work more directly with families and schools.
However, the District’s attempt at carrying out Dr. Elliott’s recommendations, while perhaps wellintentioned, fell far short of their goal.
At School #12, the results were nothing less than chaotic. The principal concluded that
the burden was too onerous to place on one single administrator and therefore split it up amongst
her three vice principals based on grade level. Many of those interviewed, including the newlyappointed “building designees,” felt that RCSD failed to provide sufficient training in preparation
for the switch over. This left School #12 reeling since only one of its vice principals had ever
been trained in overseeing special education services based on a prior position she had held in the
District. Once assigned, the building designees were confused about, and fell behind in, carrying
out their newly-acquired duties. One area of confusion was which CSE meetings would continue
being conducted by the 16 CASEs who remained on staff in the central district office, versus which
meetings would now have to be scheduled and carried out by the building designees. Ultimately,
the investigation revealed that RCSD’s redesign of its special education department led to confusion
regarding roles and responsibilities, uncertainty among staff at School #12 and resulted in delays
and disruptions in CSE processes and services.
Relatedly, frequent turnover within the District appears to be another culprit, particularly
when combined with inadequate documentation practices. Over the last three school years, School
#12 went through at least five different individuals acting as principal, four vice principals in
charge of ever-changing grade levels, three social workers, two Center for Youth staff members,
two speech pathologists, and countless clerical staff members in charge of attendance and other
matters. In the years that Trevyan was enrolled in RCSD, his special education services were to be
overseen by no fewer than eight individuals with various titles including a revolving door of CASEs,
district representatives, and, most recently, the building designee. When these staff members left
Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 16

 School #12, they took any knowledge of Trevyan’s past crises and special education needs with
them. Additionally, in the 2017-2018 school year, Trevyan’s support system at school essentially
evaporated when he simultaneously received a new special education teacher, social worker, and
speech pathologist. In recognition of the fact that school districts will always have turnover, it is
crucial that the District take steps to minimize the impact, including proper documentation of crisis
situations so that students like Trevyan do not fall through the cracks.
Third, it should be acknowledged that there may be limits to the special education services
offered to disabled students regardless of their specific disability classification, but the classification
assigned to them is nevertheless significant. A student’s classification is clearly documented in the
IEP and alerts any supervising staff members of that student’s individual tendencies and behaviors.
If Trevyan’s classification had been changed to, for example, emotional disturbance at the May
2017 reevaluation, or if the prior behaviors discussed above had been better documented in his
2017-2018 IEP, Trevyan’s 7th grade special education teacher may have been put on notice that he
had a history of suicidal ideation. As stated earlier, the difficulty of determining the credibility
of an adolescent’s threat to harm himself was a frustration repeatedly expressed to investigators,
however, this task becomes nearly impossible if prior incidents of making and/or acting on such
threats are not memorialized in writing.
While it certainly cannot be said that a disability category of emotional disturbance as well
as, or in conjunction with, learning disabled would have prevented Trevyan’s death, it is evident
that a consistent and more thorough application of the special education process to Trevyan may
have assisted him in obtaining more relevant, immediate and comprehensive services.

Page 17   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 3.  ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Our investigation revealed three main areas for improvement relating to the policies for
taking and maintaining attendance records within RCSD, namely, (A) overly permissive procedures
allowing school staff to make changes and/or submit attendance hours, days, and sometimes
months after the class in question; (B) inadequate and untimely parental notification of unexcused
absences; and (C) an overall lack of oversight by school administrators to ensure the taking of
timely and accurate attendance.
It is well-established that schools within this State must create and maintain accurate records
of attendance. New York State Education Law § 3211(1) requires that “[t]he teacher of every
minor required ... to attend upon instruction, or any other school district employee ... shall keep an
accurate record of the attendance and absence of such minor.” The principal of a school, in turn,
“shall cause the record of his attendance to be kept and procedures and all appropriate inquiries
in relation thereto answered as hereinbefore required” Section 3211(4). In the context of middle
school students like Trevyan, since July 1, 2003, the presence of each pupil in departmentalized
schools at any grade level “shall be recorded after the taking of attendance in each period of
scheduled instruction.” 8 N.Y.C.R.R. § 104.1(d)(7)(ii).
Accurate attendance taking is essential to ensuring the wellbeing of minors during the
school day when they are not under the supervision of parents, legal guardians, or other caretakers.
Indeed, SED’s administrative regulations specify that the purpose of pupil attendance recordkeeping
is to: “(1) ensure the maintenance of an adequate record verifying the attendance of all children at
instruction in accordance with Education Law section 3205; (2) establish a practical mechanism
for every public and nonpublic elementary, middle and secondary school in the State of New
York to account to the parents of all children enrolled in such schools for the whereabouts of such
children throughout each school day; and (3) ensure sufficient pupil attendance at all scheduled
periods of actual instruction or supervised student activities to permit such pupils to succeed at
meeting the State learning standards.” 8 N.Y.C.R.R. § 104.1(a).
RCSD publishes its attendance policies in several documents, the majority of which
(including, for example, the Rochester City School Board Policy Manual and a Superintendent’s
Regulation dated December 10, 2015) are primarily focused on preventing student absenteeism,
rather than effective means of taking attendance. The 2017-2018 Attendance Manual available on
RCSD’s website purports to set out district-wide attendance policies, but as explained below, those
policies contain problematic loopholes and inaccuracies, and even contradict other documents
provided to District staff.
Preliminarily, the Attendance Manual notes that “student attendance must be recorded
accurately and in a timely manner,” and sets forth the general rule that “[a]ll teachers are required
to submit attendance in [the District’s electronic Student Management System (“SMS”)] within
the first hour of the elementary school day or within the first 15 minutes of the class period in a
secondary school.” See Exhibit C, RCSD Attendance Manual, at page 5. There is, though, an
express exception to this general rule for physical education teachers, who must record attendance
only “by the end of the school day.” See Exhibit C, RCSD Attendance Manual, at pages 3-4.
Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 18

 While perhaps understandable given the practical difficulties of immediately reporting attendance
in physical education class, this exception is extremely problematic given the fact that physical
education is, for a significant number of students at School #12 (including Trevyan), the first
period of the day.
The Attendance Manual continues by providing a notification process aimed at reminding
teachers when they have failed to submit timely attendance, but which our investigation revealed
can be easily circumvented and is commonly ignored due to the lack of any meaningful oversight
by school administrators. The policy itself provides:
“3.  Teachers and [p]rincipals will receive a certified email each day when
attendance is not submitted when it is due. This is an automated reminder to
submit attendance immediately.
“4.  The principal will designate clerical staff to send a list to all teachers whose
names appear on the un-submitted attendance list to remind everyone to
update and submit their attendance before the window is closed at midnight.
“5.  Teachers who do not submit attendance before midnight will be locked out of
the system and they will not be able to go back and submit.
Teachers who do not submit attendance before midnight and as result (sic)
are locked out of the system must immediately turn in a hard copy of their
attendance directly to the supervising administrator or clerical in charge of
attendance.
“6.  Continued failure to comply with the required attendance submissions could
result in disciplinary action, as referred to in Section 37 and 38 of the RTA
contract.”
See Exhibit C, RCSD Attendance Manual, at page 5. The District even attached to the
Attendance Manual a form letter from the school principal to teachers who have failed to submit
attendance by the midnight deadline on specified dates, which is entitled, “Teacher Unsubmitted
Attendance Notification,” and reiterates that “[a]ttendance records are legal documents and must
be kept up to date,” and “[f]ailure to submit attendance may result in disciplinary action being
taken in accordance with the RTA contract Sections 37 and 38.” See Exhibit C, RCSD Attendance
Manual, at page 30. Attendance data provided to the OAG and SED by RCSD reveals delays and
changes being made to attendance records at School #12 for weeks and occasionally months after
the date in question. Yet, not a single administrator interviewed reported having ever seen, let
alone completed and distributed, the Teacher Unsubmitted Attendance Notification or any other
form of follow-up and/or reprimand of teachers relating to chronic lateness and/or inaccurate
attendance recordkeeping.

Page 19   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 In fact, the administrators interviewed expressed an overall approach to attendance
submission that can only be described as “hands off.” The staff members charged with monitoring
submissions and attempting to enforce the attendance policies, meanwhile, who are largely
clerical staff without any authority over teachers, were understandably overwhelmed by the task.
Investigators received varying accounts regarding whether school-level administrators were even
included on the daily emails listing the teachers who had not yet submitted their attendance. Such
administrators did, however, have the ability to locate that information on the electronic system
had they sought to do so, but it does not appear that they ever did. On the other hand, district-level
administrators, including the School Chiefs who report directly to the Superintendent, were never
routinely included on those daily emails, a practice which appears to have been changed at the
School Chiefs’ request following Trevyan’s death.
Perhaps most concerning is the fact that no efforts appear to have been made to track
attendance records over time in order to identify those teachers who are chronically late and/or
inaccurate in their record-keeping. Investigators could not be provided with cumulative, historic
lists of unsubmitted attendance, but rather were limited to reviewing electronic records showing
only the most recent date that attendance had been modified for each day of the school year.
Furthermore, those electronic records kept track of the student and class involved for each entry,
but did not even contain the names of the teacher responsible for that data. Not only are the
District’s practices and lax enforcement inconsistent with its stated policies, but they send a clear
message to teachers that attendance policies are not a main priority, despite the fact that accurate
and timely attendance is the only way to account for the whereabouts of the approximately 900
students who attend School #12 every day.
The District’s Attendance Manual also describes ConnectEd, which is the District’s sole
mechanism for providing parental notification when a student is found to be absent from school
without proper excuse. “The school will notify the parent/legal guardian of all unexcused absences
each day through ConnectEd,” which sends out automated telephone calls (“robocalls”). See
Exhibit C, RCSD Attendance Manual, at page 3. The Attendance Manual goes on to state that
“ConnectEd calls should occur twice a day at the secondary level, once at 11:00 a.m. and once
an hour after the close of school day for secondary schools.” See Exhibit C, RCSD Attendance
Manual, at page 3. In practice, however, our investigation has revealed that robocalls go out only
once at School #12, specifically, at 11:00 a.m., and those calls are triggered only by the attendance
taken during first period. Despite the importance of accurate and timely attendance being taken at
that time of day, it has been reported that teachers are not provided with additional instruction in
this regard.
The District’s other written documents provide even less certainty with respect to its
attendance policies. Anomalously, the 2017-2018 Staff Handbook distributed at School #12
provides as follows under the section entitled, “Taking attendance”:
“Check attendance of pupils immediately after opening exercises and enter into
the Power School System by 8:30 a.m. (But not sooner than 8:00). Please be
timely and consistent daily. We do not have the clerical coverage to monitor your
compliance. Automatic robo-calls are completed to all absent students at 10:00 a.m.
Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 20

 daily. Parents get very concerned when they receive a call when their child is in
school (and attendance was not done). Please help lessen their anxiety. Attendance
can be submitted or updated up until midnight of the date. After that, clerical staff
must make changes. Special subject teachers must still enter attendance even if
class does not meet. You will receive a written memo from administration if your
un-submitted attendance is chronic.”
See Exhibit D, 2017-2018 Staff Handbook, page 5 (emphases in original). Not only does
the Staff Handbook fail to account for teachers who must submit their attendance not by 8:30
a.m. but rather within 15 minutes of the start of each class, and contain an inaccuracy regarding
the actual time that robocalls occur (11:00 a.m. rather than 10:00 a.m.), the Staff Handbook also
goes on to note the lack of clerical coverage to monitor their compliance and assure teachers in
italicized font that attendance can be submitted or updated until midnight of the day in question,
and, even after that time, clerical staff may still make changes.
The interviews conducted in connection with this investigation have confirmed those
realities. Frequent clerical turnover at School #12 has resulted in only intermittent monitoring
of attendance submission, and permissive District-level policies have allowed frequently late
submissions of and regular unexplained modifications to attendance records. Under the current
electronic system, although teachers have access to enter and/or modify attendance only until
midnight on the day at issue, clerical staff at School #12 continue to have access to those records
and are specifically instructed to modify them at any teachers’ request. Making matters worse,
those restrictions on teachers’ access were lifted during a large portion of the 2017-2018 school year
(specifically, from October 2017 through March 2018), such that teachers were never locked out
at midnight as intended, but rather they had the unlimited ability to enter and/or change attendance
records, including on the day that Trevyan went missing. RCSD staff at both the school and
district-level claimed to have been unaware of the fact that the teachers’ restricted access had been
suspended for such a prolonged time, and were unable to explain their failure to detect the problem
until after Trevyan’s disappearance.
These inadequacies involving the District’s attendance policies have varying applicability
when it comes to analyzing the events that transpired on March 8, 2018, but it is clear that
proper attendance taking procedures were not employed on that day. As explained above, after
disembarking from the school bus that morning, Trevyan never entered School #12. Because
school and transportation staff did not notice Trevyan’s elopement when it occurred, the next, and
crucial, opportunity to note his absence was when attendance was taken in his first period class.
Unfortunately, though, as noted above, his first period class was physical education, meaning that
the teacher was not even required to submit attendance until the end of the school day. Despite this
lax policy, his teacher did actually submit attendance at 7:52 a.m. that morning, but Trevyan was
erroneously marked “present.” Therefore, when robocalls went out at 11:00 a.m. that day, none
went out to the phone number on file for Trevyan.
Although Trevyan’s unexcused absence was recorded during his next class at 9:02 a.m., our
investigation revealed that the robocall system is not triggered by unexcused absences later in the
day, which raises significant concerns not just in instances where, as here, first period attendance
Page 21   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 is found to be in error, but also when a student elopes from school midday. It is also alarming
to note that Trevyan was erroneously marked “present” by two other teachers on March 8, 2018,
specifically, at 12:34 p.m. and 1:51 p.m. In fact, a review of his attendance records on other dates,
including various days in the fall of 2017, reveal other days that he was marked “present” for first
period but absent for the rest of the day. These other occurrences cast even more doubt on the
accuracy of his attendance records. In light of these facts, additional enforcement of the attendance
policies by administrators, and more extensive training of teachers (particularly teachers of first
period classes) about the importance of accurate records and effective ways of taking attendance,
are steps that should be taken to begin to ensure the safety of students who are under RCSD’s
supervision.

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 22

 4.  SCHOOL SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION CONSIDERATIONS
Our investigation revealed four main concerns relating to overall school safety, including
(A) insufficient arrival and dismissal procedures; (B) chronic staff turnover and substitutes within
the District combined with inadequate student documentation and record retention; (C) the
nonexistence of a centralized policy for creation and maintenance of safety or emergency plans
for students such as Trevyan; (D) unfamiliarity with the building level school safety plan and its
procedures; and (E) a chaotic school environment.
The arrival and dismissal procedures in place at School #12 prior to Trevyan’s disappearance
were inadequate to account for the whereabouts of the approximately 900 students milling about at
the beginning and end of the school day. The arrival and dismissal procedures in place as of March
8, 2018, originated from an historic plan, which may have previously met the needs of School #12
before its expansion but had become woefully outdated. School #12 was originally an elementary
school, but building renovations were recently completed, and it now contains kindergarten through
eighth grades. Once the staff and students returned to the building, there was a so-called “growout,” meaning that the 2016-2017 school year was the first year that seventh graders were present
at School #12, and the 2017-2018 school year was the first year with eighth graders. Despite the
addition of two new grades at School #12, however, the arrival and dismissal procedures remained
the same, and there continued to be only one school safety officer (“SSO”) regularly present.
The historic arrival and dismissal plan consisted of staff assignments, whereby select staff
members were assigned to “posts” located inside and outside the school. The plan lacked crucial
details, however, such as where staff should stand within the general posted area, which direction
they should face once there, and what exactly they should be monitoring, let alone what do in an
emergency such as an elopement. The only posted staff members who had any hope of seeing
Trevyan when he got off the school bus and left school property were those who were supposed
to be located outside in the front of the building. There were five such outdoor posts under the
plan, to which eight staff members were assigned. Even those staff members, however, rarely
stood outside far enough to have seen where Trevyan disembarked onto the sidewalk. Rather, in
the absence of specific instructions from the plan itself, many of those staff regularly stood at or
near the building entrances, or even just inside the doors, especially on cold days. As explained
to investigators, though, their view of the buses and students from those locations was obstructed
by the walls of the school and the library that adjoins it, as well as a transportation van that was
regularly on site near the library parking lot.
The arrival and dismissal plan was also insufficient in that it is silent on the issue of staff
absences. There is no list of pre-planned substitutes for filling the assigned posts. In fact, it was
explained to investigators that, in practice, the administrator in charge of the plan may not even
become aware of an absence with sufficient time to assign a different staff member before the buses
arrive and students start disembarking. It is also surprising that little, if any, effort is made to track
which students arrive at the school and disembark from the buses. None of the assigned posts are
required to take attendance such as doing a headcount, nor are they given any specific instructions
to ensure that every student who exits the buses actually makes it into the school building.

Page 23   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 The chaos of having so many students arrive at the small bus loop simultaneously is further
exacerbated by a rule requiring students to use certain of the front entrances based on their specific
grade levels. Although this rule may have been developed in an attempt to reduce younger students’
exposure to older students, this goal is practically impossible given the fact that they arrive on the
same buses as the older students. Not to mention, what this rule actually accomplishes is that
students remain outside where it is more difficult to account for their whereabouts for a longer
period of time, as opposed to a system of having students use the entrance closest to the place
where their bus sits in the bus loop.
Over time, arrivals and dismissals at School #12 have been further complicated by a
reported bending of rules for parent drop-offs. Parents are reportedly supposed to drop off students
in a designated area on the south side of the building, away from where the buses pull up in the
front of the building facing east. Not all parents abide by these rules, though, and, per certain staff
members, some have even been given permission to pull into the library parking lot to the north.
The result is that the staff member at the post nearest to the library parking lot must focus his or
her attention on ensuring that students walking to school can safety cross that parking lot entrance,
instead of monitoring students departing from the buses.
These inadequacies had varying impacts on March 8, 2018. On that particular morning,
two of the staff members with arrival and dismissal posts were absent. Both of the absent staff
members were assigned to the same outdoor post in the front of the school. One of those teachers
had reportedly asked a coworker to fill in as a substitute, but that substitute had no training, and,
on the morning in question, merely propped the door open with a music stand and stood inside the
building. Arrival procedures were even more complicated that morning when a parent reportedly
got into the building in violation of school policy. This prompted the administrator in charge of
arrivals and dismissals to go back inside the school rather than staying outside where she could
observe the arriving students. Consistent with these accounts, surveillance footage showing
Trevyan’s departure from school that morning depict only a few staff members standing outside
the building, and none are looking in the direction that Trevyan walked as he eloped from school
grounds. See photographs attached as Exhibit E.
Just as it impacted the provision of special education and mental health services at School
#12, frequent staff turnover also played a role in the lack of school safety procedures. Many of
the staff changes were summarized above, but it bears repeating that they took place at the clerical
through administrative levels. For instance, the former head secretary did not return to School #12
when it re-opened following the renovations, which resulted in a loss of institutional knowledge of
forms and policies. As another example, on March 8, 2018, Trevyan had a substitute bus driver,
who was not familiar with any of the students’ particular needs, including any prior incidents
involving Trevyan. Although not employed by the District itself, but rather by a transportation
company that the District contracts with, the bus driver was just another of a series of substitute
staff members, which again highlights the importance of proper planning, documentation and
training.

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 24

 At the administrative level, meanwhile, a per diem principal was assigned at the school
beginning in mid-January 2018, and she was still in place as of March 8, 2018. The per diem principal
had a background in education, but had never worked for RCSD before. Other than being given a
binder containing District policies (none of which pertained to student wandering or elopements), the
per diem principal was not given any training prior to starting at School #12. On March 8, 2018, in
fact, she was out of the office at a principal’s meeting. Thus, there was an entirely different substitute
principal filling in on that particular date. Further, because the substitute principal had already left the
school at approximately 2:35 p.m. that afternoon, there was no one filling the role of principal in the
building when Trevyan’s family members arrived there looking for him at approximately 3:26 p.m.
Overall, while some staff changes are certainly expected, the high level of exhaustion and frustration
expressed by some staff members who have left School #12 in recent years suggests that the District
could do more to improve morale and encourage retention.
Many staff interviewed also noted the chaotic school climate, particularly evident in the 7th
and 8th grade wing of School #12. School climate is how students, parents and teachers experience
a school. A positive school climate is fostered by attention to and promoting a supportive academic,
disciplinary, and physical environment. Students learn best when they are in an environment in
which they feel safe, supported and valued. When a school setting is chaotic, administrative and
teaching staff spend their time focused on attempting to maintain order and are unable to focus on
individual student support. Testimony documented frequent use of restraints by school security staff;
use of 911 calls to intervene with students when staff could not deescalate situations; inappropriate
use of school security to oversee students during teacher transitions; and children going missing,
in addition to Trevyan’s documented elopements, with no safety planning in response. It is not
surprising that Trevyan may have slipped through the cracks in such a chaotic environment.
One of the initiatives that SED has implemented over the past two school years is called,
“Promoting and Measuring Healthy and Supportive School Climates”. Research has found that
the quality of the school climate is one of the most predictive factors in any school’s capacity to
promote student achievement. In this initiative, SED chose six school districts in the 2016-17
school year and thirty in the 2017-18 school year to pilot this initiative. RCSD participated in both
the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. One of the components of this initiative is to administer
school climate surveys to students, parents and school personnel and to convene a Community
Engagement Team to review the results of the survey as well as any other pertinent data. In light
of RCSD’s participation, it is recommended that RCSD immediately 1) convene the Community
Engagement Team to review the survey results and other data as well as the findings in this report,
2) produce an action plan that addresses any areas that need improvement, and 3) implement any
strategies identified in the action plan to help improve the school climate and student outcomes.
Next, as also noted in the special education and mental health services sections above, there
does not appear to have been any written safety plan created for Trevyan, despite the familiarity
that most of the staff interviewed had with such plans. Although many staff members explained to
investigators the concept of creating a written safety plan in response to troubling behaviors like
elopements or suicide attempts, none recalled having received specific training on how to create
one. Nor were those staff members able to explain the failure to create one in Trevyan’s case,
particularly as his behaviors escalated in the fall of the 2017-2018 school year.
Page 25   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 It should also be noted that administrative staff employed by the District at large were
unaware of any specific protocol for missing students. One of the most obvious places where
one would expect such protocol to appear is in the district-wide school safety plan and buildinglevel emergency response plan. Pursuant to Education Law § 2801-a and 8 NYCRR § 155.17,
all school districts in New York State are required to create, review, and update as needed, “a
comprehensive district-wide school safety plan and building-level emergency response plans
regarding crisis intervention and emergency response and management.” Indeed, the SED Field
Advisories, see Exhibit B, specifically instruct school officials to incorporate their procedures
regarding student wandering and elopements into each school’s building safety plan. Although
School #12’s building level safety plan was updated prior to commencement of the 2017-2018
school year, it did not contain any specific provisions about wandering or elopement. Nor was
there any indication that the building level school safety plan was sought or reviewed to ascertain
how to deal with the issue of a missing student, elopement or an implied or direct threat of suicide
which such plan is required to address.
Finally, this investigation revealed other issues that, due to the timing of events likely did
not contribute to Trevyan’s tragic death, but are worth mentioning in that they fell far below the
standard of best practices for emergency response. First, although Trevyan’s family arrived at
the school at approximately 3:26 p.m. to report that he had not come home, the police were not
contacted until approximately 5:15 p.m., and it took even longer to determine whether Trevyan had
ever gotten on the school bus that morning. Second, the District has its own Safety and Security
Department, but those staff members were not deployed until the morning of March 9, 2018.
This delay in providing additional support in the search efforts appears to have been due
to several factors. For one, the School Chief in charge of School #12, along with numerous others
including the Chief Operating Officer of RCSD, were in a Board of Education meeting when
Trevyan’s disappearance was reported to school staff in the early evening on March 8, 2018.
Furthermore, the urgency of Trevyan’s disappearance does not appear to have been adequately
communicated to District officials including the Superintendent. The Director of Safety and
Security had been out of the office that day for medical reasons, and although there were others
within the department who could have covered for her, her planned absence does not appear to
have been communicated to school administrators. Hence, School #12 officials reached out to
the Director as usual that evening and the Director eventually sent out an email blast to District
officials at approximately 8:20 p.m., but, when interviewed, the Director was unable to recall
any details from that night since she was still somewhat incapacitated by her medical condition.
Particularly because Trevyan’s situation was merely mentioned in that email blast as the last of
three noteworthy events that had taken place across the entire District that day, the higher-level
officials interviewed reported that they were not fully aware of the urgency of the situation until
Trevyan’s disappearance was reported on the morning news on March 9, 2018.
While additional search parties on the night of March 8, 2018 may not have ultimately
made a difference in Trevyan’s case based on the suspected timing of events, RCSD and other
districts like it should certainly make efforts to ensure that they are better prepared to provide a
quick and effective response to emergencies such as student elopements going forward.

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 26

 Conclusions and Recommendations
Clearly, as noted above, Trevyan Rowe’s untimely death does not appear to have been the
result of any single event or factor in his life. Nevertheless, in an effort to do whatever is possible to
help prevent such tragedies from recurring, SED and OAG make the following recommendations
to RCSD and all New York State school districts.
Mental Health and Special Education
  To avoid gaps in the provision of special education services, schools should timely
obtain transfer records and meaningfully review those records.
 Districts should work closely with their mental health staff members to ensure that
an initial focus on obtaining outside mental health services for a student does not
continue in perpetuity, particularly once it becomes clear that outside mental health
services are unavailing and the troubling behavior is taking place during the school
day or otherwise affecting that student’s academics.
 RCSD’s existing resources (which include the resources available in RCSD’s Office of
Student Support Services and Social Emotional Learning), should be better integrated,
aligned and utilized to ensure that mental health and other appropriate services are
prioritized in situations where, as here, a student (whether or not the student is a
student with a disability) exhibits signs and symptoms that suggest depression, suicidal
ideation and other mental health issues.
 RCSD should make every effort to expand its outreach to external agencies, such
as the Mental Health Association of Rochester/Monroe County, the Monroe County
Department of Social Services, and the Monroe County Office of Mental Health, to
develop partnerships that can assist in providing additional supports and services, as
appropriate.
 The District should have documented policies and procedures, in accordance with
applicable laws and regulations, for appropriate staff to include relevant information
in a student’s record. Patterns of behavior, such as those exhibited by Trevyan, should
be so documented in order to ensure that appropriate staff members who may be
unfamiliar with that student are aware of their roles and responsibilities, which may
include providing the necessary and appropriate services should such behaviors be
exhibited in the future.
 FBAs and BIPs are not limited to students with disabilities generally, or specifically to
students with the disability of emotional disturbance.
o In the case of a student with a disability, a referral should be made to
the CSE when school district staff see repeated instances of behaviors
such as those exhibited by Trevyan. Staff members who participate in
CSE meetings or otherwise work with students with disabilities should
be educated to better understand the possible need to make a referral for
an FBA, and the development, application and proper implementation
of BIPs to manage a broader scope of behaviors like wanderings and
Page 27   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 suicidal ideations, rather than only those behaviors more typically
resulting in disciplinary action.
o For students without disabilities who exhibit such behaviors, school
district policies should address how an FBA can be obtained, such as
through a referral to an instructional support team or office for student
support services, for example.
 Given that Education Law §2801-a requires that district-wide safety plans include
policies and procedures for responding to threats of suicide and notifying parents
thereof, school personnel must be trained to respond appropriately in accordance with
district policies.
 Individual crisis situations, including the mobilization of Mobile Crisis Units or
other emergency response teams, should be properly documented by school staff in a
centralized location, with particular attention paid to the facts surrounding the crisis
and any staff members involved. Furthermore, there must be proper supervision of the
student at all times when an incident occurs, such as those exhibited by Trevyan, that
results in activating the Mobile Crisis Team. In addition, school administrators must
ensure that subsequent actions are taken to follow up on these types of situations,
including additional attempts to contact or engage the family. Parent and family
engagement is critical to effectively addressing the needs of students with special
needs, such as those exhibited by Trevyan.
 Careful attention must be paid to the accuracy of each student’s disability classification.
Relatedly, staff members who participate in CSE meetings must be made and kept
aware of the definitions of all thirteen disability classifications, including but not
limited to an understanding that emotional disturbance can include “[a] general
pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.”
 The investigation revealed a common practice in RCSD whereby CSE meetings are
held only at the student’s next regularly-scheduled review or reevaluation, regardless
of a change in behavior or academic progress during the school year. Districts must
ensure that where a student needs a CSE meeting in the interim, due to a change in
behavior or academic progress, clear procedures exist for doing so.
 Districts should make greater efforts to carry out the recommendations contained in
SED’s field advisories, see Exhibit B, to ensure that students who wander or elope
from school are identified, monitored, and kept safe. Plans for such students should
be written down and distributed to staff members who take over future supervision of
those students.
 Districts should more carefully consider the complete restructuring of their special
education departments, particularly when, as here, that restructuring entails the
elimination of 22 staff members who were responsible for the management of
Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 28

 building-level CSE meetings. If such restructuring does proceed, Districts would be
well-served to provide extensive training for those staff members who are expected to
assume those duties and to set clear expectations for who bears which responsibilities
going forward.
Attendance Policies and Practices
 Districts should have systems in place that meaningfully provide for timely and
accurate parental notification of unexcused absences. Such systems should not rely
entirely upon first period attendance, but rather unexcused absences occurring later in
the day, as well. Insofar as parental notification hinges on attendance taken at certain
times of the day, Districts should make those teachers aware of that policy and provide
additional training to them to address any challenges.
 Teachers should be fully educated on attendance record-keeping practices, monitored
by those in supervisory roles, and held accountable to the extent that they are routinely
late and/or inaccurate in submitting those records if no reasonable explanation for such
delay and/or inaccuracies exist. Clerical staff without supervisory authority cannot
reasonably be expected to enforce attendance record-keeping practices without active
involvement from administrative staff, both at the school and district levels.
 The best practice is making no exceptions regarding attendance record-keeping
practices. Where Districts conclude that exceptions for certain teachers or classes
are unavoidable, however, they should develop alternative methods to account for
the whereabouts of the students until such time as accurate attendance records are
submitted.
School Safety and Transportation
 Districts should require school staff to develop detailed arrival and dismissal plans
that entail the posting of staff members, including both teachers and administrators, in
locations that allow for observation of the entire perimeter of school grounds where
students arrive and depart from school.
 Clear directions should be provided to those posted staff members about exactly where
to stand and which direction to look in order to have the best vantage point for keeping
track of students’ whereabouts. School districts should establish protocols to be used
to train staff on what to do in emergency situations, including elopements such those
exhibited by Trevyan.
 Arrival and dismissal plans should further include contingency plans accounting for
teacher absences and the calling away of supervising administrators.
 Districts should regularly speak with school staff regarding universal enforcement of
arrival and dismissal procedures, including rules pertaining to the location and timing
Page 29   Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe

 of parent drop-offs. Exceptions should not be made without justification, and, where
made, should be accounted for with the provision of additional posted staff.
 Districts should take care in the hiring and training of school staff and administrators
in the hopes of reducing frequent staff turnover. To the extent that some staff
turnover is inevitable, the importance of proper documentation of crisis situations
and development of written safety plans for the students who need them cannot be
overstated.
 Emergency protocols should be developed for the handling of missing students
including when and how to seek assistance during an emergency, such as when
Trevyan was discovered to be missing (8 NYCRR §155.17[c][1][v]), and all district
staff, including school safety officers, teachers, and administrators should be fully
trained on those protocols.
 District-wide school safety plans, which as noted above must include policies and
procedures for responding to threats of suicide and notifying parents thereof, should
be distributed to all school staff and a hard copy should be printed and maintained in
the main office for ease of access (see 8 NYCRR §155.17[c][1][i], [x], [xix]). Districts
must also develop building-level emergency response plans, which are confidential
and can only be disclosed to authorized school staff and law enforcement officers;
such plans should be maintained in a secure place where only authorized school staff
can access them in order to protect confidentiality (8 NYCRR §155.17[c][2]). In
accordance with 8 NYCRR §155.17(c)(1)(xiii), all school staff members must receive
annual training on the building level emergency response plan, which must include
components on mental health and violence prevention.
 District-wide school safety plans should be monitored and modified where appropriate
to account for staff turnover.
 
While school districts cannot possibly prevent all emergencies and potential student injuries
from occurring, their implementation of the aforementioned recommendations will hopefully
reduce the likelihood of events such as the tragic death of Trevyan Rowe. School districts and
those who are employed by them are in the unique position of having custodial supervision over
massive numbers of children every day across New York State, and that position comes with
much responsibility. It is only by recognizing the gravity of that responsibility, and by relentlessly
seeking to improve upon the safety measures put into place on a day-to-day basis at each individual
school, that school districts can best seek to avoid another tragedy.

Investigation into the Death of Trevyan Rowe   Page 30

  

New York Office of the Attorney General 1-800-771-7755

EXHIBITA

'5

Rochester cm School District Mental Health Emergency Protocol

Mental Health Emergency is de?ned as: Student exhibits any behavior, verbal
communication, andi'or written communication that suggest that they will harm
themselves or others.

Behaviorally, a student may cut themselves, withdraw, shut down and may not
respond to verbal communication. A student may also charge towards other
with the intention to harm them. Stalking behavior is also considered a
mental health emergency. Verbally, a student may make self-injurious statements or
threaten to harm other students andior staff.

Mental Health Emergency (MHE) Team includes: School Social Worker. School
School Nurse, School Counselors and School Administrator.

El Staff person {including outside agencies and RFD) will ?rst notify the Mental
Health Emergency Team members or main of?ce.

If the main of?ce is contacted ?rst, they will notify Mental Health Emergency
Team members.

El In order to maintain safety, the student must be separated from peers and
supervised by an adult at all times.

El Mental Health Emergency Team member will conduct student interviewfrisk

assessment. It a student has identi?ed a preferred person, every effort will be
made to include the individual during the assessment process.

Initial Assessment
Have you ever physically hurt yourself on purpose in any way?
Yes NO

If yes,

. Frequency

 

- Severity

 

Mental Health Emergency Protocol [9.6292016]

Social Lethality Assessment Tool*

(Suicidell-lomicide)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Name: Age: Date:
El self-harmlsuicide El . assault! homicide

present past nla
Nature of Plan
Vague idea with no weapon I21 
A weak plan El
Some specific, realistic details El 
Complete plan with some details available El El [3
Complete plan with lethal details and weapons included El 
Prior Attemgts
None, is only talking about the present time 
Some past attempts. How often? El
Numerous past attempts, but ineffective [j [1 
None, but threatens lethal attempt El
Has made Ieth a! attempts El 3 El
Assaultive behavior [3 El 
Mood
Not healthy, but improves while talking 
Controlled, but depressed 
Partially controlled. but has bursts of extreme mood El :3 El
Little control of mood. but only moderates ups and downs El
Extreme depression, with bursts of screaming or resigned and calm El El
Method
Mentions suicidelhcmicide, but cannot explain 
Speci?es a suicide method, but does not have the means available 1] 13 1]
Has a barely adequate idea with the available means El [3
Speci?c plan and has the meansl'weapcns [It E: El
Wants to harmlkill another and has meanslweapons 
Has Access to {PillsI kn Eves, gun, other!
Specify:
Intergersonal Contacts
Has a family, friend(s) and schoolljob presently El El
Has a family and schooli?job but no friend(s) El El 
Has friend(s) and a sohoolljob but no family El 
Has only family or friendts) El [3
[s isolated [3 El El

 

 

 

 

Mental Health Emergency Protocol (QIZQQ016)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

present past his
Loss: personal or situational
No loss incurred or upcoming El El
Possibility of a lost Gob, loved one, financial) a El
Loss has occurred or anticipated and person is upset about it El El
Medical Problems
None. in good health El El El
General or vague physical complaints [1 El E1
Has serious complaints and is hopefuiimanaging El
Has serious medical El 
ChemicaliAicohol Use
None El El E1
Occasional or social use . El
Tends to self-medicate, uses drugsiaicohol to cope [1 [j 
Drugiaicohoi use interferes with day-to-day functioning El 
Medications
TypelDosage: El 
Compliant yes no El El
Histog:
No history noted l3 El
History of problems El El El
History of issues in family El
History of hospitalization. Date: 13 El El
Successful suicide in family [3 El
More than one successful suicide in family El El

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment; Note date and time of incident; date and time of evaluation. Describe actions and
rational taken to assure safety of student andior others. Detail all noti?cations made.

Completed by: Date:

*Remember: Lethality is when a person is capable of causing death. The term can apply to
thoughts of homicide or suicide. The can include feelings of depression andior
hopelessness. TheSe emotions can be because of the loss of a loved one. health issues or the
lack of support of a family member.

Mental Health Emergency Protocol (912912016)

Roi.

Suicide Questions

Initial Questions:

 

Have you ever thought that life was not worth living?

 

Ever wish you were dead?

 

Ever thought about hurting yourself?

 

Do you have a plan to hurt or kilt yourself?

 

When was the last time you thought about killing yourseif?

 

Have you ever tried to kill yourself in the past?

 

Have you taken anything (medication) to hurt you now?

 

Have any of your friends or family members ever committed suicide?

 

What do you mean when you say "kill yourselfieommit suicide??

 

What's your plan? How? When? Does anyone else know?

 

Why now?

 

Hopes

. What do you hope will happen to you?

 

How do you think others will react?

 

What do you want me to do now?

 

Mental Health Emergency Protocol (929.2016)

Chronology
When did these thoughts start {15. 30. ED minutea ago; yesterday; last week; etc)?

 

What was happening then?

 

Have you ever heard voices?

 

Long

Does anyone know how badly you are feeling?

 

Who do you think loves you?

 

Who do you love the moat?

 

How do you feel now?

 

Other

 

Are lethal objects (gone, knives. medication, drugs1 etc.) available?

 

Mental Health Emergency Protocol {9:29:2016}

Once it is clear that the student has no plan of suicide or does not feel like self-injurious
behavior. you should begin developing a safety plan with student. (See sample below)



Maria Smith Safety Plan
4l15l11

. Maria cannot be left alone at any time.

.- Maria will contact an adult if she feels that she cannot cope with auditory and
visual hailucinations.

. She will be brought to the of?ce and ?nd an administrator, social worker or


- She will be assessed for self?harm risk.

. If necessary1 the Crisis Unit at Rochester Mental Health will be called at 922-
2500.

. if not, call 911 fora mental health arrest.

a Hospital of preference: Rochester General

. Call morn: hoot?moot or grandma: 
- If you need to contain Maria in order to avoid self-harm. we have mom?s
permission.
This plan was created with the permission and approval from Parent and Administrator.

Supply copies to all teachers and staff that have contact with student.



If the safety plan is unsuccessful. call 911 to request that the student be taken to the
hospital. Nurse will gather any necessary medical and records for EMT.

Mental Health Emergency Team member will follow-up with family and student within 24

hours and modify the safety plan. Debrie?ng with Mental Health Emergency Team and
appropriate staff regarding situation and action plan will take place.

Mental Health Emergency Protocol {9.29.2016}

EXHIBIT 

EH #2013 Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities: Special Education NYSED

AN Y3 ED

Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities
November 2013
SPECIAL EDUCATION FIELD onIsoRY

FROM: James P. DeLorenzo

SUBJECT: Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities - (135 KB)

Tragically, a young student with autism wandered from his school building during the school day in
New York City and remains missing. In light of this, I would like to take this opportunity to remind
all public and private schools serving students with disabilities of the importance of ensuring that
they have school-wide policies and protocols in place to address, prevent and respond to elopement
instances such as this.

For students with disabilities, each committee on preschool special education or committee on
special education must identify if the student has behaviors that impede his or her learning or that
of others. This should include a consideration of whether a student has the tendency to wander or
elope and, if so, to ensure that a functional behavioral assessment (FDA) of the behavior is
conducted and that the behavior is addressed through proper supervision and through an
individualized behavior intervention plan based on the results of the FDA.

In addition, schools should ensure that there are building policies, procedures and protocols in place
to prevent and address instances of wandering and elopement, particularly for students with
cognitive impairments. These should include, but are not limited to, the following.

Staff training on awareness and reSponse

- Supervisory noti?cation and 911 calls

- Communication protocols with local police

. Use of school-wide communication and alert systems

- Preassignments for building and ground searches

- Procedures for assuring that crisis response and law enforcement officials have access to
?oor plans, blueprints, schematics or other maps of the school interior, school grounds and
road maps of the immediate surrounding area

- Immediate family noti?cation

0 Identi?cation of students with known elopement behaviors to local building principals, hall
monitors, and security guards

- Consideration of installment of door alarms and use of other elopement warning devices

Ensuring students with known elopement behaviors carry basic identification information at
all times

These procedures should be incorporated into each school?s school safety building plan, as
appropriate. For more information on school safety building plan requirements, see



The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Slentz have asked the District Superintendents of

each Board of Cooperative Educational Services to engage their component districts in a dialogue

on this issue to identify current practices and to consider the need for further guidance andfor
1i2

Si1?i201 3 Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities: Special Education P-12 NYSED

policy changes. For technical assistance or professional development on behavioral assessments
and interventions, please contact the Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support
Center in your region of the State

For speci?c technical

assistance for students with autism, you may contact the Center for Autism and Related Disorders

(mp 
Thank you for your timely attention to this matter.

c:
John S. King, Jr.
Ken Slentz





3i1?i2018 Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities with Elopement Behaviors: Speciai Education NYSED

ANYSED

Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities with
Elopement Behaviors

April 2014
SPECIAL EDUCATION FIELD ADVISORY
FROM: James P. DeLorenzo

SUBJECT: Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities with Elopement Behaviors
- 1(120 

In response to an incident whereby a young student with autism wandered from his New York City
(NYC) school building last fall, I issued a memorandum in November 2013 regarding school-wide
policies and protocols that schools should have in place to address, prevent and respond to students
who have behaviors such as wandering and elopement. The memorandum provided important
information on the role of the committee on special education (CSE) to identify, assess and address
such behaviors as well as the need for building policies, procedures and protocols to prevent and
address instances of wandering and elopement. A copy of the memorandum can be found at



The New York State Education Department has since been provided a copy of the findings of the
Special Commissioner of Investigation related to the disappearance of the young NYC student
mentioned above. This report highlights additional actions that might have prevented this young
student from leaving the school building unattended and unnoticed. In light of the ?ndings, Iwouid
like to add the following actions to be considered for each student with a disability.

In some instances, it may not be clear that a student has a past history of wandering or elopement
behaviors. In addition, a parent might not have attended a particular CSE meeting or considered
that the CSE needs to know about their concern that their child might wander or elope and
therefore might share this concern directly with the teacher or other school personnel rather than
discuss it at a CSE meeting. Thus, whenever a teacher or other school personnel learn of a concern
about a child?s behavior that may impact hisfher safety, this information should immediately be
reported to supervisory staff and other staff working directly with the student. School
administrators must ensure that staff assigned to safety in the building where the student attends
can respond appropriately and that a plan to ensure the safety of the student is developed and
implemented.

In addition, when a behavioral concern is raised that was not considered by the CSE, the teacher or
other staff should use appropriate discretion to request a meeting of the CSE to review and, if
appropriate, revise the student?s individualized education program and consider a functional
behavioral assessment and behavioral intervention plan to address the concern.

In light of the above, I recommend that schools revisit their policies and protocols to address the
above recommendations. Thank you for your timely attention to this matter.

c:
John E. King, Jr.
Ken Slentz
1i2

3H Fritz-318 Health and Safety Precautions for Students with Disabilities Elspement Behaviors: Specie! Edusstlen P-12 NYSED



21?2

EXHIBIT 

Revised Au ust 201? - . Depanm?nt ofAttendance

 

Attendance Department. 2017-2018 2
Overview 2
Rochester ity School District Policy 2
Expectations of Schools 3
Standardized Attendance Recording Procedures I 4
Daily Attendance 5
Standardized Attendance Recording Policy 5
Substitute Teacher Attendance 5
School-Based Monitoring 6
Emused and Unexcused Student Absences 3
Tardiness 9
Educational Neglect 9
Students with Excessive Absenteeism 10
Identifying Chronic Absenteeism 1
Student Attendance and Withdrawal Policy l3
Glossary [6
Forms IS
Annual Attendance ReSponsibility Form IS
Attendance Referral Form 2]
RCSD Attendance Contract 24
Attendance Letter Samples 26
Teacher Unsubmitted Attendance Noti?cation 30
Of?cial Attendance Oath 31
Sample Substitute Teacher 32
RCSD Regulations and Policies For Attendance 33
Rochester City School Board Policy 5 IOU 33
Superintendent?s Regulation: Student Absences. Excuses and Withdrawals 35
New York State Attendance Law 42
Amendment to the Education Law in Relation to Compulsory Attendance 43
Student Management System (SMS) Reports 45
Overview of SPA Data Warehouse 5?

Betsy Hoffer. Associate Director

Nita Brown Benjamin Payne

Project Manager. Pre-K Attendance Attendance Clerk

Nia Nichols .la'Net Scott

Court Liaison Attendance Assistant

Hazel Thompson Brown Veldra Simmons
Administrative Specialist Attendance Assistant

Megan Freiburger Iris Vargas Andujar

Rochester Youth Year VISTA Bilingual Attendance Assistant

"Chronic absenteeism-or missing 1' 0 percent afschooi titan in a school yearfor any reason.
excused or unexcused-is a primary cause ofiaw academic achievement and a powerftti predictor
rgf'those students who may eventually- a?rop ofscnoof' (Every Student. Every Day: A National
Initiative to Address and Eliminate Chronic Absenteeism. 2015.)

The purpose ofthis attendance manual is to provide information about the laws and regulations
governing school attendance and the procedures followed by the district to maintain compliance
with these mandated procedures. Through utilization ofthe guidelines and forms provided in this
manual. the district reinforces consistent implementation of attendance procedures across all
schools in RC SD. These procedures help ensure that attendance is taken accurately. Students
attend school regularly. and strong academic achievement for all students is promoted
throughout the district.

The RC SD Board of Education directs the Superintendent to establish standards and guidelines
for attendance. absences. excuses and withdrawal from the District. The expectation is that all
schools will continually strive toward [00% attendance with students coming to school every
day. The district focuses on maximizing student attendance by clearly identifying responsibilities
of staff. students. parents. and community. dedicating appropriate resources. and ensuring that
students are successful academically. economically. and socially. Parents and guardians have the
primary responsibility for ensuring that students arrive to school on time for each school day.
that the school is informed that their child will be absent from school or classes. and are
responsible for encouraging students to stay in school. The RCSD Board of Education also
acknowledges the role and responsibility of principals. teachers. other support staff. parent
liaisons and School-Based Planning Teams in the improvement ofstudent academic
achievement.

Attendance records are legal documents that must be accurate. Taking accurate and timely
attendance is a professional expectation for all teachers. as well as an educationally sound practice
and an important student safety issue. Additionally. accurate attendance is critical so that every
child is accounted for every minute in the school building. In the event of an emergency {such as
a fire. bomb threat. lockdown or any other dangerous situation] teachers must compare classroom
attendance with the attendance of students in their immediate supervisory care. A discrepancy in
attendance alerts administrative staffand building security that there is a missing student that needs
to be found immediately.

'r For elementary schools. student attendance must be recorded in Student Management
System within the first hour ofthe start ofthe school day.

It? For secondary schools. student attendance must be recorded in PowerSchool by teachers
within the first 15 minutes of class. with an exception for physical education
teachers. who must record all attendance by the end of the school day.

The school will notify the parentflegal guardian of all unexcused absences each day through
ConnectEd. it is required that schools notify parent{s)tlegal guardiants) as soon as possible.
therefore ConnectEd calls should occur twice a day at the secondary level. once at [:00 am. and
once an hour after the close ofschoo] day for secondary schools. and once a day by [:00 am.
each day for elementary schools. A log ofthe ConnectEd calls should be kept on ?le at the schooi
and available for monitoring from the Office of School Attendance at all times.

In addition. schools will alert of attendance concerns through letters. Copies of
these letters should be kept in each student's school ?le.

 

The current student management system that the District uses is called PowerSchooi. This document 1will use SMS
to refer to PowerSehool or the next generation.

Ln

 

It is a professional expectation that teachers complete attendance
in an accurate and timely manner.

 

In accordance with Section l9:23 of New York State School Law. a teacher. supervisory staff or
other suitable employee designated by the school board shall make entries into a register of
attendance and verify the entries by oath or affirmation. See Of?cial Attendance Oath in appendix.

 

53? 30.24. Teachers responsibie for record books. School fists and accounts of
attendance shaii be kept and prepared and entries she? be made in regards thereto.
in such manner. as shalt be prescribed by the commissioner ofedacation by
regaiation or otherwise.

 

 

 

School attendance records must be kept for use in the enforcement ot?the Education Law 3024 and
as the source for the average daily attendance used to help determine a district's state aid allocation.
Therefore. student attendance must be recorded accurately and in a timely manner. Because
attendance information is relayed to parents/legal guardians on a daily basis. attendance must be
submitted on SMS. as stated above:

Elementary schools: within an hour of the start of school

Secondary schools: within the ?rst l5 minutes end of each class. with the exception
of PE teachers. who must submit by the end ofthe day.

See the SMS nianaai?rr directions on now to take attendance.

Teachers are expected to submit attendance in an accurate and timely manner. They will not be
able to go back and enter attendance for any day they may have forgotten or did not enter
attendance for. No changes can be made by teachers For a previous day. The protocol for submitting
attendance will be as follows:

I-J



if.)

Lg)

In}

All teachers are required to submit attendance in EMS within the ?rst hour of the
elementary school day or within the first If:- minutes of the class period in a secondary
school.

An tin-submitted attendance report will be run every day at [2:00 noon in an elementary
school and twice a day at 12:00 and 3:00 pm each day in a secondary school by the
principal?s dcsignee.

Teachers and Principals will receive a certi?ed email each day when attendance is not
submitted when it is due. This is an automated reminder to submit attendance immediately.

The principal will designate clerical staff to send a list to all teachers whose names appear
on the un-submitted attendance list to remind everyone to update and submit their
attendance before the window is closed at midnight.

Teachers who do not submit attendance before midnight will be locked out ofthe system
and they will not be able to go back and submit.
3e Teachers who do not submit attendance before midnight and as result are locked
out ofthc system must immediately turn in a hard copy oftheir attendance directly-
to the supervising administrator or clerical in charge of attendance.

Continued failure to comply with the required attendance submissions could result in
disciplinary action. as referred to in Section 37 and 33 of the RTA contract.

Day one of a teacher being on the unsubmitted attendance list. clerical will run the report
and notify the teacher.

After two consecutive days. the clerical will notify the principal. The principal sends letter
to teacher-see appendix.

Teachers who are listed three consecutive days may be asked to meet with principal and
their union representative to discuss the importance of keeping accurate and up-to-date

attendance.

Continued failure to comply with the required attendance submissions could result in
disciplinary action. as referenced in Sections 37 and 38 ofthc RTA contract.

Substitutes will not have access to SMS for the purpose for taking attendance.

Clerical staffshould run the condensed class roster report for each absent teachers and give
to appropriate substitute teacher for attendance recOrding.

UI

Substitutes record attendance on provided rosters for each class and return the rosters to
the main office at the close of each school day.

La)

4. The main office designee is reSponsible for entering attendance data and must record the
information before the end ofthe school day.

3. Use the Substitute Teacher Template in the Appendix on page 37 to manage the collection
of attendance from substitute teachers.

At the onset of a student being absent from school. immediate communication should be made
with the family. Following the initial communication with the family. the procedures listed below
are required. All communication and steps taken must be documented in Attend Actions in Power
School. dated and kept on file in the school.

A. Documentation of Parent Communication Regarding Attendance Concerns

School monitoring of student attendance is an on-going process throughout the school year.
Student families receive phone calls from the {I?onnectEd3 system on a daily basis. twice
daily for secondary schools. Teachers are requested to notify parents about student
absenteeism as well. In addition. schools must inform parents of student absences through
written communication. After a school has done due diligence in documenting efforts to
work with a family to improve a student?s attendance. it may be necessary for the school
to do an attendance referral to Family Court Services. A referral to Child Protective
Services or the FACT team is necessary at this point.

The following pages describe the steps that need to take place to monitor student attendance
and initiate interventions to improve student attendance. All documentation must be stored
in the student?s school folder and be available for review upon request.

B. Con nectEd
Schools will use the ConnectEd system to inform parents of student absences two times a
day for secondary schools and once a day for elementary schools. A log ofthe ConnectEd
calls should be kept on file at the school and available for monitoring from the Of?ce of
School Attendance upon request

The message must include the following information: the school name. the student name.
the date of absence. contact infon'nation from the school if the parent has
questionsfconcerns. request for documentation of a legal excuse.

 

3 RCSD's ROBO Call system

Illustrative Example

Good afternoon. This is School? . Your chiid was
absent from schooi. month. dav. vear. Piease contact at (phone
number) to discuss the reason why your chiid was absent. Ptease send a note to schooi
with your citiidfor an excused absence. [fyour citiid is not sick and you are able to bring
him or her to schooi. we took forward to seeing you today. Remember, Every Minute
Matters!

The principal?s designee should monitor the ConnectEd phone log each daily in the event
that ConnectEd system fails to reach the home number. Incomplete phone calls due to
wrong numbers should be identi?ed and reported to principal and parent liaison. Parent
liaisons and Home School Assistants are responsible for making home visits and
providing updated phone numbers to clerical staff so SMS can be updated.
Documentation from home visits should be logged into the Attend Actions page.

. RCSD Cumulative Absent Warning Letter.

Attendance letters are to be run by SMS through the report calledlAbsent Noti?cation
Letter. The principal at each school will determine who will run the attendance letters. In
addition, copies of attendance letters must be kept on ?le at the school. See appendix for
more Specific directions on executing the RCSD Cumulative Absent Noti?cation Letters
report and for the sample absent notification letter. Absent Noti?cation letters for students
should be sent by regular mail.

Students with excused absences for ?ve days or less will no longer receive absence
warning letters, however students who are absent ten or more days will receive letters for
all absences whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Computer generated letters
must be reviewed before being sent to patent for appropriateness. For example, a student
who is absent due to a prolonged medical condition should not receive the letters as long
as documentation from a doctor is on file. Those letters should be discarded and not sent
to the parent.

. Teacher Contact Logs

Maintaining regular contact with families regarding student absences is considered to be
part of a teacher?s professional expectations. Teachers should contact Parentsiguardians
when a student shows a pattern of class absenteeism. Teachers are expected to submit
their contact logs to principals on a basis. These logs should be kept on ?le in
the main of?ce for review upon request. This information should be documented on
SMS on the Attend Actions page by the teacher.

The following chart depicts the types of school communication with the parentifamilv
that should occur. evidence of the documentation. the person responsible for the
communication and the frequency of communication that should occur based on the
number of days a child is absent.

Tll?ugc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thither Humt \i?viT il
1 l?ltnut-t .tll ?wit-ml Hut-tut:
ConnectEd log Student file Teacher contact Attend Actions
logs Documentation
Automatic Principal Teacher School Personnel
designee such as Parent
Liaison. HASUttsubmitted Attendance
Unsubmitted attendance reports identify gaps in accurate and timely attendance recording.
The principal is ultimately responsible to ensure that attendance is taken according to the
expectations listed above. In order for principals to monitor this. an unsubmitted attendance
report should be run and corrected before ConnectEd phone calls are sent:

By am.
By the close ofthe school day

The RCSD Student Attendance Of?ce will monitor Unsuhmitted Attendance regularly and
provide a report to Principals near the end ofeach marking period on the status of the
Unsubmitted Attendance. Teachers are asked to initial the Of?cial Attendance Oath each
marking period verifying that attendance has been completely submitted and is accurate.
See page 36 ofthis manual for the updated Official Attendance Oath. Failure to comply with
this request will result in a meeting with the Attendance Department and the Principal?s
direct supervisor.

All registered students are required to attend classes as scheduled. Parent{s) legal guardiants)
have the obligation to inform the school of hisfher child's absence from school or from classes
for the student's absence to be considered excused. The following reasons are considered to be

excused absences:
Child's illness
?r Doctor?s appointment
Sickness or death ofan out oftown family member for up to three days within
New York State or five days outside of the state.
Court appearances
Religious observance
Participation in a school sponsored event. For example. at the secondary level.
?eldtrips which require students to be absent from other classes.



In order for an absence to be excused. the parenn?legal guardian must submit a verbal or written
excuse to the appropriate school personnel as soon as possible upon the student?s return to school

3 

from an absence. The written excuse or the transcribed verbal explanation from the parentflegal
guardian shall be placed in a school attendance file.. The designated school staff will Submit
information in the comment field on SMS.

An anticipated student absence for two or more weeks due to health or medical problems must be
documented by a physician?s statement. Supplemental tutoring shall be initiated after the school
administrator has received a completed physician's statement. confers with the school nurse. and
consults the administrator ofthe interim Health Academy.

All unexplained or undocumented absences are considered to be unexcused. Unexcused
absences include but are not limited to:
'r Oversleeping
Problem with transportation
Missing the bus
Family vacations
Non-school trips



At the elementary level. the teacher and the parentfguardian must collaborate to make up missed
work during absences. At the secondary level. the student and parent are responsible for
contacting teachers to arrange to make up missed work during absences.

De?nition. Tardy is de?ned as a student attending school anytime during the hours of
operation. but after the official start time as designated by the school.

Tardy students are required to sign in at the appropriate office upon arrival and cannot be
admitted to class without a completed late slip.

If an excessive pattern of tardiness is identified by the principal or hisr?her designee. the school
shall investigate the reasons for the tardiness. lfthe tardiness is found to be unexcused. the
student?s attendance shall be marked accordingly and the parenu?legal guardian shall be noti?ed.
The school staff designated will submit information in the comment ?eld on the Student
Attendance page in SMS on-line attendance system.

Educational neglect is the failure of a parent to ensure a child's prompt and regular attendance in
school or the keeping ofa child out ofschool for impermissible reasons. This results in an
adverse effect on the child?s educational progress or imminent danger ofsuch an adverse effect.

 

3 A copy of this LDSS -221A Report of Suspected Child Abuse Form can be found on the
Department 5 website and at' 1:51} 

A. Elements Needed fora Report of Educational Neglect

3*

Lu

Excessive. unexcused absences from school by the child.

Reasonable cause to suspect the parent is aware or should have been aware and has
contributed to the problem or is failing to take steps to address the problem.
Reasonable to suspect educational impairment or harm to the child or imminent danger
of such.

13. Indicators of Impairment

l.

45PJE-J

Failure to acquire basic skills for the grade level the child is enrolled in.

Retention at the same grade level due to failure to acquire basic skills.

Failing grades at the end ofa marking aperiod.

Course ofstudv to the child does NOT comply with NYS Education Law Requirements
[inadequate home schooling).

C. Indicators of Impending Harm

l.

Ix.)

A grade that reflects a significant decrease in performance from one marking period to
another.

A pattern of test or exam failure.

A pattern of failure to complete homework. which is likely to lead to a drop in grade at
the end ofthe term.

An inability to make progress on a child's educational plan 

Making a Good Educational Neglect Referral



Have accurate demographic information.

Have the number ofabsences and what time period they have occurred within.

Detail the effect the absences have directly had upon the child's educational progress.
What is the parent's knowledge of and response to the absences?

What efforts has the school made to address the problem?

ls this a vulnerable child (special needs. criminal behavior history. etc)?

 

Students who miss 10% of school days in a school year
are considered to be chronically absent.

 

 

?As soon as a school recognizes that a student is accumulating excessive unexcused absences. a
school-level conference should be held with the family and possibly the student to discuss why
the absences are occurring and to select strategies that try to resolve the attendance
problem"[Strengthening School Attendance Policies. 2008}.

it is important to determine the reasons for the student's absences. The causes are often divided
into four broad categories: family factors. school factors. economic influences and student

l0 

variables [Chang and Romero. et all. School interventions. which include school-based services.
community service resources. youth organizations. legal services. etc.. should he developed to
address the obstacles to good attendance.

r'r?f 

Indicators that the child?s progress has been or may be about to become impaired [impending
harm) include:



i. A pattern of failure to complete home assignments which is likely to lead to a drop
in grades at the end of the marking period

2. A pattern of exam or test failure

3. A grade that reflects a signi?cant decrease in performance from one marking period
to the next

4. An inability to make progress on the child's educational plan te.g.. Individualized
Education Plan}

5. Failure to acquire basic skills for the grade level the child is enrolled in for the year

6. Retention at the same grade level due to the failure to acquire basic skills

7. Falling grades at the end ofa marking period

A. Attendance Referral Process
Prior to referring a student to Office of Student Attendance for an attendance referral. school
staff shall make diligent efforts to resolve the non-attendance issue. in accordance nith the
Attendance Procedures. These efforts include:

Connect Ed phone calls

Mailed letterszegistered letters

Teacher phone calls

School Conferences andfor Home visits from school personnel after [0 absences.
Referral to community resources

Review ofeducational planfintervention strategies

The principal or designee shall generate a refierral to Child Protective Services for
Educational Neglect for a student ages 5 to 1 years that has accumulated 20 days
of unexcused absences from school



All of these interventions must be documented on the ?Attendance Action? page on SMS. A
copy ofthe 'Attendance Actions Report' should be attached to the referral form.

The principal or designee shall generate an Attendance Referral, Form 5 l?ll R-l to the RC SD
Attendance Department for a student ages 12-l6 that has accumulated 20 days ofunexcused
absences from School. An Attendance Referral can be generated early in the school year ifa
student has a history ofchronic absenteeism in the previous school year.

Students who have 20 or more unexcused absent school days are considered to have
excessive absenteeism and the school is required to take the following steps:

Students ages 5 to It years

The principal or the designee must place a call to the
Monroe County Child Abuse Reporting Hotline or the State
Central Register for Child Abuse and Maltreatment
regarding educational neglect for the student. All
demographic information and documentation of actual or
impending harm to the child?s academic performance or
progress as a result of the child?s absenteeism should be
gathering before the phone call is made. A call to the
hotline must be followed up with the completion of a hard
copy report to Child Protective Services (CPS). The school
makes two copies of the completed CPS referral:
l. The original completed CPS form is mailed to
Child Protective Services
ll 1 Westfall Road
Rochester NY 14620
2. The school sends a copy of the completed CPS
referral to

RCSD-Department of Social Work

Central Office

The school keeps a copy of the completed CPS

referral on file at the school

4. The principal or the designee initiates an

Attendance Referral for PINS Diversion-Form 5100
R?l. See appendix for directions, use blue ink for
required signatures.
Note: Students who are identi?ed as Students with
a Disability (3WD) or a student with a 504 plan are
required to have Manifestation Team hearing prior
to the initiation of the Attendance Referral.

5. Principal signs the Attendance Referral in blue ink.
A copy of the referral and all documentation is
retained by the school. The original referral is sent
via courier to the Family Court Services at Central
Of?ce.

6. Family Court Services logs the re?ned

The referral is reviewed by Family Court Services.

Lu

Students ages 12 years and older

DJ

The principal or the designee
initiates an Attendance Referral for
PINS Diversion-Form 5100 R-l.
See appendix for directions.

Note: Students who are identified as
Students with a Disability (S WD) or
a student with a 504 plan are
required to have Manifestation
Team hearing prior to the initiation
ofthe Attendance Referral.
Principal signs the Attendance
Referral A copy of the referral and
all documentation is retained by the
school. The original referral is sent
via courier to the Family Court
Services at Central Of?ce.

Family Court Services logs the
referral

The referral is reviewed by Family
Court Services.

lf little or no improvement is seen in
the student?s attendance pattern, the
referral is forwarded to the Family
Access and Connection Team
(FACT).

FACT works with the student and
family to improve the attendance.

[f the student?s attendance does not
improve after working with FACT, a
Person in Need of Supervision
(PINS) petition is ?led in court by
the district against the student.



B. lJually Enrolled Students
There are many reasons why a student may be dually enrolled in a home school and a program
school. The chart below details the steps that the home school must take in regards to the
student?s schedule and attendance taking. At the end of each school year. the student's
attendance in a program school is transferred to the home school.

 



!l5'

 



RIA

 



 

I't?ugrn Ilh

 

Daily attendance is
generated automatically
using A-LTSP code on
the Student Behavior
Page

 

 

.
I Home school drops I . l.
schedule. 2. North STAR 2. NStar
a 3. Young 3. 
Student is placed in H??lth 4. ACH
appropriate homerogm_ 4. All Cit}? High School 5. 3: 
5. 6. PTech
Attendance is recorded 6- Pathways ?3 
only at the Program
School.
Home school maintains . l. 
schedule 2. Home Hospital Tutoring 2. HHT
3. 3. 

 

The Board of Education believes that in order for students to be successful in school. the
workplace and beyond. students must attend school every day. The Board also recognizes
truancy and excessive absence are of a larger problem and not the problem itself.

The Board acknowledges the need to maintain accurate attendance records. This

AttendancefParticipation Policy is aligned with the Goals and Objectives from the Rochester
City School District's Strategic Plan and will be consistent with established policies and
regulations to accomplish the following goals:

Lu 



UI

Ensure that each of our students is academically prepared to succeed in college. life. and
the global economy:
Create safe. engaging. and nurturing school environments that enable student success:
Recruit. develop. and retain highly effective. diverse people
dedicated to student success:
Use world-class operational standards and practices to continuously improve how we
support student success: and:
Create a culture in which we hold ourselves accountable for student success.

 

The Board directs the Superintendent to establish standards and guidelines for attendance,
absences, excuses and withdrawal from the District. The expectation is that all schools will
continually strive toward 100% attendance with students coming to school every day.

Procedures for providing make-up opportunities shall be developed and provided to students by
the subject area teacher, following the administrative guidelines.

The District will focus on maximizing student attendance by clearly identifying responsibilities
of staff, students, parents, and community, dedicating appropriate resources, and ensuring that
students are successful academically, economically, and socially.

In July 20l2, a law was enacted to authorize the Rochester City School District to require all
children attaining five years of age on or before December to attend kindergarten in the
preceding September. However, parents may choose to wait to enroll their child in kindergarten
until the following September. The law also exempts children enrolled in private schools or who
are receiving home school instruction.

Once a child has enrolled in school at any grade level from kindergarten through twelfth grade,
the provisions of this policy take effect. All students at all grade levels from kindergarten
through twelfth grade, including those with disabilities, must maintain a satisfactory level of
attendance in each marking period in order to be eligible to receive a passing grade. Class
participation may be considered a factor for students to obtain passing grades in grades
kindergarten through 12. All students in all grades are expected to strive for l00% attendance.

Parents and guardians have the primary responsibility for ensuring that students arrive to school
on time for each school day, that the school is informed that their child will be absent from
school or classes, and are responsible for encouraging students to stay in school. The Board also
acknowledges the role and responsibility of principals, teachers and School-Based Planning
Teams in the improvement of student academic achievement.

The District will focus on maximizing student attendance by clearly identifying the
responsibilities of staff, students, parents, and community, identifying appropriate resources, and
ensuring that students are successful academically, economically, and socially.

The Board recognizes that dropping out of school has serious long-term consequences for
students. The Board is committed to doing everything within its power to provide a quality
education that ensures our students graduate with the skills to be successful in this global
economy. To that end, the Board adopts the policy that, except for students that are employed
full time, all students must complete [at a minimum) the school year in which they turn 1? years
of age before initiating the paperwork required to officially drop out of school. Students that are
employed full time must complete (at a minimum) the school year in which they turn 16 years of
age before initiating the paperwork required to of?cially drop out of school.

The Board established the following guidelines for the withdrawal of students from the District:

1. Students shall be counseled on their educational program prior to leaving the District.

Millage

This includes graduates, dropouts, and students who withdraw For other reasons, such as
those who intend to transfer to another school district, charter school, private school, or
home school;

2. All students leaving the District shall be properly coded and accounted for in the Student
Management System 

3. All required documentation shall be collected and ?led in the student?s cumulative
folder;

4. Formal processes and procedures for withdrawal shall be developed, maintained and
followed by the District consistent with the law,

15  ?ngc

 

This Power School screen is where documentation of
attendance interventions are added and stored. See Power
School Attendance Reports for instructions on how to use this
feature in Power School.

 

 

tot u. t- Inn; A district-wide or school-wide effort to make home visits to

I: {Mr homo-u. - studentsa?families with low school attendance in order to make
connections. ?nd resources to overcome attendance obstacles
and return students to school on a regular basisThis report displays all ofthe attendance interventions

documented in Attend Actions. It is ordered by students with
the most days absent and highlights in yellow the actions that
are required but not yet complete on part ofthe school. This
report can be ?ltered by grade level. See Power School
Attendance Reports for instructions on how to use this feature
in Power School.

 

A student who misses 10% of possible school days in a year for
excused or unexcused reasons is considered to be chronically
absent. Severe chronic absenteeism is missing 20% of possible
school days.

 

Child Pretective Services. Agency to report educational neglect
or other child welfare issues.

 

Children who turn six (6) on or before December ?rst ofthe
school year are required by law to attend school from the start
ofclasses in September of' that school year. Children who turn
six (6) after December ?rst must begin school no later than the
first day of session the following September.

Although it's not a state requirement for five year olds to enroll
in school. the RCSD encourages all early childhood education.
Once a ?ve year old is registered in the district. it is mandated
by RCSD that they attend school daily.

The RCSD elected to raise the compulsory age to l? pursuant
to Section 3205(3) ofthe Education Law. therefore attendance
is required until the end ofthe school year in which students
turn 17. Fulltime employment or enrollment in Job Corps are
the only exceptions to this law.

 

 

The automatic telephone system that alerts 
about a child's absence from school based on the attendance

 

l6 

 

 

data Pow-er School. Schools often refer to these calls as Robo
Calls.

 



All necessary steps that should be taken to notify a family about
attendance concerns. to create an intervention plan. and to
follow up with monitoring of student attendance patterns.

 

.
iJ?i 

With documentation from parent?guardian. a student may be
dismissed before the end ofthe school day for an appointment
that meets the requirements of an excused absence.

 

Family Assessment Response is an alternative approach to a
child protective report. They focus on creating lasting change
through family engagement and collaborative partnerships. thus
supporting child safety. In addition. they assess the 
and needs of families and matching services to support both:
not fault ?nding. Their foundational belicfis that families do
well when they can. not if they want to.

 



i- 

Hearing that takes place to determine ifa child?s behavior is a
result of hisfher disability.

 





The web-based system to record attendance and generate
reports which teachers must use in the RCSD.

 



Persons in Need of Supervision. Student who continues to show
excessive absence patterns and needs further monitoring from
probation and the court system.

 

WU. 

Students with disabilities.

 

ill-i:

Late to school after the official start time. Late to school for any
reason. at any time throughout the school day which is also
inclusive of being late to classfperiod.

 

-1-. .4.

?l 

All absences that are not excused are unexcused. All absences
that are not proven to be excused through documentation from
parent fguardian are considered unexcused.

 

 



l1.

??lth-lath:

A report from Power School will alert administrative staff that a
teacher has not taken attendance in a timely manner.

 

l7l

 

Page nl'3

.Principai of

Principal?s Name Name of School

 

 

have identi?ed the persons responsible for each school activity listed below for the
20] 7?2018 school year.

 

 

have identi?ed in charge ofdar'br attendance. They

attendance clerk. patent hats-on. or mirmrustmm

have accepted the responsibilityr ofchecking unsubmitted attendance and request teachers update
records accordingly. In addition. they will run the 'Exception Report' to verify attendance is
accurate.

 

 

 

Signature of Designee Date

 

 

 

have identi?ed responsible for reporting their outstanding unsubmitted
daily attendance to the supervising administrator. in addition. they will check the ConnectEd
phone log and identify students who need updated phone numbers and Follow established process
to update information.

 

 

 

Signature of Designee Date

 

 

 

have identi?ed responsible for running the Master Attendance Report and
the Attendance Referral Log so that the School Attendance team can identify students who have
attendance concems.

 

 

 

Signature of Designee Date

 

 

 

I have identified clerle?cc Counselors} responsible for sending
absence letters for students for 3. 5. l0 8; 20 day absences daily using absence waming ietters.

 

 

 

Signature of Designee Date

 

 

 

 

Page 2 of}

 

 

I have identified to make weekly contact with families when no
communication regarding absences has been received. They are also aware that all home visits
must be documented.

 

 

 

Signature of Designee Date

 

 

 

have identi?ed (Counselor. Social Workern responsible for the completion of
attendance referrals and sent to RCSD Of?ce of Student Attendance.

 

 

 

Signature of Designee Date

 

 

 

I have identi?ed responsible for completing distributing certificates for
perfect attendance each semester.

 

 

 

Signature of Designee Date

 

lgll?age

 

 

 

Page 3 

I am aware the RCSD Student Attendance Department will;





Automatically send alerts via certify emails to teachers and principals for unsubmitted
attendance;

Monitor unsubmitted attendance by running the unsubmitted attendance report and follow
up with schools to see what obstacles are preventing attendance to be submitted
accurately and in a timely manner;

Send attendance reports to the school principal. In addition, there will be communication
with the school regarding student concerns;

Monitor the status of Attendance Referrals received from each school;

Will monitor student attendance trends through Master Attendance Reports;

Follow up with schools to see what interventions have been put into place to address
attendance concerns;

Conduct quarterly visits to schools to audit, absence letters based on Master Attendance
Report,

Identify signi?cant attendance concems in report to Principals through a review
of the Attendance Referral Log;

Provide Attendance Awards each semester.

Sincerely,

 

Principal?s Signature

 

Printed Name

Forward to the RC SD Attendance Department by the ?rst Friday of the School Year

2U Pagc

Form 5100 R-l

page of}

 


2-0 43?

 

ATTENDANCE REFERRAL FOR PINS INVERSION

 

 

r-
LJ
1' a;
are. {33"
?foot.?

Emery-:mltl-saawli :f It.
Greatee?nasterpece.

To: Rochester City School District
Of?ce of Student Attendance Department

 

Paste student
picture from

 

 

 

 

 

 

l3] West Broad Street SMS
Rochester. NY here
Student Identification Number: 890
Student's Name:
I..le 5.1m: Num- 
.Address:
Zip Code.-
Birth Date: Age: Male__ Female Current Grade:__
Parentts} Guardiants} Address: Other Address:

 

 

 

Home Phone:

 

Work Phone;

 

Siblings Names and Addresses:

 

 

Child's household includes: Mother

Other:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Phone:

Work Phone:

 

ATTENDING:

 

 

Father

Check box hen above section is complete.

 

Stepmother Stepfather

l-J

 

STUDENT INFORMATION

 

ls child receiving Special Education services? Yes_ No__ 504 Plan? Yes No

Classi?catioanccomodations:

 

Classroom Placement! Setting

 

[cg 1 Letc..]

Last CSE Date: Next CSEfAnnual Review Date:

 

Outcome of Nexus Hearing (manifestation determination):

 

Circle one: Lack of attendance is is not a manifestation of the student?s disability.

 

 

 

Check box when above section is complete.

 

 

Beasotv FOR PINS REFEREE:

 

 

Staff Assessment of Causes ofAbsences:

 

 

Staff Assessment of what interventions with the student and/or famin could be effective in improving the
student?s attendance:

 

 

 

Certi?ed Copy of Attendance is required.

Document below strategies that have been implemented by the school to resolve this problem. 
Parenthtudent Conferences, Home Visits, in school Student Support Services referrals, school
referrals to outside community agencies, Child Protective Services. preventive services,
counseling, or mental health). Please provide as much detail as possibie on these interventions (including
who participated in the interventions, name and titles of staff involved, and outcomes of the interventions}
as well as barriers to success.

 

Check box when above section is complete.

 

 

 

22ll?ugc

Form 5100 R-l pagelot?3

 

FREPORT 01: I (Telephone calls, letters)

 

Date?s} Outcome:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OF PARENT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date-(5} In Attendance Outcome:

EREPORT or HOME 

Date{s): In Attendance Outcome:
THE

 

 

 

 

Check box when above section is complete. Attach copies of all required documentation.

 

 

 

 

EEFERMLS TO OUTSIDE AGENCIESISTUDENT SUPPORT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date(s) Agency/Contact Person OutcomeiStili Active?

CPS Referral made? Yes No Date Made: Referral Accepted? Yes No

CPS Active? Yes No CPS Caseworker:

Permission is hereby granted by: (parent Signature}

 

to release school records to the Family Access and Connection Team.
lfno parent signature, has the parent been noti?ed ofthis referral? Yes: No:

Telephone: Email:

 

 

District Contact Person

Principal Signature Date 

EMF-age

 R-i Form page .1 MS

Form 5100 R-Z

 

 

 

Student?s Name: Date of meeting:
Student?s DOB: Grade:
Schooh

 

Name ofschool personnel conducting the meeting:

 

 

 

FOR ATTENDANCE DIFFICULTIES:
Student's explanation for attendance dif?culties:

 

 

Parent's View ofattendance dif?culties:

 

 

 

School stali?s input regarding attendance difficulties:

 

 

 

AGREEMENT:
Student agrees to the following. to address the above attendance concerns:

 

 

 

Parent agrees to the Following to address the above attendance concerns:

 

 

 

School staff agrees to the following to support the attendance improvement ofthe student:

 

 

 

I agree to abide by the following conditions:
I. Attend school every day. Be on time to school and to all ot?m} classes.

2. Bring a doctor's note to verify that an absence for illness is legal. Excuses for illness from a
parentflegal guardian will not he accepted.

2-H

3. Remain on campus unless given written permission to leave by the Attendance Of?ce clerks or
designated school personnel via contact with my legal parentilegal guardian.

4. Obtain satisfactory citizenship marks. improve and maintain good grades and receive no failing
grades in any of the enrolled classes by seeking out and enrolling in tutoring.

5. Observe all bus rules if 1 am receiving school transportation. I shall exhibit polite verbal and
physical behavior to all school personnel.

6. Follow all school rules.

Other:

 

3. After 60 days, review my student success plan with my counselor, social worker, andior school
administrator.

I also understand that violation of any of the above checked conditions could result in the following:

Parent Conference

- Referral to a counseling agency

- Referral to the FACT Team

- Filing ofa PINS [Person in Need ofSupervision} Petition in Family Court

 

 

Signature ofStudent: Date:
Signature of Parent: Date:
Signature of School Principal or Designee: Date:

 

By signing. schooi sio?'iros tried of! a?orts to obtain signature ofconrract?om the student

Contract is signed by student andior parent due to the following reason:
Student and Family could not be located.
CI Student! Parent was uncooperative andior refused to Sign or attend the meeting.

El Other

 

25?Pagc

School Letter Head
School Contact information
{Dale?s

Student Name
Student Address
Student Address. ZIP Code

Attends nce Noti?cation #1

To the Parenthuardian of <Student Name}
Date of Birth: 
Student ID 

This letter is to inform you that your child has been absent from school three days this year. The
Rochester City School District is committed to providing each student with a solid educational
Foundation.

Your child's teachers and Fellow classmates appreciate your efforts to prevent contagious
illnesses from spreading to others in the school building by keeping your child home when he or
she is sick. Illnesses. observance of religious holidays. doctor's appointments. and unexpected
family emergencies are considered excused absences. Please notify the school with a written note
iFy'our child missed school due to one of the reasons above. All other absences are considered
unexcused.

If' your child is absent From school for unexcused reasons. important instructional time is being
lost. In order for your child to learn. <student name} must be present for instruction.

ll?your child is missing school due to unexcused absences. we recommend that you work with
the school to develop a plan of action to help your child attend school on a daily basis. There
are many resources at school and in the community that are available ifyou need assistance with
family related concerns. community problems. safety. or health issues. We would like to work
with you to improve your child?s attendance.

Thank you for your parental support in this matter. For further assistance. please contact the
school.

Sincerely.

<Principal?s name>

School Letter Hood
Schoolr ontoct Information
<Dote 3'

Student Name
Student Address
Student Address. ZIP Code

Attendance Noti?cation #2

To the Parenthuardian of {Student Name>
Date of Birth: 
Student 

This letter is to inform you that your child has been absent from school for at least ?ve days this
year. The Rochester City School District is committed to providing each student with a solid
educational foundation.

Your child?s teachers and fellow classmates appreciate your efforts to prevent contagi0us
illnesses from spreading to others in the school building by keeping yOur child home when he or
she is sick. Illnesses, observance of religious holidays, doctor?s appointments, and unexpected
family emergencies are considered excused absences. Please notify the school with a written note
if your child missed school due to one of the reasons above. All other absences are considered
unexcused.

If your child is absent from school for unexcused reasons, important instructional time is being
lost. In order for your child to learn! sistudent name} must be present for instruction.

if your child is missing school due to unexcused absences, we recommend that you work with
the school to develop a plan of action to help your child attend school on a daily basis. There
are many resources at school and in the community that are available if you need assistance with
family related concerns. community problems, safety, or health issues. We would like to work
with you to improve your child?s attendance.

Thank you for your parental support in this matter. For further assistance. please contact the
school.

8 incerel y,

<Frincipal's name:a

27ll?ugc

School Letter Hood
School Contact Information
{Dore}

Student Name
Student Address
Student Address, ZIP Code

Attendance Noti?cation #3

To the ParenU?Guardian of <Student Name>
Date of Birth: 
Student ID 

This letter is to inform you that your child has been absent from school for at least ten days this
year. The Rochester City School District is committed to providing each student with a solid
educational foundation.

Your child?s teachers and fellow classmates appreciate your efforts to prevent contagious
illnesses from spreading to others in the school building by keeping your child home when he or
she is sick. Illnesses. observance of religious holidays, doctor?s appointments, and unexpected
family emergencies are considered excused absences. Please notify the school with a written note
if your child missed school due to one of the reasons above. All other absences are considered
unexcused.

If your child is absent from school for unexcused reasons, important instructional time is being
lost. in order for your child to learn, <student name:- must be present for instruction.

if your child is missing school due to unexcused absences, we recommend that you work with
the school to develop a plan of action to help your child attend school on a daily basis. There
are many resources at school and in the community that are available ifyou need assistance with
family related concerns, community problems, safety, or health issues. We would like to work
with you to improve your child?s attendance.

Thank you for your parental sopport in this matter. For further assistance, please contact the
school.

Sincerely,

<Principal?s name>



School Letter Herod
School Contact Information
Date 

Student Name
Student Address
Student Address. ZIP Code

FINAL ATTENDANCE NOTIFICATION

To the Parent/Guardian of <Student Name?
Date of Birth: 
Student ID 

This is your final attendance noti?cation. We have sent three prior letters soliciting your support
to improve your student?s attendance. This letter is to inform you that your child has been absent
from school for at least twenty days, which requires us to contact the authorities for additional
support. The Rochester City School District is committed to providing each student with a solid
educational foundation. To do so, we expect all students to attend every class. every day. In order
for your child to learn, (student name) must be present for instruction.

During this school year. your child?s attendance has been closely monitored and you have been
offered support by the school and also our community partners. Further assistance through Child
Protective Services and the Family Access Connection Team (FACT) is now necessary.
Educational neglect consists of parental failure to ensure a child?s prompt and regular attendance
in school as required by the state's compulsory education laws or parental actions that keep a
child out of school for impermissible reasons resulting in an adverse effect on the child?s

educational progress.

We would like to work with you to improve your child?s attendance. For further assistance,
please contact the school at the number listed in the above school letterhead.

Sincerely.

<Principal?s name>

29ll?ngc

School Letter Head
School Information
{Date}

Un-submitted Attendance

Date:

Dear

 

Attendance records are legal documents and must be kept up to date. Our records show that you
did not submit attendance by the midnight deadline on the following datets]:

 

 

Please remember to record attendance in SMS within the ?rst hour oi?the day class to avoid this
problem in the future. Failure to record attendance results in inaccurate school records and may
cause the parentlsifguardiants) to receive an automatic cal] to their home inaccurately reporting a
student absence.

Failure to submit attendance may result in disciplinary action being taken in accordance with the
RTA contract Sections 37 and 33.

Respectfully.

Principal's Signature
Principal Name [typed]


3? 
i a: .. . .
.13., Rochester IE 
1"001-0 ll'est Broad Street, Rochester. l'ork 146:4

Every-1h 45 a .tatk ?tr arr.
a "3:523'3'321.

Of?cial Attendance Oath

I hereby swear that I have accurately and to the best ofmy ability
entered student attendance for my classles) into the Rochester City School Districts student
information system {Power School) for the 2017-20l8 school year for the following marking

 

period:

Check appropriate box:

 

 

 

 

First Marking Period September 6. 20l 7 to November 10. 20] 2'
Second Marking Period November 1 I. 20l 7 to January 26. 2013
Third Marking Period January 27.2018to April I3. 2013
Fourth Marking Period April 14.2018 to June 22. 20 8

 

 

 

 

 

I understand that these records maybe subpoenaed for PINS [Person in need ofSupervision}. JD
(Juvenile Delinquents)- Neglect. and Custody proceedings in court.

It is also my understanding that I may also be subpoenaed to testify in court as to the accuraCy of
these records. I understand that they will be relied upon by the courts and may have an effect on

the disposition ofthose legal proceedings.

Date

 

 

Teacher Signature

Date

 

 

Supervisor Signature

 

 

Daily Schedule

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(SAMPLE) Sign In with
1 7:30 AM 3:14 AM You will be provided with the absent teacher 3 schedule
2 3: 3 AM 9:03 AM class rosters and lesson plans.
3 9:0? AM 9:52 AM
4 9'56 AM 10.41 Ai?v?i Return all attendance [0
5 10:45 AM 1:30 AM at (end ofschool dav).
6 1.34 AM 12:19 PM Sign the attendance af?davit. This cannot be done before
7 12:23 PM 1:03 PM {end ofschool dav}.
1:12 PM l:'Enter your t1me tn PeopleSott.
lfattendance is not turned in attend ofschool dav}.
andfor the affidavit is not signed. your time in People Soft
may not be approved.
lfyou need assistance while in the classroom. please call
at extension
Principal
Absent Teacher Room Date
Substitute Teacher
Name Date:

 

School Behavior Expectations: (sample)

- Students may not use any personal electronics in the classroom.
- No student should leave the classroom without a pass.
If a student leaves the room and does not return. please report the student's name to

at E?il

 

- Any student with disruptive behavior must be removed from the classroom by security. Please
note on attendance roster about removals.

 

 

 

Student Attendance and Withdrawal Policy

The Board of Education believes that in order for students to be successful in school. the workplace and
beyond. students must attend school every day. The Board also recognizes truancy and chronic absence.
de?ned as missing lO?J/o ofthe school year for any reason. are of a larger problem and not the
problem itself.

The Board recognizes that chronic absenteeismjeopardizes students? ability to reach critical milestones
such as reading on grade level by the end ofthird grade and graduating on time.

The Board acknowledges the need to maintain accurate attendance records. This AtlendanceiParticipation
Policy is aligned with the Goals and Objectives from the Rochester City School District's Strategic
Framework and will be consistent with established policies and regulations to accomplish the following
goals:

I. Ensure that each ofour students is academically prepared to succeed in college. life. and the
global econonty':

Create safe. engaging. and nurturing school environments that enable student success:
Recruit. develop. and retain highly effective. diverse people dedicated to student

success:

4. Use uorld-class operational standards and practices to continuously improve hovt ue support

Ln} IJ

Student success: and
3. Create a culture in which ?13 hold ourselves accountable for student success.

The Board directs the Superintendent to establish standards and guidelines for attendance. absences.
including chronic absenteeism- excuses and withdrawal from the Distric1. The expectation is that all
schools will continually strive toward 100% attendance with students coming to school every day. The
District and schools will be expected to identify and monitor students with chronic absenteeism and
provide interventions to resolve the obstacles preventing students from attending school on a regular
basis.

Procedures for providing make-up opportunities shall be developed and provided to students by the
subject area teacher. following the administrative guidelines.

The District will focus on maximizing student attendance by clearly identifying responsibilities ofstaff.
students. parents. and community. dedicating appropriate resources. and ensuring that students are
successful academically. economically. and socially.

In July 2012. a law was enacted to authorize the Rochester City School District to require all children

attaining ?ve years of age on or before December 151 to attend kindergarten in the preceding September.
However. parents may choose to wait to enroll their child in kindergarten until the following September.
The law also exempts children enrolled in private schools or who are receiving home school instruction.

Once a child has enrolled in school at any grade level from kindergarten through l2th grade. the provisions
ofthis policy take effect. All students at all grade levels from kindergarten throngh l2th grade. including

i

1




.J

those with disabilities, must maintain a satisfactory level of attendance in each marking period in order to
be eligible to receive a passing grade. Class participation may be considered a factor for students to obtain
passing grades in grades kindergarten through 12. All students in all grades are expected to strive for 100%
attendance.

Parents and guardians have the primary responsibility for ensuring that students arrive to school on time
for each school day, that the school is informed that their child will be absent from school or classes, and
are responsible for encouraging students to stay in school. The Board also acknowledges the role and
responsibility of principals, teachers and School-Based Planning Teams in the improvement of student
academic achievement.

The District will focus on maximizing student attendance by clearly identifying the responsibilities of staff,
students, parents, and community, identifying appropriate resources, and ensuring that students are
successful academically, economically, and socially.

The Board recognizes that dropping out of school has serious long-term consequences for students. The
Board is committed to doing everything within its power to provide a quality education that ensures our
students graduate with the skills to be successful in this global economy. To that end, the Board adopts the
policy that, except for students that are employed full time, all students must complete (at a minimum) the
school year in which they turn 17 years of age before initiating the paperwork required to of?cially drop
out of school. Students that are employed full time must complete (at a minimum) the school year in which
they turn 16 years of age before initiating the paperwork required to of?cially drop out of school.

The Board established the following guidelines for the withdrawal of students from the District:
A. Students shall be counseled on their educational program prior to leaving the District.

This includes graduates, dropouts, and students who withdraw for other reasons, such as those who intend
to transfer to another school district, charter school, private school, or home school;

B. All students leaving the District shall be properly coded and accounted for in the Student Management
System (SMS):

C. All required documentation shall be collected and filed in the student?s cumulative folder; and

D. Formal processes and procedures for withdrawal shall be developed, maintained and followed by the
District consistent with the law.

Cross-ref: 4321, Programs for Students with Disabilities

5 100-R, Student Absences, Excuses and Withdrawal Regulation 5305-R, Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities
5305-R, Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities Regulation

Ref: Education Law 32059213; 3225

8 l'r'iti

Note: Student Attendance and Withdrawal Policy (August 28, 1997')

Amended August 20, 1993; August 21, 2000; May 22, 2003; July 22, 2010 pursuant to

Resolution No. 2010-11: April 25, 2013 pursuant to Resolution No. 2012-13: 619'. Amended June 15, 201ir
pursuant to Resolution No. 20 lG-l'l: 353.

34 Page

SU REC ULATION

Student Absences. Excuses d: Withdrawal Regulations

 

Approved Upon Superintendent's Initials Date

Part I: Student Absences and Excuses

All registered students are expected to attend classes as scheduled. Parentsliegal guardians have
the obligation to inform the school ot?hisfher child's absence from school or from classes for the
student?s absence to be considered excused. An absence is considered to be excused if the
parentflega] guardian noti?es the school with one ofthe following reasons: child's illness. doctor
appointment- sickness or death ofan out-of?town family member for up to three days within New
York State or five days outside the state.

The parentfiegal guardian of any student who has been absent for three days [need not be
consecutive) during a speci?c attendance reporting period shall be noti?ed concerning the
number ofabsences and instances oftruancy or tardiness for that register period by school
personnel te.g.- teacher. administrator or principal designeel. Any unexplained absence ofa full
day or selective truancy from classes shall be investigated by the principal or hisfher designee.
The school stal?fdesignated will submit in the comment ?eld on the Student
Attendance or Student Note page in the SMS on-iine attendance system regarding the truancy.

The de?nition of an absent student is when a student does not attend school during the hours of
operation.

IE xcuses

The parentflegal guardian ntust submit a verbal or written excuse to the appropriate school
personnel within five days ofa student's return to school from an absence or the school must
consider the absence ?unexcused." The written excuse or the transcribed verbal explanation from
the parettu?legal guardian shall be placed in the student's cumulative records. The designated
school staff will submit information in SMS.

lfan excessive pattern ofabsence is identified by the principal or histher designee. the school
shall investigate the validity ofthe excuses and reasons for absences. lfthe absences are found to
be unexcused. the student's attendance shall be marked accordingly and parentllegal guardian
shall be noti?ed. The school staff designated will submit information in the comment field in
SMS.

Lu
Ut

Excused absences are when a student is not in school for religious observances or illness with a
parent andfor physicians written documentation.

B. Ta rd in ass

Tardy students are required to sign in at the appropriate of?ce upon arrival and cannot be
admitted to class without a completed late slip.

If an excessive pattern of tardiness is identi?ed by the principal or hisfher designee, the school
shall investigate the reasons for the tardiness. If the tardiness is found to be unexcused, the
student?s attendance shall be marked accordingly and the parentflegal guardian shall be noti?ed.
The school staff designated will submit information in the comment ?eld in PowerSchool.

Tardy is de?ned as a student attending school anytime during the hours of operation, but after the
official start time as designated by the school.

C. Attendance Referrals

1. Prior to referring a student to Central Of?ce for non-attendance. school staff shall
make diligent efforts to resolve the non-attendance issue. in accordance with the
Attendance and Withdrawals Procedures. School staff should explain to
guardians the consequences of non?participation in the conference
and of persistence of absences andror truancy. It is imperative to document in
writing all attempts to contact the parent or legal guardian as well as outcomes.
In accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawals procedures, all principals
and designees must engage in diligent efforts as soon as attendance becomes an
issue.

2. [f in spite of school staff efforts, a secondary student has accumulated 20 days
(need not be consecutive) of unexcused absences from school, the principal or
designee shall generate an attendance referral to the Office of Attendance, in
accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawals Procedures.

LI)

[fin spite of school staff efforts, an elementary student has accumulated 20 days
(need not be consecutive) of unexcused absences from school. the principal or
designee shall generate a referral to Child Protective Services for Educational
Neglect, in accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawals Procedures.

Part Student Withdrawal
A. Student Planning Exit Interview and Withdrawal Meeting

1. The principal or hisfher designee must schedule and conduct a student planning
exit interview for all students Who request to be withdrawn from a RCSD school

36??:th

or program. The purpose of the Student Planning Exit interview is to ensure that
students who leave school prior to being granted a diploma are provided with
counseling, guidance and information concerning the consequences of the
decision and current and future educational options in accordance with the
Attendance and Withdrawals Procedures.

After every procedure listed in the Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures has
been followed to lteep the student in school or to continue hisrher education in a
program that would lead to the attainment of a diploma the school shall send all
documentation verifying the contacts made with the student and hisfher
parentflegal guardian, along with the student?s attendance record, and a copy of
the Student Planning Exit Interview signed by the principal or his?ter designee to
the Coordinator ofAttendance. All documentation should be sent electronically
from the schools to the zone-assigned Coordinator of Attendance at


The Office of Student Placement will he reSponsible for withdrawing the student
from the Rochester City School District (RCSD) in the Chancery SMS in
accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures.

Once the withdrawal is completed. the school will be able to con?rm the
withdrawal within 15 days in SMS.

B. School Responsibilities

Ix)

The principal or designee will ensure that the regulations and student withdrawal
procedures outlined in this document and the Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures
are followed by the school.

The principal and hislher designee who oversees the processes at the school level
outlined in this regulation must be thoroughly familiar with SMS, as they relate to the
withdrawal documentation process and attend all orientation training sessions
pertaining to PowerSchool. The principal or designee of each building is responsible
for verifying and assuring that accurate withdrawal data is reported in SMS and
supporting documentation is included in the student?s cumulative folder as outlined
in this regulation.

The school must show due diligence in compliance with Board Policy 5100 and this
regulation (5 pertaining to the support procedures administered regarding
efforts to locate and support student attendance at school.

The principal or hislher designee will notify and stay in contact with the zone-
assigned Coordinator of Attendance to determine the location of a student who was
enrolled in the District in the prior year and failed to return to school in the current
school year, whose of?cial documentation has not been received by the school of
transfer in accordance with this regulation, or who has been absent 20 or more
consecutive days in accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures.

371l?ng:

5.

7.

The principal or histher designee will send a copy of the graduation program that
includes the list of students that graduated or received an diploma to the Student
Records Department after each graduation ceremony.

Electronic copies of all completed documentation to withdraw a student will be sent
to the Office of Placement in accordance with this regulation and supporting
procedures.

Schools will retain student records in accordance with Board Policy 120 (A).

C. Central Of?ce Responsibilities

l. The Division of Youth Development and Family Services

A.

Of?ce of Student Attendance Responsibilities
After due on the school?s behalf:

1. Upon request of the school principal or designee, when documentation is not
recorded by the school of transfer, an investigation will take place to verify that
the transfer hasfhas not occurred and a report will be sent to the school principai
or dcsignec.

2. Upon request of the school principal or designee, an investigation will take piace
to report to the school principal or designee the {creation oi'a student who was'
enrolled in the district in the prior school year and failed to return in the current
school year.

3. Upon request ofthe school principal or designee. an investigation will take place
for a student who has been absent 20 or more days and a report of the ?ndings
will be submitted to the school principal or designee in accordance with the
Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures.

4. Upon request ofthe school principal or designee, an investigation will take place

to determine the location of unknown students and report the findings to the
school principal or designee. For students whose location cannot be determined.
a request shall be generated to the Of?ce of Safety and Security to investigate to
ascertain the student?s location in accordance with the attendance and withdrawal
procedures.

5. in accordance with the attendance and withdrawal procedures, the principal?s
designee will submit to the Office of Student Placement and Equity all required
documentation received from the school along with the documentation that was
discovered during the investigations in order for the appropriate withdrawal code
to be determined and will contact the school with the withdrawal code



II. Of?ce of Student Placement and Equity' Responsibility

The Office of Student Placement and Equity will record the appropriate
withdrawal code in Chancery SMS as outlined in the Attendance and Withdrawal

Procedures.

The Of?ce of Accountability (00A) Responsibilities
1. 00A will monitor compliance of this regulation.

2. 00A will develop modules to facilitate the training of principals regarding
the procedures and data standards that support this regulation.

3. The Student Records Department will keep on ?le the graduation program
with the list of' students who graduated or received IEP diplomas sent by each
high school.

4. The Student Records Department will house and archive student records as
outlined Board Policy 1120 (A).

Rochester City School Compulsory Age Requirement for Withdrawal

Board Policy 5100 states that "the Board is committed to doing everything within its power to
provide a quality education that ensures our students graduate with the skills to be successful in
this global economy. To that end, except for students who are employed full time, all students
must complete [at a minimum) the school year in which they reach years of age before
initiating the paperwork required to of?cially drop out ofschool.?

Requirements and Reasons for Withdrawing a Student

For each student who intends to withdraw from the District. regardless of the reason for
withdrawal, other than graduation from the District or death. the principal or designee must
conduct a Withdrawal Meeting between the students parentflegal guardian or the emancipated
student in accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures.

Reasons for Withdrawing include:

1. Students transferring to an accredited school inclusive of public, charter private,
andlor parochial both inside and outside ofthe State ofNew York

2. Student has graduated by meeting District and State commencement
requirements, or is withdrawing due to earning an IEP Diploma.

3. Student attending General Education Diploma (GED) or Job Corps Program
Board Policy 5100 states that the Board is committed to doing everything within
its power to provide a quality education that ensures our students graduate with
the skills to be successful in this global economy. To that end, except for students

39ll?uge

UI

6.

who are employed full time, all students must complete (at a minimum) the
school year in which they reach 1? years of age before initiating the paperwork
required to of?cially drop out of school to attend a General Education Diploma
(GED) or Job Corps program.

Student is 1? years of age Board Policy 5100 states that the Board is committed
to doing everything within its power to provide a quality education that ensures
our students graduate with the skills to be successful in this global economy. To
that end. except for students who are employed full time, all students must
complete {at a minimum) the school year in which they reach 17 years ofage
before initiating the paperwork required to of?cially drop out of school.

Student may be involuntarily withdrawn from the District if the student:



Has reached the maximum legal age and has not earned a diploma or
certi?cate; or

Has been permanently expelled (students 17 years of age or older);



Has been ordered by the court to attend school elsewhere;



Has been transferred in compliance with ?32 14(5) of NYS Education
Law;

A student of any age has died.

F. Students who fail to attend school without notice from the parentilegal guardian for
students of compulsory age or the emancipated student.

1.

In accordance with Part One of Article 65 Education Law, ?any student,
regardless of age, who is not attending school. shall be investigated to determine
the nature of such absence."

For a student who was expected to enroll in a school but has not attended, an
enrollment record is required. This enrollment record should be made in
accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures.

A student of compulsory age shall not be withdrawn from the District because
the student?s location is unknown without showing diligence and proper
documentation that every effort was exhausted to locate the student, in
accordance with the Attendance and Withdrawal Procedures.

In accordance with ?3202 of NYS Education Law, a student seventeen years of
age and older who has failed to attend school for 20 consecutive days without
any notice cannot be dropped from the District, unless all of the applicable
conditions outlined in the District?s Attendance and Withdraw Procedures are
met.



Part 111: Records Retention

1. In accordance with Section 135.12, and Board Policy ?2001), all
student records must be maintained in accordance with the RC SD retention
procedures and the attendance and withdrawal procedures.

2. Unless authorized by the Superintendent of Schools or hisfher designee, and in
accordance with ?225 of the Education Law, no student record (electronic, hard
copy, or any medium) or part thereof, shall be altered falsely, destroyed, or
deleted for any reason.

Any employee that falsely alters, destroys or deletes a student record (electronic.
hard copy, or any medium) shall be subject to disciplinary action.

Ln)

Part IV: Procedures to Implement Regulation

The Superintendent directs the Division of Youth Development and Family Services and the Of?ce of
Accountability to develop procedures to implement this regulation. The procedures shall be incorporated

by reference into this regulation.

Enacted August 20. 1998', Amended August 10. 2009: and Amended July 20m.



L1



Section 320.5 Title IV. Article 65. Part I
l. 3205. Attendance ofminors upon full time day instruction.

a. In each school district oi'the state. each minor From six to sixteen years of age
shall attend upon full time instruction.

b. Each minor from six to sixteen years of age on an Indian reservation shall attend
upon Full time day instruction.

c. For purposes ofthis article. a minor who becomes six years of age on or before
the ?rst of December in any school year shall be required to attend upon Full time
instruction from the ?rst day that the appropriate public schools are in session in
September ot?sueh school year, and a minor who becomes six years of age after
the ?rst of December in any school year shall be required to attend upon full time
instruction from the ?rst day of session in the Following September: and. except
as otherwise provided in subdivision three of this section- shall be required to
remain in attendance until the last day of session in the school year in which the
minor becomes sixteen years oi" age.

2. Exceptions.

a. A minor who has completed a Four-year high school course oi?study shall not be
subject to the provisions of part one ofthis article in respect to required
attendance upon instruction. I

b. A minor for whom application For a full-time employment certi?cate has been
made and who is eligible therefore may. though unemployed. be permitted to
attend part time school not less than twenty hours per week instead ol?t?ull time
school.

c. The board ot?education ot?the Syracuse city school district is hereby authorized to
require minors who are ?ve years of age on or before December ?rst to attend
kindergarten instruction. However. the provisions of this paragraph shall not
apply to:

i. Minors whose parents elect not to enroll their children in school until the

Following September.

42

ii. Students enrolled in non?public schools or in home instruction.

3. In each city of the state and in union free school districts having a population of more
than forty-?ve hundred inhabitants and employing a superintendent of schools. the board
oi'education shall have power to require minors from sixteen to seventeen years ot?age
who are not employed to attend upon Full time day instruction until the last day of session
in the school year in which the student becomes seventeen years of age. LYB Ef?e-rive

tintfi'Jtil'j' i. 20:95)

In each school district. the board ofeducation shall
have power to require minors f?rom sixteen to seventeen years of? age who are not
employed to attend upon full time day instruction until the last day ot?session in the

school year in which the student becomes seventeen years of age

To: District Superintendents of Schools- Superintendents of Schools and Principals of Public

and Nonpublic Schools
Front: Arthur L. lWalton
Date: August [993

SulijectzAmendment to the Education Law in Relation to Compulsory Attendance

 

The Following information concerns a recent amendment to Section 3205 ot?the Education Law

relating to compulsory attendance.

Last year. Chapter l98 ot' the Laws of 1992 was enacted to require all children who turn six
years old prior to the last day ol?the school year to begin school on the ?rst day the public
schools are in session rather than on their birthdays. That law has now been amended {Chapter
5 8 ofthe Laws of 1993] to allow parents oFchildren born after December ?rst to have their
children enter school the following September. This change does not alter the essential intent of
Chapter 198. which was to assure that children enter or leave school at the beginning or end of

the school year.

Children who turn six on or before December ?rst of the school year must attend school from
the start of classes in September of that school year. Children who turn six (6) after December

first must begin school no later than the ?rst day of session the following September.

Children who turn 16 during the school year must remain in school until the end of that school
year. in districts that elect to raise the compulsory age to 1? pursuant to Section 3205(3) of the

Education Law. attendance is required until the end of the school year in which students turn 17.

For additional information about the compulsory attendance laws, please contact the District

Superintendent of Schools of your Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

Daily Attendance Instructions for Teachers

I. Log onto Pou'erSchool SMS. Enter your usemame and password. 1F}'ou don't have access.
ask your school secretary how to obtain access.

 

Powe r'School 

519:" In
Uidfl'l?l?d?

Pal-own rd-

Domain:
REED

 

 

 

I-J

. Your name will appear near the top of the screen.

I
.
. For the class you need to submit attendance For click on the attendance icon 
I.-

if.


the symbol appears. it means the required attendance has not been submitted yet.



 

PowerSchool SMS

 

 

 

 

 

A
Display by" Classes 
My- Glasses ?augm? Roster Grading Attendance
lit

 

 

 

4. Click on the appropriate attendance button For each student.

:3 
PowerSchool SMS

 

  

r. it. .45 .
nu; - m?dmuzti?-i? . ..
:Ei' . Net submitted a toms .
Click on when
I ll

  

 

 

 

 

the student is present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I
Click on 0 when gamed . EIT?lill?
thestudem 15 lard? . deeniNaiie an is. enter" 
[enters classroom any Abs
time after the start of A l3 Determined T: 
class}. .
,i Unsuhm?tetl ii 
A til Unnamed - i
ril- T-Er-zusei: 25 Pass?mnnuise'so?te
. i. - Unsuimitted 
Click orig when - '3
the student is *3 
absent. A i} Unsuum'rltad-HJ
A 1 9 Unwbmilied 
. a --3. 
A 0 - 5 1  ialaltmiundt-nnpass
it 1 0 Unsubni'tted :1 

 

 

 



3: rt u-?s res 

When a student is tardy a
Be sure to enter the number ofminutes the student was late to class in the column.
2r It is recommended that teachers rcf'erenee their schools handbook regarding their
policyi'procedures For excused tardiness.

 

Please enter any pertinent information in the comment box that is relevant for documentation and
tracking purposes.

5. Hit button when completed.

 

 

 

465

How to Run a Master Attendance Report

 

I. In SMS click on 

 

PewerSchool SMS

 

Clam. um Run t?nmq lamina
.31.
i .5.

 

I

 

 

lick on "Run All reports" (need to put screen shot here)

In.)

Scroll down to ?Attendance Reports"



 

PowerSchool 5M5



 

 

 

 

4. Click on Master Attendance Reports

5. Regen Title: Leave blank
Start Date: Click on "Specit3=" and enter date

 

End Date: Click on ?Specify? {if entering date other than today's date] and enter date
You do not need to enter any other information in this section
Click on ?Run" not ?Save and Run"

Ta king Attenda nee for 155

Attendance General Info

'r Attendance For the room is documented with or in the students?
daily code.

Enter when a student is present on a day that sthe is assigned ISS. or enter 
185" when a student is absent on a day that sthe is assigned 13$.

In order to enter a daily code. you must enter the code by student.

iv You cannot enter attendance by class period.

1. Locate the student in SMS

 

 

4:4- 1 il-I.? 1

,1 and-?uehurlrr? 
1-.

 

 

 

ll"On the home page in PowerSchool. search For the student assigned to 158 by either name or by
student [13 number



Enter daily codc

 

 

 

LIJ

Enter dai ly

Inn-1mi?

PowerSchool 



   

can Inst harm

r? [w . 111- '1 5'1 II 
KIWIhim-sill "Jul-nu nah-m


11135; II
I - Once the student gage

comes up 
Attendance on The 43 
toft hand side.

5 lull-u 

 

 

 

 

hni-le-Jn-Ilu

 

 

.. 

 

 

 

 

- H. In 

 

 

 

 

 


alumni-In.
Tamil?5  0.2.1331: 45amEnter either or 
Mum in the "Daily" column
- 3" 5 FORGET TO HIT SAVE.
:n "a 

:u'i Un. -
?Wail-m an? I.- 
3.1-: PJ-un ?1.11 I?ll-um -J
?ll-51111: Bimini-l" a-m-nn-q- Luv-nutpo A ..
I Mur4 hum-I54 .H-nl .a-ur-uu A 

-'1nr--1u' "i -. 

 



 

49

RCSD Absence Waming Letters

A. Letter Report

Sending letters to parents regarding student absences is an important part of the due diligence
process that schools must complete.

Letters need to be run daily.

The RC SD Cumulative Absence Warning Letter report has been updated with several features
to make it more user friendly and to be more time ef?cient.

All letters will be automatically documented in Attend Actions and in the Attendance Referral
Log if auto-populated button is selected.

The new letter report has the same report name and location. Go to My Reports and then find the
report under Attendance Reportsnan-m Huh-mull

SMS I Dumas-rm

who-1  tIr-lalm r: ?Huh
9

 

 

3' at arm's; war-1 

Delete old saved templates ifapplieable.

 

?Qua-h"
Hahn!? hating 
.. 
-: -. lEnL-rmv
1:1. 3' 
Preferences ..
:1

 

 

This report will print all four versions oflhe letters. There is no need to run a report for each
leuen

 

     

 

"ea-st 
- I- n- 1 
371.1451?. ?ctirw?g? . . . ..
"Mesh ItaI-e 'mra? .511" 
Preference.31. 
Fllten I

 

 

New option- letter will be run in English by default. however iFyou want to provide the letter in
Spanish. choose the second option.

Remember to change the printing options For 2 sided for the Englishr?Spanish versionIna-I-tp'lnlr ,2 .- - 3.33.1.7l?r

  

'iiri'l?l - an. 

 

..
- 

Enter the name and title of the person issuing the letter. Once you save this report. you will no
longer need to enter this information

 1 1 5

sly?"I I: 

w: Ouch

Preferenca 

--if"
I??Finn
II a. .r

 

 

Choose Auto Populate to record interventions in the Attendance Referral Log and on students'
Attend Action pages.

- u- 1
.II-d..r


?Mia-?m1 

 

Preferenus
save this format. hit Save Run.


Lu

A

 

  
 

. I .l I- 
.-...r?ahn 1Fuller:
?ti-L Mari-m. 
Ix;

 

re?t-i mean 

 

 

Language- Evy;
*3 Seer-:snEnmsanEHT 2 need:

Elie! 111E Hume "10 an? 
Save Report Options

Emetmer 
. Reine-ve- Lena-rs Cumin?
EH91 Dafe EC 
ewes 5' i 
Enemy ?M?g'l'fn


Sele? ?les enter-a {rem secure. helm-u

 
 
 



:51. 1-H. Ill-17"" 

11 Wt? 'L'hl Ilu?l'fi'bi'i?lnl

Each day you will only need to select the absence letters template and select Run to generate new

letters.

 

Ill-pod 0171b!- - new Cquh?yoll-um - Hiatus-all Intuit? pirrilkli by? If!

- magnet?tn

 
 

133.. 
Jul Multan 1min!


Plel'ctencu



Other Features

 

Manner loner: -

   

Will not display Dual enrolled student that are located at a different school such as
HHT 0r 

Will not send letters for 3 and 5 days ol?Excused Absences including A-LTSP. A-

HHT. 

Please contact your attendance assistant.

Facts about the Letters

All 3. 5. ID and 20 day letters 1will be generated at the same time.

The letter 1will be addressed to all student contacts who are listed on Power School to receive

mail.

ll?a letter is produced and there is no address data. the letter will say ?Bad Data No Contact" in
place ofthe address. Please update student information so the letter can be generated correctly.

Filters

Filters are available for an individual student. or by grade level designation and
placement Ievel. Please send a request it?more filters are needed

Ut

U1

 "input" mam" mung um: -.- - .


Filler-
Id." . r? rouw

Eula-I

:.Ih

no.1 ur-x 
51.2%! 
F'lt?l .fl.l qr- 

Scheduling GallonLetters Previously Run
There have been requests to retrieve previously run letters due to printing errors.

In the past. once letters had been run and recorded in Attend Actions. a copy of the letter at that
threshold could not be retrieved.

It is now possible to retrieve a copy olthe previoust run letter ii?needed.
To Retrieve Letters From a Specific Date

Choose the options below and select run.

 

 
  


lee-es? 
. 

astonnmm_. lam.

Sew-?Ir: art-rd or. Abacus! Imus 

Preferences
31-3.- ..
3- on.
uf LIMA a: -4: _ug . 
u' 
2 run; II 


"3 ..-- -..I. L15

 

71-396 '16 .1

err-"ht A 721:- 1-2: - 

.3123"; (-1 I'l: 

 

Filters 

Retrieve Copy of All Letters That Have Been Generated

Choose RetrieveALLSen

56 

.. '1

SPA Data Warehouse can provide student:

I Daily Attendance

. Attendance absences from da} before
0 Birthdays

- Medical 8: legal alert

- Transportation

0 Overall period attendance

- Class schedule

- Cumulative days absent

- Parent Connect Information

Fir-theater Cuts School shift

 

1'1- II

In. r..l hen-?Ila md-I-L-u-th In ?ail-?it

 

ll
an: Mum-ww-
mom!? 

N-n Ilrl? ?hue-MI. 

.ilrr'llrg Hun?
Eh. nit-1.; 

Click on classes
Scroll down to ?Teacher Name?

il -
Select :3 icon.

Click on box at top ot~ page "Submit for Teacher"
- click on For students who are absent

 





 

mum-HM: -

tun Imus-m cam-H- run-Ilium

 

 

.- mun-n we no tum kno- Ga 
Inna-m H'?rnm Fu- lurch- I: ?mill IF 
Irv." :Ihhm 1M
cum-nail" Dav: mil-t hand an Anna. nail-r amen"


?at ?u Irv-r no

T1. ..-I turn-?llql .Id-Ii awn-insulin
nah-nu- them-u To :vl-I mum 11% 
a

- for students who are tard} 8: put time in 4 digit Format (cg: 09:25)
- lt'a code is already there tie. E-Excused. or A-OSS). leave it as is.

Click ?Save" button at the bottom.

57 

EXHIBIT 

 

James P.B. Duffy School #12
999 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620

201 7-2018
STAFF HANDBOOK

 

 

IABSENCES 

Unplanned Absences

If you are unable to come to work due to illness or famil},r illness, please follow these procedures: Gill
the appropriate superviso . If calling in the morning and there is no answer, do not leave
a message, it will not he received in time. Do not send an email. Calls should be made prior
to reporting time even if you do not require a substitute. Do not call the main of?ce to call in sick.

If You are CALLING IN THE MORNING AND THERE IS ANSWER.

DO NOT LEAVE A MESSAGE.

Either try again or call another administrator.

Please see the Absence Call?in Contact List (separate sheet) for the name of the

administrator you should call
Jennifer ngourlias 255-0128 by 6: 153m
Joyce Dunn 721-6136 by 6:15 am.
Sandra Galbato 369-5873 by 6:15am

Faith Hart 200-0752 by 6:15 am.

Planned Absences

Securing substitutes is an administrative responsibility. Teachers should not contact substitutes
themselves or make arranaements with subs in advance. vaou have a sub recommendation or

know someone that is available, please let the seer-stag; know.

Illness or Family Illness absence (including medical and dental appointments)

- For the following day: Request for Absence must be submitted to School
Secretary by no later than 2:00 pm. If emailing please write ABSENCE REQUEST in
the subject line. The electronic version of this form is available on google classroom.
Hard copies should be placed in the absence request wall pocket outside the secretary
of?ce. After 2:00 pm please notify your call-in administrator.

- In advance of the absence: complete the Request for Absence (available on Google
classroom) and submit it same as above. Advanced notice is appreciated and aids in
securing the best available substitute.

Staff Handbook EDIT- Swot-king conv {002).docx

Personal Business Absence -
- Must be submitted for approval at least 3 days in advance. Please submit as above.
You will be noti?ed if a day has been denied. Approval of personal days is not automatic.
- All paperwork must be correctly submitted or your request may not be approved.

8 sets! Notations
I All staff is required to call school before 1:00 pm on the day of their absence to inform

administrators of a continued absence or their return to work. You must call either wav. This
is very important to maintain consistency of instruction.

. Even if your absence is due to a RCSD meeting (full or half-day), you need to complete a Request
for Absence form.

- Even if you do not need a substitute to cover for you in your absence, you need to complete a
Request for Absence form.

- Upon returning from an absence, staff {other than teachers) must record their absence in
PeopleSoft.

I If a pattern of absences is observed, the administration has the right to request HCI to require a
teacher to submit a CPI (Certi?cate of Personal Illness) for any subsequent absences incurredmedical leave, you are not allowed on the school campus.

 

(504) accomonarion Paoca?l

as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted to prevent discrimination based on disability.
Title I of the ADA addresses discrimination in the workplace.

The process outlined below will enable the District to handle accommodation requests in a prompt,
fair and ef?cient and consistent manner. The process will also supply direction for supervisors and
the steps to follow when an accommodation is requested.

What is an accommodation?

An accommodation is a request for a modi?cation to the work environment which would enable the
employee to perform the essential functions of his I her job while enjoying equal privileges as those of
non-disabled individuals or individuals who do not require accommodations.

A need for an accommodation may be temporary; the individual does not need to be permanently
disabled. Accommodations may be considered when a return to work note with restrictions is
provided.

How is the request for accommodation made?

The request for accommodation may or may not be made in the same manner every time. The
request may also be in the form of a doctor?s note. The employee may ask his/ her supervisor directly
for an accommodation or may just say, ?I?m having trouble going up and down the stairs? because of a
medical problem An employee may simply tell the employer that he or she needs a change or
adjustment because of a medical condition or problem.

sometimes employees are not comfortable asking their supervisor for an accommodation and may
contact Bene?ts or HCI first. Employees do not have to divulge medical information to their
supervisor. If they do so, it should be kept con?dential. Staff working directly with the employee may

Page 2 of 24

need to know that the accommodation is needed, but they should not be told medical information.
Medical information is strictly con?dential and should not be shared with staff. All medical
liotes documents should be sent to the Bene?ts Of?ce myw. 

When does the ADA process begin?
The District must start to consider the request as soon as it is made- this does not mean that the
employee is entitled, just that the District must start the process for consideration of the request.

The ADA process is interactive with the employee and the District. While the District can ask for the
Attending Physician?s Statement and HIPPA form to be ?lled out, we cannot wait until the
documentation is received. The interactive process is triggered by a simple verbal request. If the
employee noti?es you that they may need an accommodation or if they present you with a note from
their doctor, the interactive process has started.

Who determines if the accommodation request is granted?

The Director of Benefits, reviews the medical information with the District?s medical consultant.

The accommodation request is also reviewed with the H01 Director and supervisor to determine if the
accommodation is ?reasonable? for the District to provide.

The supervisor is not responsible for determining whether the request can be
accommodated or not. The decision is made by the Director of Bene?ts to maintain
consistency throughout the District.

What do I do when I receive a request?

As soon as the request is made, please contact the Bene?ts Of?ce or email 
Sometimes the employee may bring in a doctor?s note with accommodations listed on it. Forward
We note to The request will be reviewed with the District?s consultant doctor

and if necessary, an Attending Physician?s statement and HIPPA form will be sent to the employee.

If the principal/ supervisor is not contacted ?rst, and the employee contacts HCI or Bene?ts ?rst, then
HCI Bene?ts will contact the principal supervisor to gain their perspective, which includes whether
the accommodation is ?reasonable? for that school/ location.

Who noti?es the employee/ Supervisor of the decision?
After a determination is made, Bene?ts will notify the employee in writing regarding the status of the
accommodation request. A copy of the letter will be sent to the Supervisor.

Points to Remember:
Te The employee does not have to make the request to a certain person. It can be his her
supervisor, HCI or Employee Bene?ts.

The employee may make the request orally or in writing

3b The supervisor may recognize that the employee needs an adjustment or change at work and
can ask the employee if there is anything he she can do that would help them at work.

All accommodation requests must be sent to HCI Bene?ts for review.

The supervisor/ Administrator does not make the decision about whether the District can
accommodate or not. This decision will be made by HCI.

Page 3 cf 24

 

CCIDENTS INVOLVING STAFF OR STUDENT

Accidents in the building or on school grounds should be reported immediately to an administrator.
For all staff, completion of a Workman?s Compensation form is mandatory if you are injured or
assaulted in any way. Forms available in Google classroom.

For teacher assaults, follow the Building Committee Assault Checklist, which is sent out to staff after
updates and approval in September.

go

3. Student iniuries are to be reported to both the nurse and of?ce immediately. A student
accident report is required.

 

LLNNOUNCEMENTSI

1. The New York State Legislature prescribes a daily ?Pledge of Allegiance? to the ?ag. The salute to

the flag will be led by an adult. The ?ag need not be removed from its holder on the wall, but the

class should stand and face the flag. The pledge will be part of morning announcements. It is to be

performed respectfully and seriously.

Students have the right to decline recitation of the pledge and also may refrain from saluting the

?ag, on grounds of religious or sincere conscientious beliefs. A student who chooses not to

participate may sit or stand and remain respectfully silent. A student may decline participation of

the salute or pledge without parental consent.

3. Announcements for the day must be submitted to Alicia Coniglio no later than 7:30 am. Please use
the appropriate form for announcements in the "Announcements" mailbox.

4. All announcements will be completed by 7:50 am.

[0

All teachers need to be in the building by the contractual time of 7:15 and on their designated
post by 7:30. Staff must notify administration prior to student arrival time if they will be late.
Staff must get to their classroom through parking lots andf main entrance door using their badge
swipe. This is your professional responsibility to be on time.

Paraprofessionals should arrive no later than 7:30 and greet their student or be on their post. 
work one hour more each day than paraprofessionals (7 hours) and should arrive at the time agreed
upon with their teaching partner for them. (Submit hours to main of?ce)

7:30- FIRST BELL DOORS OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS
The doors uill be open for all students at 7:30. Please direct any early arrivals to the front of the
building to wait for the doors to open.

All Students arriving on a bus will report directly to their classrooms. Students who have home
rooms on the north end of the building should use the north entrance and stairwell.
Students who have home rooms on the south end of the building should use the south entrance.
151: ?oor students should enter the door closest to their classrooms. (No students should be
crossing in front of the library or science labs to get to their classrooms) All students are to
report directly to their classrooms to eat breakfast. Students arriving by car should report
directly to their classrooms. These students should enter the front doors between 7:30 and 7:45.

Homeroom teachers should be in their rooms to receive students by 7:30. Grade levels
may design their own entrance plan that allows for bathroom, classroom and hallway coverage as
well. This plan will be requested in writing before the ?rst day for students.

Support staff is requested to be at their assigned post by 7:30 in order to help greet students, direct
students to their classrooms, assist with ?ow of traf?c in the hallways and stairwells, and help

Page 4 0f 24

with breakfast distribution. Your daily presence makes all the difference. Please actively
monitor students? safety and report any safety concerns to administration.

:40- SECOND BELL SOUNDS
At this time announcements will be made.

7:45- THIRD BELL SOUNDS

The instructional day starts and Specials begin. Any students arriving after this time must be sent to
the office for a pass. To avoid further loss of instructional time, students will get their breakfast, bring
it to the classroom and follow classmom routines.

 

DANCE (STUD 

Taking attendance
1' Check attendance of pupils immediately after opening exercises and enter into the Power
School System by 8 :30 a.m. (But not sooner than 8:00). Please be timely and consistent
daily. We do not have the clerical coverage to monitor your compliance. Automatic robo-calls
are completed to all absent students at 10:00 daily. Parents get very concerned when they receive
a call when their child is in school (and attendance was not done). Please help lessen their
anxiety. Attendance can be submitted or updated up until midnight of the date. After that,
clerical staff must make changes. Special subject teachers must still enter attendance even if
class does not meet. You will receive a written memo from administration if your un-submitted
attendance is chronic.
Late arrivals
- After 7:45 am. students must check in at the ATTENDANCE DESK by the main office entrance
and obtain a dated and signed late-to-school pass before admittance to class. Personnel in
charge of the attendance desk will record the arrival time of the student.
- Any late students will be sent to the cafeteria to get breakfast to bring to their classrooms. They
will follow your established routines for this process. Breakfast will not be served after 7:45.
- Do not admit any student after 7:45 am. without a signed pass from the of?ce.
- Teachers are responsible to enter the tardy and arrival time into the Power School
System for students arriving prior to 8:30.
Excuses
- Save all excuses in your attendance excuse folder. You will need to sign an attendance affidavit
quarterly and at the close of the school year. This form is included in your attendance folders at
the start of the school year.
. All excuses must be saved and handed in at the end of the school vear.

 



As a classroom teacher it is your professional reSponsibility to reach out to families and identify ways
we can help alleviate underlying issues causing attendance problems. It is the responsibility of the
classroom teacher/adviser to make the ?rst contact with a parent regarding unusual attendance. The
Parent Liaison will assist teachers and administrators with attendance problems. The Parent Liaison
should never be the ?rst contact with a parent regarding attendance issues.

The parent liaison will send out all attendance letters and keep a copy. Letters can also be generated
?trough Power School.

.etters go out for total absences- both excused and unexcused.

The attendance system will be sending letters out for Days 3, 5, etc. and document when they are sent
for your ?les. Please also monitor when students are chronically tardy. There is a form letter on

Pace 5 of 24

Google Classroom that can be printed and sent home. Please be on top of attendance; no child can
learn if they are not in school.

 



Register information is con?dential! Speak to an administrator before sharing information with
anyone. All substitutes must sign the Attendance Af?davit when taking attendance in the classroom.

EATHROOM USE 

1. teachers should take the entire class to the lavatory twice daily. Please be aware of the number
of classes using one set of lavatories.

2. Students going unsupervised to the bathroom due to emergency needs must SIGN OUT OF THE
CLASSROOM AND HAVE A PASS AND AN ESCORT. They are not allowed to take sanitizer with
them. They should wash their hands in the bathroom.

3. In the interest of making every minute count, please bring instructional activities to use with your
class as they wait. This is a requirement this school year.

 

_reakfast will be served in the classroom- Late arriving students may pick up a breakfast
in the South Light Court until 8:30.

EUILDING DEPARTURE (during school hours) 

Emergency situations may arise when we need to contact you. Staff should sign out of the building and
sign back in when:
I attending meetings home visits, etc).
I out of the building during school hours for personal emergencies or any other reason.
- you are taking your class outside, you need to sign out, notify the office and take a radio (if available).

 

 

HOURSI

The building hours each school day are 6:15 am to 6:00 pm.
I You must exit the building by 6:00 pm.
I The door will remain locked throughout the day. You will be able to enter with your security
scan card until 6:00 pm on weekdays.
I The custodian and cleaners have speci?c work assignments in the evening. Please do not
interrupt their work schedule with special requests. Use the Custodial Request form or email
for any custodial needs.

 

com

When displaying student work, please include the following: an explanation of the task, a rubric for scoring the
work, state standards. Classroom bulletin boards should be changed often to reflect classroom
instruction. Graded work must be displayed without disclosing student name. You may also display ungraded
work with a student name. It really makes a difference when you walk through the building and see the great
work the children are producing.

 



1. Please use professional discretion when utilizing the School 12 all staff email and the reply all
function. Use only when the information relevant to all school staff. Be mindful of all recipients.

Page 6 of 24

2. Please check your email as often as possible as important information is disseminated
electronically.

3. Important information is included in the Duffy Dish. Please be sure to read this as there are
actions that staff members may need to take. It is the responsibility of every staff member to be
informed of school-wide procedures, due dates and events posted. Archived copies are available on
Google Classroom.

All staff are mandated reporters on bullying. It must be reported and in compliance with the DASA law.
See a building administrator to report bullying and ensure timely reporting.

 

EAR PARKING PERIVIITS

1. Car Permits are issued when you start at School #12 and are to be prominently displayed on your
rearview mirror with the number facing toward the front windshield.

2. Permits should be returned to the of?ce if you leave the building at the end of the year.

3. Please park in your designated parking spot.

 

EHILD ABUSE

Cases of suspected physical or emotional child abuse or neglect must be reported to Child Protective
Services. It is our legal responsibility to report suSpicions of abuse. It is not our role to investigate,
simply to report. Please contact a school administrator or the school social worker if you need help to
complete the process. Statewide reporting hotline is 1 (Boo) 342-3 720.

 


There are a few safety rules to follow:

1. Please keep your doors closed during the instructional day when you are in the
classrooms. Do not use door stops or furniture to prop open doors. This is a fire code, please
adhere to this strictly. 

2. The windows in the doors may NOT BE BLOCKED with paper or other items. This is a safety
code precaution.

Please make sure all students and staff follow the hallway procedures to maintain a calm
instructional atmosphere for all classrooms as you walk by.

 

MEETING

Staff members will be provided with various opportunities to be active participants on committees.

Sign?up sheets will be posted. Meetings will be scheduled at a time agreeable to all members.

1. Each committee should meet within the ?rst two weeks of school to determine: chairperson, time
and locations of meetings, and to set goals for the year.

2. This information must be submitted to the principal by September.

3. Minutes must be taken at each committee meeting and submitted to the principal the next day. A
standard form will be provided.

 



1. Email: check your e-mail at least twice daily.

2. Mailbox: check your mailbox morning, mid-day, and after school.

3. Voice Mail: check your voice mail throughout the day, especially prior to dismissal.
Page 7' of 24

a. No paper messages will be taken.

b. Family and friends who want to leave you a message should call school (461-3280) and then
dial your four digit extension so that the call goes directly to your voice mail and the of?ce
switchboard is completely bypassed. If you have children at home, please advise them to
refrain from calling or ask them to use the calling system listed above.

c. Empty your voicemail as needed.

4. Bulletin board: check the board in the School 12 Mailroom, staff lounge, and in copy rooms
(214, 313) Google Classroom regularly for important postings. See details under Bulletin Board.

5. Of?ce Request: the office staff cannot accept verbal requests from students or staff, except in
cases of extreme emergency. Please make all requests via email.

6. School Telephone Use: please refrain from placing and receiving personal calls at school.

a. If you call or page a parent, inform the office of whom you paged and your location within the
building. Many times parents call the school and say ?you called me." The office is unable to
make a connection because the originator of the call is unknown.

b. Maintain confidentiality when calling a parent for disciplinary reasons. No calls should be
made in the presence of other students.

7. Student Use of School Telephones: While you can make outside calls from your classrooms,
you should refrain from interrupting instruction to do so. Students should NOT have access to
classroom phones, unless under teacher supervision. Students should not be sent to the of?ce to
use the phone.

8. Cell Phone Use: cell phones should not be used to receive or make personal calls or for
testing during instructional time.

a. Instructional time includes any time that you are responsible for the supervision of students in
and out of school. This includes walking through the hallways, during dismissal, ?eld trips,
etc.

b. You may use your cell phone during your lunch and planning time when you are not
supervising children. Cell phones should not be used for calls or texting when students are
present. Failure to comply may result in administrative disciplinary action.

9. Staff Newsletter: 3 weekly newsletter is electronically distributed with important information
and a calendar of events. Reading it is an expectation.

10. See also Notices to Parents and Telephone Calls sections.

 

BJOMMUNITY 

It continues to be a School #12 goal to have students participate in some type of community service.
Students at all grade levels should become familiar with the concept of community service. Over the
years, our students have participated in a variety of activities. Ask a colleague for suggestions.

0MPUTE 

School 12 has Google Chrome carts and two computer labs (room 138 and 222) learning in the
classroom. These may be pulled for testing and screening needs throughout the year.

ONCERN

1. Concerns, needs or suggestions maybe expressed directly to administration throughout the year.

2. If you feel your contractual rights are not being met, speak to a Building Committee
representative or your union rep. Staff should have a copy of their contract. Please request a copy
from your union representatives if you don't have one.

1OPIE

Staff members who have been trained may use the copy machine. Teachers are responsible for their
ovm copying and should refrain from asking others to run copies.

Page 8 of 24

I Paper is provided. If the stack is getting low, please notify the of?ce. One box of paper will each copy room. Please do not hoard paper in your classroom.

- Please make back-to-back copies whenever possible. (This will save some trees.)

- Limit use to school-related items only.

- All materials sent to the copier from your computer must be sent using secured print. You
must retrieve these documents within four hours or they will be deleted.

I Under no circumstances should students be near, touch or use the copiers.

- If a copier is not working, place the out of order sign on it and notify the of?ce immediately.
Please do not attempt to fix the problem yourself.

- You are required to use your badge to access the copier.

- For any problems with the copiers please report to the Main Of?ce and it will be attended to as
soon as possible.

. There is a 5 minute limit on all copiers.

See Special Services Referrals.

 

IMUIATIVE RECORD

Come records are required for every student in the school. Cume records for new students will be made

as quickly as possible. Please notify the main of?ce if after October 1St you are missing a cume folder.

1. Make sure to check your cumes each September during the ?rst week of school. Verify the
current grade level is accurate on both the front cume cover and on the SMS electronic system.

"feathers record the St'lr'N?ri, teacher's name and entry date for err. student entering on the

?uul - .

- . -. . .- 

-. Li -. Lllt? rustCumulative records are con?dential and legal documents and must be treated as such. Cume
records should never be taken out of the school building with the exception of a CSE-related
matter or for other legal requests.

If a student has an IEP, please verify this information is correct on all forms and documents.
Please immediately report to the main of?ce any problems corrections that you identify.
Personnel must sign each record that is reviewed. Sign-out cards must be used every time a
cume is taken out of the drawer. Cumes may not be handed from one teacher to another.

7. All cume folders must be returned before the close of school each day.



 

USTODIAL SERVIC
The custodial staff can be helpful in a variety of ways, in addition to keeping the building safe and clean.
1. All requests should be made via email to Head Custodian 
If you see a rodent or other unwanted creature, please report this immediately using the above
procedure. .
2. DO NOT MOVE ANY HEAVY FURNITURE CUSTODIAL ASSISTANCE.
This is to protect your back, the ?rmiture and. the ?oors! 
3. Please use only RCSD approved cleaning supplies in your classrooms.

I
See the school #12 Discipline Policy for detailed information.

 



Classroom Teachers are responsible for ensuring that all their students are accounted for at dismissal.

Staff must escort students to the bus and make sure each student gets on the correct bus. Please be

vigilant to check all bus numbers (especially the ?rst bus). Neighboring teachers will share duties with
Fans 9 of 24

a colleague, make sure all bus routes are correct. Staff is not to exit the parking lot before the

dismissal procedures of buses. If a student is left in the of?ce, it is the responsibility of the

1?eacher to complete the entry in the book and call the parent. Do not leave a student in the office
ithout following the procedure.

ALL students need to be escorted to the breezeway for pick-up, Rec, and walkers by a

staff member. This should not take place prior to 1:45.

E45

1:50-Round One - Odd Bus students will leave their classrooms and exit through their

designated hallway and exit at the front of the building where the buses will be waiting. All Non-

classroom staff (not assigned to a classroom) must report to their PM posts to help in

the dismissal process.

- Designated staff from each classroom with students on small buses will escort students to the
back parking lot bus loop and place them on the buses

Students with a change in their normal dismissal routine must have a written note or phone call
from the parent. Do not take the word of the student! Students without a note or call must follow
their normal dismissal routine.

- If you know a student is not riding the bus home, please stop and inform the driver as you pass.

1:55- Round Two Even Bus Students will leave their classrooms and exit through their
designated hallway and exit at the front of the building where the buses will be waiting. Students
with a change in their normal dismissal routine must have a written note or call from the parent.
Please do not take the word of the student! Students without a note or call must follow their
normal dismissal routine.

- If you know a student is not riding the bus home, please stop and inform the driver as you pass.

Early Dismissal: Children will be called to the of?ce once there is an adult present to pick them up.
Please do not send students to the of?ce until they are called down. Calls will not be
made to the classroom a?er 1:15.

Dismissal changes with a note: Students with a written note indicating a change in their
dismissal process (pick up instead of bus) should be escorted to the breezeway. Please do not send
children to the of?ce to wait for their parents. This is an extremely busy time for everyone and
the of?ce staff is not available to supervise waiting children.

Unclaimed Children

1. Please escort all unclaimed students or students who have missed a bus to the main office.

2. The teacher is responsible for contacting the child?s parent or guardian to arrange for pick up. If
the child missed the bus due to circumstances beyond his or her control, we will call for a late bus.
Staff MUST sign the child in the Late Pick-Up book after contacting the parent. Please make sure
to put contact information in the book. It is requested you stay with the child until a pick-
up plan has been ?nalized and communicated to an administrator. No child should
be left unsupervised. .

3. If you arrange for a student to remain after school for any reason, you are responsible 1for
supervising that child until she or he is picked-up. Do not agree to allow students to remain after
school unless you have a clear, written commitment from a parent or guardian with a de?ned
pick up time.

a . Please remember to:

Send students to the bathroom prior to dismissal. They are not allowed to exit buses once
loaded.

. Monitor students closely as they exit the school and board buses.

Page 10 of 24

- Place all students on buses who do not have a written note to stay after school for any reason
(including Rec. Center, library, or clubs, when they have not attended regularly).

Submit your Dismissal Plan to the Main Of?ce by Monday, September 11??l prior to
dismissal.

Please make sure to make contact with parents or designated adults when releasing younger

students.

While there is no of?cial staff dress code, it is expected that staff will come

professionally attired and set a role model for students and the community. Staff are encouraged to
model the school uniform required of our student body.

 

RESPONSE PLANSI

See RCSD Emergency Response Procedures. This should be posted next to your classroom phone.
No exception to this expectation.

The school fax machine is only for school business. Please do not give the number out for personal
faxes. All faxes are to be sent by the of?ce staff. If you have a school business related fax to send, place
the fax with a completed cover sheet in the FAX mailbox in the of?ce. Cover sheets are available in the
mailroom and on Google Docs. The fax equipment is only to be operated by authorized staff (of?ce and
administration).

TRIP
Field trip forms can be found on Google Docs

To be done in advance of the Field Trip

1. All forms must be completed following the posted time lines and paperwork demands.
This documentation is available on Google classroom. These are district forms and
must be completed according to dates on the checklist. The medical information needs
only to be completed once each school year and must be updated as needed and given to
the nurse at least two weeks prior to ?rst ?eld trip. Boxed lunch requests (Also in
Google classroom) must be turned in to can Perrone at least 2 weeks prior to the ?eld
trip. Boxed lunches are not made on site. Please follow timelines so your trip is
approved.

2. Reading and Math Classes should not be cancelled for a ?eld trip. Please adjust your

schedule accordingly.

On the dav of the Field Trip
1. Teacher or supervisor in charge of the ?eld trip should have copies of permission slips
accompanying them in case of an emergency. The originals should remain at the school.
2. If a child does not return his/her permission slip they will be unable to attend the trip. A
new permission slip is needed for each and every departure from the building.
3. Always sign out in the ?eld trip binder in the of?ce with the appropriate information.
Any time you use the playground or take a walk, you must sign out at the of?ce.
4. Make sure to arrange to bring any medications necessary for students.
5. Complete and submit the Field Trip Student Accountability Forma and submit it to the

of?ce prior to your departure.

Pane ll of 

Overnight Field Trips

Overnight ?eld trips are not recommended due to past problems with parents and student
commitment. New guidelines require 180 days? notice for any out of area trips. See guidelines for
arther details.

1. Each room must have a sign posted indicating your path of exit. See the custodian if you do not
have a sign posted in your cluster or classroom.

2. Twelve (12) ?re drills are required per school year, eight before December it?. Two (2) emergency
drills are also mandatory (one per semester).

3. All school personnel and visitors must leave the building immediately when the alarm
is sounded. Students ,1 staff should never stop to get coats!

4. Take your ?re drill folder or a class list with you. Make certain your folder is easily available for
substitutes and break aides.

5. Instruct children on the ?rst day of school about ?re alarm procedures. Have a ?practice run? no
later than the second day of school. Emphasize the need for orderliness and silence en route to the
assigned location outside. Children must stay alert for directions. Teachers should lead the line in
a fire drill, but look back periodically.

6. Teachers should hold their attendance folders in the air as they escort their students. This helps
students focus and stay with you as they exit the building to safety.

7. Attendance must be taken outside and every student must be accounted for and reported on the
?re drill form. Hand in a list of students not nresent with you but who are present in the school.
Be sure to list Intervention groups if the drill takes place during intervention time.

8. Do not re-enter the building until you are instructed or receive an ?all clear? sign (flag waved).

o. Never go back or let a student back inside the building for any reason until an ?all
clear sign? has been given.

I IRE SAFE
The building is inspected by the ?re department regularly and we must adhere to strict ?re codes.
- Keep catwalks free of clutter.
- Classroom exits must remain free of clutter at all times for safe passage.
- Do not place obstructions in doorways or exits.
- The ?re department prohibits hanging items from the lights in your classroom. Please do
not hang anything ?-om the ceilings or lights!
- Any ?re extinguishers must also be free of interference and easily accessible.
- All egress windows should remain clear of clutter for the entire year.

Persona] fundraising (for your own family that bene?ts outside organizations) must be limited to off
school hours. You are more than welcome to seek staff participation via email, but this activity should
not impact instructional time not use our students in any way. All school fundraisers require approval
administrative discussion prior to implementation.

 

RADE LEVEL MEETING
1. Goals and agendas will be established for meetings through Instructional Cabinet. All meetings

will take place in the room designated by each team.
. Any special subject teacher wishing to share information at a grade level meeting should notify the

chairperson in advance.
3. Minutes from grade level meetings should be recorded and submitted to the principal, head
secretary, and all team members via Google classroom

Page 12 of 24

4. Meeting times are embedded into the master schedule. A grade level may choose before after
school times instead of during the school day.

ERAFF

1. No student for any reason should be out in the hall with a writing implement, including students
changing classes. Special subject teachers should supply pencils.

2. Students goingto the bathroom or lunchroom should not take writing implements with them
when they leave the classroom.

Children are not permitted to chew gum in school. Please do not give gum as a reward. All staff
members are expected to set an example.

Please be respectful as you walk your classes down the hallways as classes are in session throughout
the building. DO NOT PLACE STUDENTS IN THE HALLWAYS AS A DISCIPLINARY MEASURE.
Students must be under adult supervision at all times.

Any student in the hallway must have a pass. This includes students as they move to and from special
subjects (choir and band) or if teachers have selected certain students who are capable to transition
from room to room on their own (independent transitioning students). Students will be returned to
class if seen in the halls without a pass. When going to the bathroom on their own (in case of
emergency) students need an escort and a pass.


dee School Nurse.

 

GOOD

Home-baked goods are not allowed to be served in school. A notice will be posted in the PTA
newsletter, but you may need to remind parents periodically. This is a precaution advised by the
County Health Department.

1. It is expected that students will receive homework every day including over weekends and school
holidays.

2. The amount of homework given over'a weekend or holiday should be roughly equal to a single
day?s homework during the week. (Students would not be expected to do as many days of
homework over a vacation.)

3. The table below gives guidelines for the average amount of homework that most students will be
doing each day. Variability is to be expected from day-to?day and from student?to-student.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade Literacy Component Other Homework
2o minutes reading 10 15 minutes

1-2 3o minutes reading 15 30 minutes

3 30 minutes reading so 40 minutes
4-6 3o minutes reading 30 45 minutes

3-8 3o minutes reading 1 1 1K2 hours

 

4. Special assignments such as long?term projects and book reports may result in more homework for
limited periods of time.

Page 13 of 24

5. Reading homework is a daily reading of a selection of their choice. Reading done for subject areas
such as Science or Social Studies is also appropriate as a reading assignment.

4. On occasion, teachers will encourage students with particular interests to do optional assignments
in addition to the regular daily homework. Teachers will make it clear to students and parents
when assignments are optional.

Teachers: All teachers need to be in the building by the contractual time of 7:15 am and on their
designated post by 7:30 am.

Paraprofessionals: should arrive no later than 7:30 and greet their student or be on their post and
work until 2:00 pm (may be adjusted)

Teaching Assistants: work one hour more each day than paraprofessionals and should arrive
by 7:15 and work the scheduled hours as designated for them.

All Staff:
- In case of emergency, staff must notify administration if they will be late.

 



1. Classrooms are to be kept in good order at the close of each day. Children are responsible for
cleaning the top of their desks and desks should be kept neat and orderly. The cleaning staff
should not have to clean the top of a student's desk that has writing on it. Monitor the ?look? of
student desks.

2. Chairs must be put on top of desks each night prior to students? dismissal.

3. Avoid the ?cluttered look? that occurs due to lack of storage space. Keep only what you will use in
your classroom for this year.

All space under (and on top of, when applicable) the classroom heating must be cleared.

 

NCIDENT REPORTIN

Any school-related incidents that result in assault on a student or staff member must be reported. A
workman?s compensation form must be completed for staff assaults and injuries. Forms are available
in the of?ce.
- Serious disruption of the educational process should be reported to an administrator ASAP on
the same day that the incident occurs.
. Also see Accidents

IEDENTIFICATIOEI

For Staff:
All staff is expected to wear their identi?cation badges daily ?dth their picture
clearly visible. To improve the safety and security of staff members and students, we ask
that you comply with wearing your access card at all times.
. Use them to enter the building WITHOUT having to ring the bell.
. Seek a new badge from C0 if your badge gets damaged (will be replaced for free) or lost
(nominal fee charged).
For Substitutes, Student Teachers and Visitors:
- All Substitutes, Student Teachers and Visitors must report to the main of?ce, sign-in and
receive an identi?cation badge/tag.
- Teacher and Para substitutes wear reusable badges identifying them as substitutes.
- Student teachers wear their college IDs.
- Parents and other visitors will be given a visitor?s label that must be worn visibly on their
clothing apparel.

 

Page 14 of 24

. Visitors to the cafeterium will have Visitor BADGES clearly visible.

- Regular volunteers will wear Volunteer badges in Duffy Duck pouches.

- Visitors without passes should be approached kindly with a ?Can I help you?? This is your
opportunity to ask them to report to the of?ce. Non-compliance of a visitor should be reported
to administration, an 330 or the of?ce immediately.

 

IELLNESS (STUDENTEI

See Nurses? Of?ce.

We use the common core state standards as outlined in the K-5 and 612 curriculum guides.

Please see the RCSD site below. MAKE SURE TO VISIT THE. SITES OFTEN AND DO NOT RELY ON
PREVIOULSY DOWNLOADED UNITS. They are making changes on a regular basis.

You can add the link to your favorites. All files from the engagenyorg Engage NY site or SMART Notebook files can be
downloaded to teachers' computers. See Share Point launch site for the many web links for your use.




INTERNE

1.

2.
3.

All staff and students must sign the Internet Use Agreement forms. This is an opt?out process. Only
those returned with the opt?out need to be honored.
Internet is only to be used for professional inquiry.

Personal communications and web sur?ng should be done at home. This is monitored by central
of?ce.

 

1.

2.

MATERIALS UIPME

Each teacher receives a budget for instructional supplies. Your balance is kept on record in the
of?ce.
Allotments can be used for Staples, School Specialty, Storehouse or Scholastic.



1.

2.
3.
4.

Return keys to the key cabinet daily do not take keys with you. They must be
available for substitutes and for emergency lockdown procedures- The key case is used
as a checklist that tells whether or not you are in the building.

Children may not handle keys.

Notify the custodian if you are missing a key from your key ring or if you lose your set.

Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action.

1.

2.

Procedures for use of the library will be discussed in detail prior to the opening of the library. The
library will be a site for reading tutorials throughout the day.

Staff wishing to use the library for meetings, testing or before after school events should check
with librarian to make sure there are no con?icts. The librarian will keep a sign?up to keep track of
library use. Please assign all text books and class materials to individual children and ensure that
the items are returned and children held accountable for their return. Don?t wait until end of the
year to cheek.

Pam:- of 314

EOST 8r FOUNBI

Lost 8: Found will be kept in the blue box outside the Parent room 135. Students should not be sent
'iere without an adult escort. Twice a year this box will be emptied and classes sent to check for lost
.tems (December and June).

 

UNCH FACILITIES STAFF)

The staff lounge includes kitchen facilities, tables and chairs for staff members to use.
1. Lunches may be purchased from the student lunchroom either on a weekly or daily basis if extras

are available. Staff must pay for all items served - no exceptions.
2. Each person is responsible for cleaning up after him or herself, to maintain a healthy/ clean
atmosphere for all to enjoy. Dirty dishes should not be left in the sink. Clean out the fridge of any
leftovers on a regular basis.
Do not send students to the lounge to pick up your lunch. This room is reserved for staff only.
Microwave for main of?ce suite staff only is in the storage room.

+93

 

UNCH PERIOD FOR STUDENT

1. Please see Cafeteria Procedures for further details.
Teachers should provide seating arrangements for their table.

3. Please bring your class all the way into the lunchroom and seat them. Students must
have their lunch numbers memorized to speed up the service process. Please help

them with this.

4. Students will eat their lunch during their assigned lunch period see separate Lunch}I Cafeteria

. procedures packet) except for prearranged special events.

5. Children receiving medication near the lunch hour should be sent to the nurse?s of?ce with a Para
when possible. Students must have a pass if not with an adult.

child?s lunch may be withheld because of his/her behavior or quality or quantity
of work.

7. Please be sure to inform the cafeteria staff in advance if your class will miss lunch, change lunch
periods, or require any special arrangements. Boxed lunches must be requested 2 weeks in
advance when on ?eld trips, picnics, or delays relating to the time when students will eat.



Mailboxes are located in the mailroom. Students are not allowed to go into Teacher mailboxes. In
the case of an emergency, you may ask a student to retrieve your mail from your box by stepping in
the main of?ce and asking an of?ce staff person to take the mail out of the box for him/ her.



1. Stay calm. Send for help. Someone should be available to assist you (nurse, aide or
administrator).

2. If CPR is needed, notify the of?ce immediately.

3. If an ambulance is needed, notify the of?ce and they will place the call.

4. The AED machines are located in the main of?ce and the nurse?s office.

 

 

MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES-PROCEDURESI

If your student exhibits behaviors of self? harm or are at risk to harm others.

"tudent is agitated. does not respond to verbal commands. escalating violence.

,Stabs self with pencil, puts a belt around the neck. attempts tojump of the stairs, or charges against other
children with the intention to harm}.

Page 16 of 24

THE TEACHER:

I. Stay close to your student

2. Take away any object Of possible harm
Evacuate the rest of the class.

4. If possible. call the office for assistance.

5. Try to contain the student, but do not block the student?s exit from the room.

THE OFFICE:

1 Will contact an administrator immediately

2. Will call the social worker or 

3 If requested, will call 911 and upon arrival, will lead them to the classroom.

4 Will call parent Or legal guardian

THE SOCIAL WORKER:

1. Will assess and will try interventions

2. If interventions fail, with the agreement of an administrator, will call the of?ce for 911 to be contacted.

3. If interventions are successful, social worker will take student to her office. debrief, and call parents,
mental health provider or Mobile Crisis Team as needed and appropriate.

4. If 91 1 agrees to take student to a hospital, social worker will gather any mental health information on
record and follow the ambulance and will stay with the student until a parent or legal guardian arrives.

5. Will follow ?up with family or student the next day.

 

AND VIDEOS SHOWN IN SCHOOII

Showing movies is considered copyright infringement. Movies can only be shown if you have a public
performance license.

 

To PARENTSI

1. Administrators must approve all notices to parents prior to being sent home. Notices
for classroom events must also be given to the of?ce after administrator approval.

2. The PTA Yahoo server, Connect Ed auto phone calls, the School 12 website and memos will also be
used to maintain contact with families.

See School Nurse.
[13mm CONNECII

Please encourage all of your families to sign up for Parent Connect. They can view grades, and
any other items you place on the system. 

 

l' 

1. Every child must have a pass in order to leave the classroom.

2. Student passes are required to be received in the nurse?s of?ce or main of?ce, except in case of
emergency.

3. Any students in the hallways must have a pass. This includes students as they move to and from
special subjects (choir and band). 3rd ?oor student must have a Yellow Pass.

4. Passes are required for all visitors. Parents may not drop off or pick up children from your room.
The of?ce will call for the child or an administrator will pick the child up from your classroom.

Page 1? of 24

 ETTY CAS 1

Schools are not allowed to keep petty cash or small purchase accounts. If you purchase an item on your
wn, do not expect to receive reimbursement by school check. (we no longer have an account) You alone

will be responsible for payment. All purchases must be made through purchase order or the school p?

card.

PHONE CAL

See Telephone Calls.

 



Parents must opt out of photo/ video permission. If the opt out is not returned, it is assumed
permission to use/ publish is granted. This is indicated on the form mailed to parents by the
district. Please know which children in your room have opted out. Returned forms must be
turned in to the office to be noted in Power School. Please keep a list of opt outs in your room and
provide a copy to Susan Allen. Students will not be identi?ed by full name in photos used on our
School 12 website, but may be identi?ed by other media or news outlets.

Excellence in teaching calls for planning. It is your reSponsibility to plan. It is the administrator?s

responsibility to review your plan regularly and assist if necessary.

1. Your plans must be readily available for review at all times. Administration will come into your

class to review the plans as outlined in the calendar. You may also choose to hand in your plan

book.

Daily and weekly plans should be kept in your plan book. It is expected you use the standards,

CCSS when planning your units of study. The format for daily plans is optional, but must include

evidence of differentiation. A schedule for submitting plan books is in the calendar of events.

The teacher is responsible for plans one week in advance.

If a plan book is not in school when the teacher is absent, the teacher must have the plan book

brought to school or send in plans for the day.

5. All completed substitute folders will be kept in the office and given to substitutes as they arrive.
Please be sure that your substitute folder and emergency sub plans are up to date.

ELAYGROUND 

You must take a walkie-talkie with you when you go outside. Make sure you take one when you
sign out in the main of?ce.

Be sure to sign out in the of?ce when taking your class to the playground.

Do not dismiss students from outdoor recess areas.

If possible, 880 staff will monitor the outdoor play and recess areas.

{a



 



ever:

 

PLEDGE OF 
See Announcements.

EOSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS 

A School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports initiative is in place at School 12
and is seen throughout the building in the halls, the bathrooms, the cafeteria and everywhere else.
To encourage expected behaviors from students when their teacher is absent, duck bills
?e given any time staff see a student or students demonstrating positive behaviors or following
school procedures. A special Duck Bill has been developed with a value that is double the value of a
regular duck bill for use by substitute teachers. All are expected to fully implement this initiative.

 

Page 13 of 24

Students are expected to be respectful, responsible, safe and ready to learn. The outline
of behavior expectations is shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does this behavior look like?
All the Time In the Bathroom In the Hallway In the Cafeteria On the Bus
Voice Level Silent or Whisper Silent or Whisper ??zgior Indoor
- Treat others as you I Be considerate of I Maintain personal I Use table manners Speak politely to
I would like to be others? privacy space - Follow directions each other
Be treated I Wait your turn I Hold door for given by cafeteria Use kind words
I Use polite words person behind you staff Listen to the driver
with students and - Keep hands by year - Raise your hand if
teachers side you need help
I Listen to each other
I Follow directions I Use toilet and sink I Walk on the right I Eat before playing Be on time for the
a Show self-control cerrectly hand side a personal bus
I Keep school clean I Wash hands with I Keep hallway clean space clean and Show self-control
BE inside and out water and one pump gather your garbage Keep the aisle
Responsible OfS?i?aP I All food stays in clean and clutter
I Turn off faucet and cafeteria free
clean op after
yourself
I Keep hands and I Wash hands I Walk one step at a I Eat only your Stay in your seat
feet to yourself Keep ?oor dry time when on the food Use your seatbelt
Be I Walk I Report any stairs I Keep an orderly Wait for a signal
Safe I Show patience problems to teacher I Watch where you line to cross
are walking I Stay seated until Keep hands inside
I Have a pass excused bus
I Be prepared and I 1liliallst to and from I Keep up in line I Know your student Go directly to your
organized class quickly and a Go directly to your number seat
Be Ready I Always try your quietly destination I Be prepared to Walk toffrom bus
best leave with teacher quickly 3: quietly
L??l?l'l I Actively participate I ace forward Leave emergency
doors St windows
alone

 

 

 

 

 

 

RINTSHO 

SEE PAPERCUT APP ON 

 

ECORD BOOB

Teachers are expected to collect and record grades for all subjects taught and/or marked. An
administrator may collect record books upon request. Grade 6, 7, and 8 will record grades on Power

Teacher. Please be timely in keeping grades up to date.

See Master Schedule for recess times.

 

 



1. Administrators must be kept apprised of changes in teachers? daily instructional schedules. Please
send updated versions of your schedule to the main of?ce. (must be approved by administration)

2. Special Subject teachers must have the principal?s approval to change schedules.

3. Break aides may not change their schedules without principal approval.

d. Please notify the main of?ce if you deviate from your schedule to minimize time spent locating
students in the event it is necessary to call a child to the main of?ce.

Pane 19 of 24

 

[gnooL COLORS a masco?
Our school colors are blue and purple. Our school mascot is Duffy the Duck.

NURS

Prior to sending a student to the nurse, please try to screen the students in order to avoid sending
students who are not actually sick. Minor scrapes can be dealt with in the classroom with bandages the
nurse provides. Use common sense when sending students to the nurse. Please use the nurse
communication form when sending students to the nurse.

The School Health Services program focuses on those preventive health services that assist the child in
functioning at an optimum level in school. Health aides provide school Health Of?ce coverage and
community health nurses. The services provided include review of sick and injured children, contact
of parents, administration of medications, and maintenance of health records. The community health
nurse?s primary role is:

Maintain the medical alert list (work with the staff concerning students with chronic conditions).
Refer suspected health problems for appropriate care.

Review immunization status of students.

Provide instruction and in?service for school staff.

Function as a member of the E38 team.



 

ECURITY OF HALLS AN BUILDIN

To avoid thefts in the hallways, please follow these procedures:

1. Staff must use ID badges to gain access to building. Please do not forget. Constant interruption of
the of?ce staff delays the work of the of?ce. DO NOT PROP OPEN ANY DOORS WITH
CARDBOARD OR OTHER ITEMS. THEY MUST REMAIN LOCKED WITH ONLY ID BADGE
ACCESS. HELP KEEP YOUR SCHOOL SAP E. Failure to comply will result in a conversation with
administration.

2. Lock classroom doors when you are the last person to leave, either for lunch or at the end of the
day.

3. Keep valuables locked in your desk or storage cabinet.

4. If you have trouble locking your door, notify the custodian immediately (with a copy to the
principal).

5. Do not allow a student to return to an empty classroom unescorted.

6. Also see Identi?cation Badges.

7. Also see Keys.

 

ISOLICITATION 

There shall be no solicitation on school grounds of or by students, teachers or staff for membership,
contributions, or purchases in support of any organization other than Children?s Memorial Scholarship
Fund and United Way, or as determined by collective bargaining agreement.

 

SERVICES REFERRALS (csml

Referrals (CSE) of students for special services or possible handicapping conditions must be requested
from the TCOSE.
1. If a student is being referred for the ?rst time, permission is required in writing from the parent or
guardian before the child can be tested.
A referral to the Intervention Team will serve as our pro-referral system.
3. When a parent requests testing. Immediately give the letter to the TCOSE and complete the CSE
referral.
4. The CSE referral should be immediately submitted to the Special Education TCOSE.
Page 20 of 24

5. See Special Education TCOSE, if you have questions.
6. Any student referred for a CSE must ?rst follow the RTI process.

 

JPECIAL SUBJECT a

Special subject classes may not be canceled at any time without permission from the

principal. Schedules for student participation in art, music, physical education and other out?of-
homeroom activities should be honored at all times. These experiences are not to be used as a reward

or punishment for students.

 



- Professional Behavior - It is expected that staff will conduct themselves in a professional manner
at all times. While there is no official dress code, we rednest that all staff dress appropriately
and serve as role models for our school community. Staff should refrain from eating and
drinking in front of students. As perception of staff as professionals within the school
community is based upon their actions, please adhere to the following policy developed by the
Building Committee with regard to eating and drinking:

0 No eating or drinking anything other than water in front of the students. You
may eat and drink with the students during breakfast and lunch or when
providing a snack to the classroom.

- We ask that you not drink coffee or eat while in the hallways as well. Your demeanor and the
way you conduct yourself is a representation of School 12. Please Speak politely and
respectfully to students, staff, parents and community visitors. Your actions are observed by
peers, students and visitors at all times; please make the correct impression of our school
climate.

- At the end of the day: it is requested that teachers meet in the hall or lounge area rather than
in the main office.

. Teachers are asked not to leave until all of their students have left the building and you are
certain they have all been dismissed to designated location. If you have a child who has not
been picked up, ?ll out and follow instructions on the Late Child Pickup form. See Dismissal
section on page 8 for detailed instructions.

- Please remember, School 12 is a workplace even when school is not in session (during
Superintendent?s Conference Days and the ?rst and last days of school). Staff are not to bring
their own children to work with them. In an emergency, you may put in a request for a
personal day in advance.

1* Students and children of staff members are not allowed to attend any faculty or staff meetings,
trainings or other staff events.

ETAF LOUNGE

See Lunch Facilities {Staff}-

 

 



Announcements of meetings will appear in the ?Duffy Dish? (eibulletin). Meetings are voluntary but we
encourage all staff members to attend to hear the information ?rst-hand. RTA time will be allotted for
any staff meetings held.

 

TUDENT HELPE

tudent helpers should not be sent during the instructional school day. Limit the number of kids and
the time spent PER ROOM. Students need to be in the classrooms learning all day. They may only
volunteer during non?instructional time.

Page 21 of 24

UBSTITUTE

Plan should be kept on top of your desk along with a copy of your emergency sub plan. Blue
?ubstitute folders will be supplied to subs at arrival. In the event that a substitute cannot be secured, an
.iternate plan will be implemented. Please welcome and extend yourself to substitutes. We need them
and want our building to be a place where substitutes are eager to accept an assignment. If a substitute
does not take reasonable suggestions or places students in a dangerous situation, you must report this
to the school secretary. Administrators have an obligation to speak with substitutes before they leave
the building if they are going to be asked not to return.

UGGESTION
See Concerns.

 

SUPERVISION 0F 

1. It is the responsibility of all staff to supervise students. Teachers should be present in the building
and in classrooms or supervising student entry by 7:30.

2. When teachers take their class to the playground they must sign out and back in at the of?ce.
Remember to take the playground radio in the event of an emergency. The role of the teacher is to
supervise activities on the playground. Please do not take this opportunity to chat with a colleague
who may also be at the playground. Supervision of children is your priority.

RE: 

1. All purchase requests require proper and updated forms.

2. Unauthorized purchases are not allowed. Any purchases made without the consent or signature of
the principal becomes your responsibility to pay.
Do not place personal orders and have the merchandise or invoice sent to the school.

USPENSIO

See Discipline Policy.

See Positive Behavior Supports.

 

 



Equipment repairs must follow a speci?c procedure. First, turn your computer off and restart it. If that
does not correct the problem, contact the Help Desk at 262~8151.

All classes are equipped with Smart Boards. Contact the School Tech Team or HELP DESK any
problems regarding SmartBoards, Classroom desktop and Ipads.

Meagan Hennessy our Lead Instructional Technology Support teacher will supervise the computer lab
schedules and provide professional development and support. For computer lab issues, please alert
Meagan Hennessy and she will work with the Help Desk to coordinate repairs.

l! ELEPHONE 

1. STAFF
. Phones for staff use are available in each classroom for calling parents. Please make sure that
the conversation happens when no other students are present and that the conversation is kept
con?dential.
. Personal phone calls should only be made during breaks and lunch periods.

 

Page 22 of 24

I All rules and procedures that apply to telephone usage in the building include the use of cellular
phones.
STUDENT
- Students should not have access to telephones in classrooms without adult supervision.
- Students should not be subjected to calling home in classrooms while other students are present.
- Students should not be sent to the Main Of?ce to make phone calls home.
- Students should not answer calls to the classrooms.
Please enforce Building Committee Student cellphone policy.

 

ELEVISION 8.: MOVIES

Viewing of television and movies must be an academic activity. It must be connected to the
curriculum re?ected in your daily plans for the day. District policy dictates that only G?rated movies
can be shown. NO 

 

CORE MATERIAISJ

Please make arrangements with librarian to checkout materials needed for each domain module.
Books must be assigned to individual students for accountability purposes. All domain/ module
materials must be returned to librarian before materials for the next domain module will be handed
out.

 

0Y8 AND OTHER DISTRACTO

Children should leave toys at home. Toys should be con?scated and held by the teacher until the end
of the day. This includes electronic games 8.: devices, ?dget spinners and sports equipment. On a

:cond offense the teacher may confiscate the item and call a parent. If this becomes a pattern of
behavior, the items may be handed to an administrator for a parent to pick?up.

 



Please recognize students for wearing their uniforms with the Special UNIFORM DUCK BILL. Please enforce
the student uniform policy as follows:

TOPS: Students will wear solid color tops in Light Blue, Navy, Purple or White. Tops must ?t properly.
Options include: Polo Shirts, T-shirts, Sweatshirts without hoods, Cardigans, Crew Neck Sweaters and Sweater
vests, any type of School 12 attire.

BOTTOMS: Students will wear Navy, Black, or Khaki bottoms. Pants must fit properly at the waist.
Options include: pants (no jeans), sweatpants, capris, shorts and skirts in appropriate (fingertip rule
applies), jumpers, and leggings (under skirts and shorts only, not as pants with a top only).

No label, designs, letters or numbers on any clothing. No exposed layering under shirts. except for long
sleeves in winter. No open back sandals/?shoes, flip flops, Adidas?ordan Slides.

ALUABLE

Keep your purse or wallet locked in a closet or locked drawer. The school does not assume reaponsibility
for lost or stolen articles. Notify the custodian immediately if you do not have a means of locking up
personal valuables.



Page 23 of 24

Please make sure to learn the School Vision Pledge and assist all students reciting daily on the AM

announcements. Please add the below vision to all school (written and email) correspondence.

4t James P. B. Du?j; School No. 12, children, parents, staff and community members
iork together engaging the mind, developing the body and capturing the heart of our

students to be academically ready, socially mature, resPonsible citizens.

En la Eseuela #12, James RB. Du?y, prometemos dedicar nuestras mentes,
desarrollar nuestros cuerpos, dirigir con nuestros corazones, para estar
preparados academicamente, socialmente maduros ser ciudadanos reSponsables

 

olunteer Pro am

All staff members are encouraged to participate in volunteer programs. Please complete all requests
or surveys so we can match your needs to volunteer expertise.

Please make sure when you have a volunteer that you:

1. Welcome the volunteer to your classroom and make them feel at home.

2. Maintain frequent communication with your classroom expectations and instructional goals. Share
how student is progressing in classroom and ask how student is doing in tutoring sessions.

3. All volunteers must submit a volunteer form to our School 12 Parent Liaison Susan Allen before
working directly with students.

This can be as informal or formal as you design with the volunteer (e-mail also works great).
It is also an expectation that you will support the development of the next generation of leaders 
student teachers by taking a college volunteer. The Principal or her designee will assign these.



real or toy) are prohibited from school.

Immediately inform an administrator if any child has a weapon, or brandished something as a weapon
in school. Please discuss with your students what is considered a weapon, according to NYS and the
possible consequences.

COMPENSATIOEI

See Accidents section.

 

0F NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Rochester City School District does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's actual or perceived
race, color. religion. creed, ethnicity. national origin. citizenship status, age. marital status, partnership status.
disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, sexual orientation. gender {sex}. military status. veteran status,
domestic violence victim status or political affiliation. and additionally does not discriminate against students on
the basis of weight. gender identity, gender expression, and religious practices or any other basis prohibited by
New York state andi'or federal non-discrimination laws in employment or its programs and activities. The
District provides equal access to community and youth organizations. Inquiries regarding the District's non-
discrimination policies should be directed to:

Chief. Human Capital Initiatives, Civil Flights Compliance Officer

131 West Broad Street

Rochester, New York 14614

(585} 262-8689

"-maiI: 

Page 24 of 24

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APPENDIX
TIMELINE OF EVENTS1
August 2009 through May 27, 2012
Trevyan Devon Rowe (“Trevyan”) was enrolled as a special education student at a school
in Arkansas.
May 27, 2012 through April 4, 2013
Trevyan was enrolled as a special education student at a school in Texas.
April 8-15, 2013
On or about April 8, 2013, Trevyan was registered at Rochester City School District
(“RCSD”) as a transfer student in third grade. He was initially enrolled as a general
education student and did not receive any special education services. On or about April
9, 2013, RCSD requested transfer records from Trevyan’s prior school in Texas. On
April 15, 2013, RCSD received a return facsimile indicating that Trevyan had been a
special education student and received speech therapy in Texas. It does not appear that
more complete records were ever received by RCSD from the school in Texas.
April 18, 2013 through May 1, 2013
On or about April 18, 2013, RCSD requested Trevyan’s transfer records from his prior
school in Arkansas. On or about May 1, 2013, RCSD received lengthier records from his
Arkansas school, including Trevyan’s prior Individualized Education Programs (“IEPs”)
and psychological evaluations.
May 2013
An interim IEP was put into place for the remainder of Trevyan’s 2012-2013 school year,
in which he is classified as learning disabled.
June 2013
Trevyan’s first Committee on Special Education (“CSE”) meeting through RCSD takes
place, and he undergoes full diagnostic testing. Ultimately, Trevyan continues to be
classified as having a learning disability, and in-school counseling services are not
recommended despite past traumatic events. It is decided that Trevyan will be retained in
the 3rd grade for the 2013-2014 school year.
November 2013

1

It should be noted that many of the dates referred to herein are approximations, although
attempts have been made to ensure that they are as accurate as possible based on the interviews
conducted and documents provided in connection with this investigation.

 In or about November of the 2013-2014 school year, Trevyan was referred to the Mobile
Crisis Team at Strong Memorial Hospital. However, Trevyan was still not provided with
school-based counseling at that time.
May 2014
Trevyan, who will be a 4th grader in the upcoming 2014-2015 school year, has his first reevaluation at RCSD. His learning disabled classification is continued, and his next year’s
IEP neglects to take note of any mental health concerns.
October 2014
At a conference between Trevyan’s mother, teachers, and the school social worker, it is
decided that the social worker would help in getting Trevyan outside mental health
counseling services. Although it appears that an appointment was made for Trevyan to
attend an outside clinic, the RCSD staff interviewed did not believe that he ultimately
received the recommended mental health services.
May 2015
Trevyan, who will be a 5th grader in the upcoming 2015-2016 school year, has an annual
review of his IEP. His classification of learning disabled is again continued, and he still
does not receive any in-school mental health counseling.
April 2016
Trevyan, who will be a 6th grader in the upcoming 2016-2017 school year, has another
annual review of his IEP. According to the staff who supervise him, at various times
over the span of his 5th grade year, Trevyan has wandered out of class and made verbal
and written suicidal statements. At his CSE meeting, it is again decided that he will
continue to be classified as learning disabled, and no in-school counseling services are
recommended for the following school year.
Fall 2016
At some point during Trevyan’s 2016-2017 school year, the Mobile Crisis Unit was
called to School #12 in response to Trevyan making threats of self-harm and giving away
his personal belongings to classmates. Trevyan is found to pose a danger to himself or
others, and is taken to the hospital. As of October 2016, school staff were under the
impression that Trevyan was waiting for a bed at an inpatient mental health center. On
November 10, 2016, records indicate that Trevyan’s mother took him to an outside
medical provider, who recorded a diagnosis of “unspecified conduct disorder,” and also
recommended that he be evaluated for autism. The medical records from that November
visit were sent to the school and placed in Trevyan’s cumulative file.

 December 22, 2016
Trevyan’s mother brings Trevyan back to the same outside medical provider, who noted
that Trevyan had still not been tested for autism, and “patient states he doesn’t really
want to hurt himself, but will say it when he is angry.”
May 2017
Trevyan’s next re-evaluation is scheduled to take place in May 2017, at the end of his 6th
grade year. Several behavior assessment tests performed on him in preparation for that
CSE meeting revealed scores in the “average” level for learning problems, whereas his
anxiety and depression scores were in the highest “clinically significant” range. At the
CSE meeting, though, it was decided that Trevyan would continue to be classified as
learning disabled. Notably, for the first time, in-school psychological counseling services
were recommended and ultimately added to his IEP as a “related service,” but those
services were not scheduled to begin until the following 2017-2018 school year.
September 2017
When Trevyan began 7th grade in the fall of 2017, he was assigned to a new special
education teacher, who was completely unaware of the events discussed above and his
history of suicidal ideation. When she reviewed his updated IEP, it described Trevyan as
a student with a learning disability and said little, if anything, about his depression.
Trevyan also began receiving in-school psychological counseling services from a social
worker who had just started working at School #12.
September 20, 2017
An incident occurs at dismissal time, where Trevyan becomes very upset and it was
reported to school staff that he attempted to run between the buses to harm himself.
When the school safety officer caught up with Trevyan, Trevyan was extremely upset,
said that he wanted to kill himself, and ultimately had to be physically escorted back into
the building. Trevyan was evaluated by the social worker, who concluded that he had
changed his statement to say that he did not actually want to harm himself. The Mobile
Crisis Unit was called to evaluate Trevyan when he returned home, although school staff
were not present when that evaluation occurred. The following entry appears in
Trevyan’s “Attends Action Report,” which is a record of events maintained by RCSD:
"Took Trevyan home from school after making mobile crisis call. Mother didn't come to
door.”
October 2, 2017
At a counseling session with the social worker, Trevyan reportedly perseverated on
wanting to become a “terrorist.”
October 3, 2017
Trevyan’s special education teacher observed him writing the word “die” all over his
paper during class. This is reported to the social worker and Trevyan’s grade-level

 administrator, and the following entry is made in Trevyan’s “Attends Action Report”:
"Left message for mother as follow up to mobile crisis call.”
October 26, 2017
A review of Trevyan's attendance record shows he was marked present at his first period
class, but absent for the rest of the day.
October 27, 2017
Another incident occurs where Trevyan becomes upset in his special education class,
runs out of the building, and exits school grounds at approximately 10:10 a.m. After
approximately an hour, Trevyan returns to School #12, and reports that he had gone to a
nearby cemetery. It does not appear that any suicide assessment forms were completed
upon his return. The school social worker made the following entry in Trevyan’s
“Attends Action Report”: “Met with mother because Trevyan left the school building
today when angry. I provided her with community resources.”
December 15, 2017
Trevyan becomes upset when his special education teacher instructs him to put away his
personal belongings. He responds by throwing his belongings in the garbage can. After
dismissal time, Trevyan’s special education teacher informs the school social worker and
grade level administrator, and it is decided that they will go to Trevyan’s home to report
what happened to his mother. Trevyan’s mother is not at home, and the social worker
makes the following entry in Trevyan’s "Attends Action Report": “Went to home address
after episode in school, mother not there, gave information to older sibling who said
mother would call school.”
February 1, 2018
This is Trevyan's 14th birthday. Trevyan was reportedly very excited about the gifts he
had received for his birthday. He is described as beginning to participate more in his
classes and appearing to be much happier in general around this time, although he
continued to have trouble opening up at his individual counseling sessions.
March 8, 2018
Trevyan Rowe arrives at School 12 on March 8th via the school bus. He immediately turns
right and heads northbound. Within seconds, he turns left and heads west along the library
wall undetected. By 7:42 he has exited the school property into the woods. There are
typically 6 people on "post" as the children get off the buses from 7:30-7:45 am. On the
day of Trevyan's disappearance, two of the staff members that stand in front of exit 13,
where 7th and 8th grade students enter the school (Trevyan included) called in sick. There
was a substitute "post", but they were standing inside the school at Exit 13th. In addition,
a parent was able to get into the school and she walked her child upstairs to his indoor
suspension room. Assistant Principal typically stands outside and monitors the bus loop,
but on March 8, she was trying to get the known interloping parent out of the school before
she confronted a teacher. This prevented Assistant Principal from monitoring the bus loop
on March 8th. The teacher that "patrols" the post next to the driveway entrance to the library

 that is attached to the school is busy making sure children are able to cross the library
driveway safely. Parents are prohibited from parking at the library (north entrance) for the
purposes of dropping off their children. There is a designated driveway entrance and school
entrance on the south end of the school for parents that drop off their children. Some parents
continue to try and drop kids off at the north entrance. This results in the northern most
post person having to look north to make sure students aren't hit by cars coming in and out
of the library.
March 8, 7:38 am
Security cameras show Trevyan in the black hooded jacket in the library driveway after
leaving bus loop, reportedly undetected.

March 8th, 2018 7:42 am
Photo below shows there is next to no staff outdoors monitoring students on bus loop

 March 8th 2018 7:55 am
First period gym teacher marks Trevyan Rowe present in his class. Entry is made into the
computer at 7:55 am.
March 8th shortly after 8am
Bystanders reported to 911 that a person was standing on a bridge over the Genesee
River. Callers state there was a black male walking eastbound in the westbound lane. 911
center dispatched a state trooper. When state police arrive, no one is seen on the bridge
and the call is cleared.
March 8th 2018 llam
Robo-call goes out for all students marked absent in the first period. Any robo-call being
generated at 11 am is done solely based on a child being marked "absent". Had he been
marked absent, a generated robo-call would have been sent to Trevyan’s mother. This
never happened.
March 8th 3:26 pm
A member of Trevyan's family, comes to the school at approximately 3:26 looking for
Trevyan. They speak to staff who pages Trevyan to the front office. A special education
teacher reports to office, speaks to Trevyan's family member, leaves office and begins
looking around the property.
March 8th 3:29 pm
Staff contacts First Student Bus Service to find out if they have video footage of Trevyan
on the bus.

 March 8 3:47 pm
Assistant Vice Principal calls Trevyan's special education teacher to find out if he was in
school. The special education teacher advises that he was not present in his 15:1 classes
that day.
March 8 4:43 pm
After her afterschool program, Assistant Vice Principal goes downstairs to the Main
Office and finds Trevyan's family and Trevyan's former special education teacher, but she
states that she was unable to speak to them because she was in charge of the after school
program.
March 8th 5:15 pm Police are contacted by the former special education teacher and
Trevyan's family.
March 8th 5:30 pm
Assistant Vice Principal texts and calls to Trevyan's other teachers trying to get
clarification as to whether or not Trevyan was in school that day.
March 8th 5:43 pm
Assistant Vice Principal contacts the school principal. Assistant Vice Principal notifies
School Chief by voicemail. School Chief was in a board of education meeting and missed
the voicemail message. Text is sent to School Chief telling her that one of our students is
missing.
March 8th 5:44 pm
Police arrive. Police have Trevyan's sister on speaker phone. Sister advises police that
Trevyan was very upset that he lost his cell phone and that if he didn't find his cell phone
he would kill himself.
March 8th 6:07 pm
Assistant Vice Principal contacts gym teacher to see if Trevyan was in his class first
period.
March 8th 6:58
School principal arrives at the school.
March 8th 7:09 pm
Call is made from school priniciapl and Assistant Vice Principal to Director of Safety and
Security Director of Security. Per Director of Security, she was under the influence of
medication and she doesn't recall this conversation.
March 8th 7:21 pm
Rochester Police Department Officer asks AP Assistant Vice Principal and Principal to
play certain clips of video on the security system at School #12. They call School Chief

 and Police Officer advises School Chief that he is attempting to find a suicidal child.
Permission to view video clips is granted..
March 8th 8:20 pm.
Director of Security sends out "blast" email to the executive cabinet. (Director of Security
is off duty at this time. Although she has approved medical leave on this day, no one is
assigned to take over her responsibilities or assist police during her absence.) Among
other items in the e-mail, Trevyan’s disappearance is referenced: “There is a missing
School #12 student who rode the bus to school, but didn't come into the school. This
evening it was reported that the student had lost his phone and made a comment if he
didn't find it, he was going to kill himself. The police and the parents were working
with the school administrators on this investigation.”
March 8th, 8:28 pm
Trevyan’s family leaves School #12 to assist the police in searching for Trevyan. Special
education teacher also leaves school to assist police.
March 8th 8:39 pm
Special Education teacher, along with Trevyan's family and police, search for him
throughout the night. Police do not see video footage of Trevyan leaving school property
until March 9th.
March 9th 7:30 am
Emergency Response Planning Coordinator first hears about the incident on the news. He
then reports to Rochester City School Central Office at approximately 7:30. He spends the
day reviewing the cameras from Central Office.
Afternoon of March 9th 2018
School is placed on lockdown with the assistance of Rochester PD in attempt to
determine if Trevyan Rowe is hiding in the building.
March 9, 2018.
Video footage of Trevyan leaving school property is reported to police on March 9, 2018.
March 11, 2018. Trevyan’s body is located in the Genesee River.
March 12th approximately 12pm
New York State Education Compliance Supervisor arrives at School 12 to begin review.
She requests the Building Level Emergency Response Plan. She is provided with the plan
for the school year 2016-2017. There was no access to the 2017-2018 school year
building level emergency response team roster or procedures, which should have been in
place on March 8th, 2018. Staff was unable to access the guidelines. These guidelines

 were created in an on-line portal on October 15th, 2017, but were not able to be accessed
by the necessary staff. Our investigation shows that the staff members listed on the
emergency response roster were not contacted after Trevyan was reported missing. In
addition to those individuals not responding, the post incident emergency team and plan
were never activated or put in place.