Code of Conduct
The Board of Education of the Saratoga Springs City School District, in support of the aims of public education, believes that the behavior of students attending public schools should reflect acceptable standards of responsibility and the degree of good citizenship demanded of members of a democratic society.
The Board of Education’s objective is to provide all students with an equal opportunity to grow intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically. Parents/guardians, students, and school personnel must work together to ensure the maintenance of the proper atmosphere to achieve this goal. To achieve this goal, all members of the school community and visitors must act responsibly. School personnel will use restorative (mediation, counseling, and education) and/or punitive (detention, suspension) measures to address violations of the Code of Conduct, as appropriate under the circumstances.
Annual Notifications
Child Abuse Hotline
If you suspect a child is being abused or maltreated (neglected), report it by calling 1-800-342-3720, a toll-free 24-hour hotline operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police department. Information about reporting child abuse and maltreatment (neglect) is available online at http://ocfs.ny.gov/main/cps/.
Child Find
The Saratoga Springs City School District offers a comprehensive special education program to meet children’s needs at all ability levels, ages 5-21. Children with physical, mental, emotional, medical or developmental problems should be evaluated to determine if they qualify for special education programs or services. If you believe your child may meet these criteria, and is not already receiving Special Education services, call the Office of Pupil Services at 518-693-1414.
Code of Conduct
The Saratoga Springs City School District Code of Conduct applies to all students, school personnel, parents and visitors when on school property, including school buses and other school-owned vehicles, or when attending a school-sponsored event or function. Information on the Code of Conduct is shared with students at the beginning of every school year.
Districtwide School Safety Plan
Safety is an underlying theme in everything we do, and we want to remind our school community about the importance we place on student and staff safety every day at the Saratoga Springs City School District. Our District-Wide Safety Plan outlines the way the district addresses critical issues in an expeditious and effective manner.
Dignity for All Students Act
The New York State Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), which went into effect on July 1, 2012, places a spotlight on the issues of bullying, harassment and discrimination. These are not new concerns for school districts, students and parents. However, the scope of responsibility for schools regarding how they react to and resolve these issues has expanded significantly. As with any situation, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
In the Saratoga Springs City School District, we continue to be proactive in educating students about the “do’s and don’t’s” of behavior. The district established a Character Education Committee to ensure a comprehensive approach to character education was occurring K-12. The committee developed three promises: “Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Caring Citizens.” These promises guide how every student and every adult should behave every day.
DASA will require more vigilance by school personnel regarding inappropriate student-to-student and adult-to-student interactions – and this is a good thing. Still, working to prevent conflicts in the first place is the best way to maximize the use of our collective energy.
Click here to report a bullying/harassment incident
The New York State Dignity For All Students Act seeks to provide the state’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function. The act states that NO student shall be subjected to harassment or discrimination by employees or students on school property or at a school function based on their actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is bullying or harassment that takes place through communication using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites. Cyberbullying may be directed toward both students and staff members.
Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.
DASA Act Coordinators
Each school in the district has a coordinator who has been trained to respond to issues related to DASA. The coordinators are:
- Saratoga Springs High School: Stacey Ralston
- Maple Avenue Middle School: Scott Singer (back-up is Amy Totino)
- Caroline Street Elementary School: Dr. Dan Packard
- Division Street Elementary School: Dr. Greer Miller
- Dorothy Nolan Elementary School: Dana Bush
- Geyser Road Elementary School: Cody Conley
- Greenfield Elementary School: Dr. Tina Davis
- Lake Avenue Elementary School: Elizabeth Carroll
- District: Hillary Brewer
FERPA
The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) generally protects “student records” from disclosure.
However, FERPA allows schools to disclose, without parental consent, certain “directory information” such as a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, participation in athletics, honors, awards, and photographs, unless parents have advised to the contrary.
The primary purpose of the “directory information” exception to FERPA is to allow Saratoga Springs City School District (SSCSD) to include this type of information in school publications such as newsletters, calendars, the School District website, School Messenger and social media outlets. In addition, it allows for the publicity of student accomplishments or specific educational programs to the electronic (television) and print (newspaper) media.
SSCSD has designated and historically released the following directory information:
- Student’s name
- Address
- Telephone listing
- Electronic mail address
- Photograph
- Date and place of birth
- Major field of study
- Dates of attendance
- Grade level
- Participation
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams
- Degrees, honors, and awards received
- The most recent educational agency or institution attendance
Parents not wishing directory information about their child to be used in either district publications, released to the media or on the district website must fill out the FERPA online opt-out form. This form must be filed annually in September. Click here to fill out the FERPA opt-out form.
Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)
Smart Schools Investment Plan
In 2017, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the Saratoga Springs City School District’s Smart Schools Investment Plan was one of 65 plans approved throughout New York State. The District’s plan, totaling $2,738,126, allowed the district to implement additional infrastructure, security, and classroom information technology updates for both public and non-public schools within the District. The district completed this work in 2020.