Parent Resources

 

Weather-Related Closings, Delays and Emergencies 

Rockland BOCES has established protocols for deciding whether to close or delay school or cancel programs due to inclement weather or other emergencies. Our agency uses several information channels to communicate this information with families, staff and community members:

• Mass notifications: email, text message, automated robocall. (Parents/guardians and staff members are automatically connected)
• Our website - rocklandboces.org:  Closings, delayed openings, early dismissals are posted to the homepage
• Local media outlets:  WHUD (100.7 FM), WRCR (1700 AM), News 12 Hudson Valley

It is best to rely on more than one information source, particularly in situations where the weather may cause power outages.

Parents with students in district-based programs are reminded to check the status of the school district in which their program is located.

Rockland BOCES is committed to ensuring student privacy in accordance with local, state and federal regulations and agency policies. To this end, and pursuant to U.S. Department of Education regulations, Rockland BOCES is providing the following Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security:

• A student’s personally identifiable information cannot be sold or released by Rockland BOCES for any commercial purposes.
• Parents have the right to inspect and review the complete contents of their child’s education record, including any student data maintained by Rockland BOCES. This right of inspection of records is consistent with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Under the more recently adopted regulations (Education Law §2-d), the rights of inspection are extended to include data, meaning parents have the right to inspect or receive copies of any data in their child’s educational record. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) will develop further policies and procedures related to these rights in the future.
• State and federal laws protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information and safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices, including but not limited to, encryption, firewalls and password protection, must be in place when data is stored or transferred.
• A complete list of all student data elements collected by the state is available for public review. Parents may also obtain a copy of the list by writing to the Office of Information & Reporting Services, New York State Education Department, Room 863 EBA, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234.
• Parents have the right to file complaints about possible breaches of student data. Complaints should be directed to: Rockland BOCES Data Protection Officer Laura Davie, 65 Parrott Road, West Nyack, New York 10994. Complaints to NYSED should be directed to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234; e-mail address is cpo@mail.nysed.gov.

This bill of rights is subject to change based on regulations of the commissioner of education and the New York State Education Department chief privacy officer. Changes/additions are also anticipated as NYSED releases further guidance documents.

Click here to view NYSED’s Parents’ Bill of Rights