Required Notifications

It is the goal of Rockland BOCES that the information contained on our website be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing or cognitive disabilities. Our aim is to comply with current New York State standards on website accessibility. (New York State OFT Policy, P04-002, Accessibility of State Agency Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications) 

Good faith efforts have been made to ensure that our site complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to the best of our technical ability. To this end, we continually review our site and modify pages that are found to have accessibility issues.

The majority of pages in our site are available in HTML format that can be deciphered by assistive technologies. Some documents are in Adobe PDF format, which require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, you can download it for free from the Adobe website.

If you are unable to access any page(s) in our site, please email our webmaster with detailed information on the location of the page or document you were attempting to access. Be sure to include your name, email address and phone number so that we may follow-up with you to provide you with the information in another format.

Please note that some pages on the Rockland BOCES website contain links to third party sites, which are not within our control and may not comply with accessibility standards. The district is not responsible for the content or accessibility of third party sites.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view several files posted throughout the site in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and may be downloaded free from the Adobe website.

In 1986, the United States Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA).  The law requires that all schools, Kindergarten through Grade 12, conduct inspections to identify asbestos containing building material. The school district or Local Education Agency (LEA) is required to develop a management plan based on the inspection findings.

One of the requirements specified under the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 763.84(c), is to ensure that district workers, building occupants and/or legal guardians are informed about inspections, response actions, post response action activities, surveillances and periodic re-inspections are conducted. Rockland BOCES meets the requirements of the AHERA regulations.

If you have any questions, please contact the Rockland BOCES Health and Safety Department at (845) 627-4760.

Under state law, school districts and BOCES are required to conduct an Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) for each teacher and principal, resulting in a rating of “highly effective,” “effective,” “developing” or “ineffective.” The requirement does not apply to teaching assistants, teacher aides or pupil personnel titles.

All parents/guardians have the right to obtain the APPR composite for their child’s teacher(s) and principal(s) once the rating scores are officially available.

Rockland BOCES’ APPR Review/New York State Education Department

Download the Annual Security Report.

The goal of the Rockland BOCES Code of Conduct is to ensure all students’ right to an education in a safe, civil and supportive environment. It is based upon the laws, regulations and policies that create access to education for all while protecting the due process rights of the individual. The Code recognizes that schools are public places that must balance individual rights with civic obligations and the responsibilities that make it possible to live in a free, open and democratic society. The Rockland BOCES Code of Conduct serves as a guide to good citizenship and provides the tools for helping students to understand and appreciate the norms of behavior within the school culture.

The Rockland BOCES Code of Conduct ensures that schools provide equal access to a wide range of supports and interventions that promote positive behavior, help students develop self-discipline and social and emotional efficacy and enable students to improve and correct inappropriate, unacceptable and unskillful behaviors.

New York State requires school districts and BOCES to develop a continuity of operations plan and make it available. Rockland BOCES provides the following plan so stakeholders are aware of the agency’s plans in the event of an ongoing public health emergency involving communicable disease.

Public Health Continuation of Operations Plan

New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) seeks to provide public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying on school property, aboard a school bus and/or at a school function.

Rockland BOCES dedicates significant resources to improving anti-bullying procedures and staff training to ensure our schools exceed DASA requirements.

We are committed to providing an educational and working environment that promotes respect, dignity and equality for all students, staff and parents.

Our policies condemn and prohibit all forms of discrimination, such as harassment, hazing and bullying on school grounds, on school buses, at school bus pick-up sites and at all school-sponsored activities, programs and events. Review the DASA policies on BoardDocs. Review the code of conduct policies on BoardDocs.

Our schools cannot effectively address bullying if incidents are not reported. Anyone who feels he or she has been bullied or harassed, who wants to report an incident of someone else being bullied, or who has questions on this topic, is urged to contact the relevant school anti-bullying coordinator.

Additionally, parents, guardians and students may complete and submit the following  DASA Incident Report Form (PDF).

Contacts:

DASA Coordinator for Central Office

Yasmin Helou-Caré, Ph. D.
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road, Building #4
West Nyack, NY 10994
(845) 627-4712

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DASA Coordinator for Agency At-Large

Lisa Collopy
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road, Building #10
West Nyack, NY 10994
(845) 624-5871

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DASA Coordinator for Career & Technical Education (CTE) & GED

Eric Kurz
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road, Building #3
West Nyack, NY 10994
(845) 627-4780

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DASA Coordinator for River View High School

Elise Rosenberg
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road Building #10
West Nyack, NY  10994
845-627-4773

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DASA Coordinator for Mountainside High School & Secondary District Based Programs

Matthew Darby
Mountainside High School
13A Dickinson Avenue
Nyack, NY 10960
(845) 624-5566

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DASA Coordinator for Elementary and Middle District Based Programs & Division Office

Charmane Spence
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road, Building #10
West Nyack, NY 10960
(845) 627-4850

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DASA Coordinator for Jesse J. Kaplan School – VISTA Programs

Gianluca DiMuccio
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road, Building #9
West Nyack, NY 10994
(845) 624-5687

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DASA Coordinator for Jesse J. Kaplan School – TEAMS & Social Communications Programs

Amanda Celentano
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road, Building #9
West Nyack, NY 10994
(845) 627-4777

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DASA Coordinator for the Lumina School at Viola

Joseph Pagano
The Lumina School at Viola
557 Route 202
Suffern, NY 10901
(845) 942-7550

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DASA Coordinator for Hudson Valley P-TECH

Christina Contento
Hudson Valley P-TECH at Tappan Zee Education Center
561 Rte. 9W
Piermont, NY 10968
(845) 580-1455

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DASA Coordinator for Divisional Programs

Elise Rosenberg
Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road Building #10
West Nyack, NY  10994
845-627-4773

New York State Education Law Section 2-d gives parents and guardians the right to information about how Rockland BOCES safeguards student and employee data.

If at any time we learn that student and/or teacher/principal data has been compromised, parents and guardians will be notified and the data breach will be reported to the New York State Education Department.

A breach is defined as the unauthorized acquisition, access, use or disclosure of student personally identifiable information (PII) and/or teacher or principal PII by or to a person not authorized to acquire, access, use or receive the student and/or teacher or principal PII.

Individuals who have concerns or wish to file a complaint about a possible breach or improper disclosure of data may do so using this form.

The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides parents/guardians and students who are 18 years of age or older (known as “eligible students“) with certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. Parents/guardians and eligible students have the right to:

• Inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day a request for access is received by the school. These requests should be submitted to the school principal;
• Request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent/guardian or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights;
• Provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent as outlined below:

File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Rockland BOCES to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA are: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC  20202.

Download/View the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Notice Regarding Access to Student Records and Student Information

Rockland BOCES 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, reproductive rights decisions, gender (sex), gender identity, 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 and/or federal non-discrimination laws in employment or its programs and activities. Rockland BOCES provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth organizations. Inquiries regarding Rockland BOCES non-discrimination policies or procedures should be directed to either:

1. Yasmin Helou-Caré, Ph.D.

Assistant Superintendent For Human Resources

Civil Rights Compliance Officer

Rockland BOCES
65 Parrott Road, Building #4
West Nyack, NY 10994
(845) 627-4712

2. United States Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights

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. 

New York State Education Law gives you the right to information about how Rockland BOCES safeguards student and employee data.

• Parent’s Bill of Rights

• Rockland BOCES Software Contracts

• Rockland BOCES School Library System Software Contracts

• Rockland BOCES Student Programs

• Rockland BOCES Data Privacy Policy

If at any time Rockland BOCES learns that student and/or teacher/administrator data has been compromised, parents and guardians will be notified and the data breach will be reported to the New York State Education Department.

Parents/guardians and others who have concerns or wish to file a complaint about possible breach or improper disclosure of data may do so using the form below.

• Unauthorized Disclosure Complaint Form

Under the Protection of the Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), parents have the right to inspect and opt their child out of any student survey that reveals information about personal attitudes, behaviors or beliefs. Parents also have the right to receive notice of and opt their child out of any activities that involve the collection, disclosure or use of a student’s personal information for marketing purposes and out of any non-emergency, physical exam or screening, except for hearing, vision and scoliosis screenings or as permitted or required by state law.

Rockland BOCES is committed to ensuring student privacy in accordance with local, state and federal regulations and district policies.

On June 6, 2024, the New York State Board of Regents issued new regulations for mandatory lockdown and evacuation drills starting in the 2024-25 academic year. These regulation changes include advanced notice for parents and guardians, as well as ensuring that all drills are “trauma informed” and conducted in a developmentally and age-appropriate manner. Click here for a summary of the new regulations.

Lockdown and evacuation drills scheduled for each Rockland BOCES building for the 2024-25 academic year are included in the links below. Four (4) lockdown drills and eight (8) evacuation drills are required each year. Please note that drills may be subject to change and announcements will be made accordingly.

Lockdown Drills 2024-25 School Year 
Evacuation Drills 2024-25 School Year

Rockland BOCES  recognizes that students need adequate, nourishing food in order to grow, learn and maintain health and we are committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Our Student Wellness policy outlines how our menus meet or exceed the regulations outlined in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. 

Our agency contracts with an outside vendor to offer students the option of a nutritional breakfast and lunch at a nominal price. Following the guidelines of New York State Child Nutrition, students who meet the income eligibility requirements receive free or reduced price meals.  Complete information can be found on the New York State Education Department Child Nutrition website.

To ensure the safety and protection of your child from any potential allergens, communicating any known allergies and dietary restrictions to the school nurse and/or teacher is critical. A parent letter and documentation from a medical authority are mandatory.

Rockland BOCES recognizes that a nutritious, well-balanced, reasonably-portioned diet is essential for student wellness. To help students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to make nutritious food choices for a lifetime, Rockland BOCES ensures that all foods and beverages available in school promote good nutrition, balance and reasonable portion sizes. Rockland BOCES ensures that all foods and beverages available for students in our schools during the school day meet or exceed the requirements and nutrition standards found in federal regulations.

To accomplish this, Rockland BOCES will serve healthy and appealing foods and beverages at its schools, following state and federal nutrition guidelines, as well as safe food preparation methods. Read the complete Student Wellness policy here.

In 2016, New York became the first state in the nation to require all public schools and BOCES to test water for lead. The law requires school districts to sample applicable water outlets currently or potentially used for drinking or cooking purposes in buildings occupied by students. The samples must be analyzed by a state-approved laboratory. Rockland BOCES tested applicable water outlets in 2016 and again in 2021, according to regulations. Current regulations call for testing to take place again during the compliance period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025 and then every three years thereafter.

The state originally established an action level of 15 micrograms of lead per liter, typically referred to as “parts per billion (ppb).” On December 22, 2022, New York State lowered the action level for lead in water from 15 ppb to 5 ppb. If a sample from a water outlet exceeds 5 ppb, schools and BOCES must take steps to prevent the use of the outlet for drinking or cooking purposes. Action steps include remediation and resampling until testing confirms an outlet is no longer above the action level or designation of the outlet “NOT FOR DRINKING USE,” as specified by New York State guidelines.

School Districts and BOCES are required to report the results of all water testing to the New York State Department of Health, the Rockland County Department of Health, and to post copies of the lab reports of the lead testing results on the school district/BOCES website.

Rockland BOCES is conducting water testing according to the state law. Results of testing are being posted on this page as they become available.

Water Testing Letter 7/26/24 (PDF)

BOCES Educational Resource Center (PDF)

Jesse J. Kaplan School (PDF)

Main Campus (PDF)

Neary-Hilltop School (PDF)

Tappan Zee Elementary (PDF)