December 21, 2023
To Our Utica City School District Community:
In an effort to increase transparency while avoiding confusion and misinformation, we would like to address some questions that have come to our district over the past few weeks. Our goal is to provide as much clarity as possible and remind our community of our policies and procedures that ensure timely and effective communication.
Board Meetings – Where to Watch
● We post notices about our Board of Education meetings, including agendas and links to live streams, on our website and social media. We encourage our Utica City School District community to take an active role and attend our meetings in person or virtually.
● If you wish to speak at a Board of Education meeting, please review our UCSD Policy Manual, Section 2000, document 2306, “Public Expression At Meetings,” on our website.
Who To Contact for Specific Concerns
● If you have questions or issues related to your child’s class, curriculum, or general day-to-day inquiries, the recommended first point of contact is your student’s teacher or principal.
● Our organizational chart on our website will guide you on whom to contact for different types of questions, helping you avoid unnecessary delays that might occur if you go directly to the district office as we try to route your question or obtain the correct information.
FOIL Process – Requesting Documents
● We want to emphasize the process community members can engage in when requesting documents from the school district.
● In New York State, the FOIL policy outlines the process for requesting documents from the school district. It includes the right to access public records unless exempt, the need for written requests, specific response times, exemptions, an appeals process, potential fees, a designated Records Access Officer, and the publication of rules and regulations.
● For more details, please refer to our UCSD Policy Manual, Section 1000 Community Relations, Document 1300.1.
Transportation – Addressing Busing Concerns
● We recognize the issues with our bus schedule and are working to resolve them in collaboration with an outside vendor, following all legal protocols.
● We are handling individual complaints as they come in, and we suggest parents contact our Transportation Department directly with any issues. For after-hours communication, use transportation@uticaschools.org.
● Regarding our busing system as a whole, please be assured that our operations are fully compliant with state requirements, using the Versa Tran digital routing system. This system adheres to New York State Education Department standards and protects our Utica City School District students’ personal data, unlike some commercial systems used by entities like Uber or Grub Hub.
● The shortage of qualified bus drivers is a statewide issue, impacting many districts, not just ours. We’re focusing on finding solutions to these broader challenges beyond just GPS and routing concerns. We have been training our bus monitors to become drivers. Over this next month, we will have five additional drivers ready to go! The district is also doing a rolling recruitment for additional drivers.
Fundraising – Clarifying Policy
● We are prohibited from hosting any fundraising event that sells any food and beverage that doesn’t meet the nutritional requirements outlined in the federal Smart Snacks in School rule at any time during the school day. We also cannot raise money for outside organizations during school hours.
Privacy Laws – Information Disclosure Limitations
● We often receive questions requesting information about particular students or staff members.
● Privacy laws often prohibit us from releasing information about our students, as well as from responding to employment inquiries regarding our staff from outside parties.
Ensuring Open Communication and Protecting Staff Rights in Our District
● We also want to address questions about potential retribution for staff who share concerns.
● We encourage our staff to speak with their principals or union representatives about any relevant issues. These representatives can, in turn, speak for them with our leadership team.
● Collective bargaining agreements protect unions in our district, and within those agreements is a due process clause to ensure no retaliation takes place.
● If a staff member goes outside the chain of command regarding student or employee concerns and releases confidential information outside of the workplace, they are running the risk of violating FERPA and individual employee rights.
● We take privacy and security seriously in this district. If any employee fears reprisal or retaliation based on their complaints, you can go directly to Sara Klimek, our Human Resource Chief, to discuss it safely and confidentially.
● We recommend that parents/guardians notify us of issues and direct questions to our Utica City School District staff and administration. We have parent liaisons and staff members in place to assist our community with a myriad of questions and concerns. Following the proper channels will help us find solutions and move the district forward in a more straightforward and positive way.
Chromebooks – Policy on Student Use
● We do not assign Chromebooks to each individual student.
● We have sets of Chromebooks assigned to each class, and they remain in the classroom.
● If a student has mitigating circumstances requiring access to a Chromebook at home, they will work out a loan agreement with the school and their parents/guardians.
● Please contact your school’s main office if you have questions about this policy.
Disposal of Assets – Process and Procedures
● We received a question about how we dispose of our out-of-use assets in the district, including electronics, furniture, vehicles, etc.
● First, our Board of Education will review the reports from our leadership teams about obsolete or surplus assets.
● Once the board has approved their removal, depending on the asset, we’ll either auction it off using the service Auction International or, in the case of electronics, we’ll recycle it with the Regional Information Center, which is responsible for helping us safely and securely wipe the data from each device.
Committee Structure – Ensuring Diversity
● We have several committees across the district that help us gather multiple points of view and work to collaboratively determine the best path forward for our students, staff, and district.
● We want to clarify how these committees, specifically our Counseling Committee, are staffed.
● The Counseling Committee is made up of Utica City School District employees and school board members and includes a parent representative who has no affiliation with our Board of Education. It’s an important voice we respect and need on committees like these.
We always appreciate our community asking questions about the day-to-day business of our district, as we are committed to transparency.
However, we encourage everyone to follow proper protocols and channels to ensure a timely response.
Rest assured, even if we cannot share specific details, our leadership team actively addresses all issues raised. Oftentimes, our administrative team is limited on what can be shared publicly due to litigation, privacy laws, and contract and employment matters. Just because you don’t hear the district talking about an issue doesn’t mean we’re not aware of it and are actively working behind the scenes towards a solution.
Misinformation can take various forms, ranging from unfounded rumors to false statements that are spread without proper verification.
While freedom of speech is a fundamental right, it is equally essential that we, as a community, prioritize the dissemination of accurate and reliable information.
On behalf of the entire Board of Education, we wish all of our Utica City School District families a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!
Kind regards,
