Public Notices

Commitment to Compliance under the Americans With Disabilities Act

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the Ozark School District (“District”) does not discriminate on the basis of disability against qualified individuals with a disability with respect to the District’s services, programs or
activities.
Employment: The District does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices. The District complies with the federal regulations under Title I of the ADA (which governs the application of the ADA in the hiring and employment setting).

Effective Communication: The District will comply with the ADA with respect to providing auxiliary aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in District programs, services, and activities. These aids and services are designed to make information and communications accessible to people who have impairments, in areas such as speech, hearing, and vision. The District will not place a surcharge on a qualified individual with a disability, or any group of qualified individuals with disabilities, to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy (for example, retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but inaccessible to users of wheelchairs).

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a service, program, or activity of the District should contact the respective Compliance Coordinator, whose contact information is listed below. Such contact should be made as soon as possible, but not later than 48 hours before the scheduled event, and, preferably, at least five (5) business days before the event.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The District will make reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy its services, programs, and activities. The ADA does not require the District to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

Complaints that a District service, program, or activity is not accessible to persons with a disability may be directed to the Compliance Coordinator. In addition, as stated in the District’s Notice of Nondiscrimination, a person who is unable to resolve a problem or grievance arising under Title II of the ADA may contact the Office for Civil Rights, Region VII, 8930 Ward Parkway, Suite 2037, Kansas City, MO 64114; (816) 268-0550.

Click for Ozark's Anti-Bullying Policy Here.

Click for the Asbestos Notification doc Here.

PUBLIC NOTICE
Nonpublic School Participation in Services through the
Coronavirus Aide, Relief, and Economic Security
(CARES) Act

Public School District Name	Ozark RVI School District
Public School District Address	1600 W. Jackson St. Ozark MO 65721
Date Issued	May 13, 2020

 

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act into law. The CARES Act is a $2 trillion relief package to address the economic fallout related to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Section 18003 makes funds available from the Education Stabilization Fund for grants to State Education Agencies for elementary and secondary school emergency relief.

Section 18005 of the Act provides that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) receiving funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund must provide equitable services to non-public schools as required under section 1117 of the ESEA. However, control of these funds and title to materials, equipment and property purchased with such funds must remain with the public school district, and be administered by the public LEA. Public school districts will need to consult with non-public school officials to determine how the services will be provided to the non-public schools.

Allowable Uses Applicable to Non-Public Schools
1. Any activity authorized by the ESEA of 1965, including;

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400, et seq.) (“IDEA”),
• The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (34 U.S.C. 463, et seq.),
• The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301, et seq.) (“the Perkins Act”), or
• Subtitle 8 of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431, et seq.).

2. Coordinating the preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies (LEAs) with state and local public health departments and other relevant agencies to improve coordinated responses among such entities to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19.

3. Providing principals and others school leaders with the resources necessary to address
the needs of their individual schools.

4. Developing and implementing activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth through activities that include how outreach and service delivery will meet the needs of each population.

5. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs.

6. Training and professional development for LEA staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.

7. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of the LEA, including buildings operated by such agency.

8. Planning for and coordinating during long-term closures, including how to:

• provide meals to eligible students,
• provide technology for online learning to all students,
• provide guidance for carrying out requirements under the IDEA; and,
• ensure other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all federal, state and local requirements.

9. Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software and connectivity) for students who are served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and students with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.

10. Providing mental health services and supports.

11. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and children in foster care.

 

The CARES Act funds are for the 2019-20 school year and will be available to LEAs for use until September 30, 2022. 

 

While the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a number of nonpublic schools registered for participation in federal programs, there may be additional nonpublic schools that wish to receive an equitable share of services funded by the CARES Act.. Nonpublic schools not registered with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) may contact the Federal Programs Section to participate in the CARES Act services. 

It is important to note that the non-public school will not receive funds, but rather services from the public school district.

If you choose to participate in the services the CARES Act funds offer, the Department will need confirmation from the nonpublic school of their wishes to participate as well as enrollment counts and economic deprivation counts BEFORE June 1, 2020.

If you have questions or concerns, or to submit enrollment counts please contact Julia Cowell, Director of Federal Programs, at Julia.cowell@dese.mo.gov or Theresa Villmer, Equitable Services Ombudsman for the State of Missouri, at Theresa.villmer@dese.mo.gov.

Notification under Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act

 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Ozark School District (“District”), with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, the District may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The District complies fully with FERPA, which affords parents/guardians (“parents”) and students who are at least age 18 (“eligible students”) the following rights:

 

Right to Inspect: Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s “educational records,” as that term is defined under FERPA, within 45 days of the date upon which the District receives a request for access. The District is not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. The District may charge a fee for copies.

 

Right to Prevent Disclosure: Parents or eligible students have the right to prevent disclosure of educational records to third parties with certain limited exceptions. The District will attempt to limit the disclosure of information contained in educational records to those instances when prior written consent has been given for the disclosure. However, upon request, the District will disclose information to officials of other schools in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. The District may also disclose information under the provisions of FERPA that allow disclosure without prior written consent, as well as directory information (unless you have refused to permit such disclosure of directory information), in accordance with FERPA regulations. The District will disclose educational records to school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records. Officials include those persons employed by the District, whether paid or unpaid, as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member, including health or medical staff; persons retained by or under contract to the District to perform a special task, such as an attorney, auditor, etc.; or persons who are employed by the District’s law enforcement unit. School officials have a legitimate educational interest if the officials are: performing a task related to a student’s education; performing a task related to the discipline of a student; providing a service or benefit relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement, or financial aid; or maintaining the safety and security of the campus.

 

Designation of Directory Information: The District has designated certain information contained in the educational records of its students as directory information for purposes of FERPA. The District considers the following to be directory information:

Students in kindergarten through eighth grade

Click for the Board Policy JO-1 Here. 

Student’s name; parent’s name; grade level; participation in school-based activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; honors and awards received; artwork or coursework displayed by the district; and photographs, videotapes, digital images and recorded sound unless such photographs, videotapes, digital images and recorded sound would be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy.

The District may disclose such directory information for any purpose in its discretion without the consent of a parent of a student or an eligible student. Parents of students and eligible students have the right, however, to refuse to permit the designation of any or all of the above information as directory information. In that case, the information will not be disclosed except with the consent of a parent or student, or as otherwise allowed by FERPA. Any parent or student refusing to have any or all of the designated directory information disclosed must file written notification to this effect with the principal of the school which the student attends. In the event a notification of refusal is not filed, the District assumes that neither a parent of a student or an eligible student objects to the release of the directory information designated.

 

Right to Request Amendment: Parents or eligible students have the right to request that the District correct any parts of an educational record believed to be inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of their rights. A parent or eligible student must submit the request to the Director of Special Services, Ozark School District, 302 North 4th Avenue, P.O. Box 166, Ozark, MO 65721.

The request must identify, in writing, the part of the record sought to be corrected and specify why it is inaccurate/misleading. If the District decides not to amend the record, it will notify the parents or eligible student and provide information on the right to a hearing to present evidence that the record should be changed.

 

Right to Complain to FERPA Office: Parents or eligible students have the right to file an external complaint regarding the District’s implementation of FERPA, and such complaint may be filed with the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202.

Public Notice IDEA

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, children who live outside the District but are attending a private school within the District, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, children who are wards of the state and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Ozark School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, mental retardation/intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.

 

The Ozark School District assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.
 

The Ozark School District assures that personally-identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the District to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Ozark School District has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed at the District Office located at 1600 W. Jackson St. between the hours of 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Any inquiries concerning the District’s compliance may be directed to:

Jeff Simpson, Executive Director of Special Services, 1600 W. Jackson St., Ozark, MO 65721, (417) 582-5900, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Or you may contact the Office of Civil Rights, Region VII, 8930 Ward Parkway, Suite 2037, Kansas City, MO 64114; (816) 268-0550

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate. 

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Applicants for admission or employment, students, parents of elementary and secondary school students, employees, sources of referral and applicants for employment, and all professional organizations that have entered into agreements with the Ozark School District (“District”) are hereby notified that the District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. In addition, the District provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups.

Any person having inquiries concerning the District’s compliance with the laws and regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Age Discrimination Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) or the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, is directed to the respective Compliance Coordinator listed below, who oversees the District’s efforts to comply with the laws and regulations implementing the laws and regulations cited above.

The District has established grievance procedures for persons unable to resolve problems arising under the statutes above. The District’s Compliance Coordinator will provide information regarding those procedures upon request.
 

Any person who is unable to resolve a problem or grievance arising under any of the laws and regulations cited above may contact the Office for Civil Rights, Region VII, 8930 Ward Parkway, Suite 2037, Kansas City, MO 64114; telephone (816) 268-0550.
 

Nondiscrimination
Click for the Board Policy AC Here.
 

Compliance Coordinator
Jeff Simpson
Executive Director of Special Services
1600 W. Jackson St.
Ozark, MO 65721
Phone: (417) 582-5900 Fax: (417)
582-5960

Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment Notice

The federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (“PPRA”) affords parents certain rights regarding a school district’s initiation of certain federally funded surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams. These include the right to:

Consent before students are required to submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas (“protected information survey”) if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education: Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent; Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family; Sex behavior or attitudes; Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior; Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships; Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers; Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or parents; or Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility.

Receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of: Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding; any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the District or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student, except for hearing, vision, or scoliosis screenings, or any physical exam or screening permitted or required under State law; and activities involving collection, disclosure, or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others.

Inspect, upon request and before administration or use: Protected information surveys of students; Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes; and Instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum.

These rights transfer to from the parents to a student who is 18 years old or an emancipated minor under State law. The District has adopted policies regarding these rights, as well as arrangements to protect student privacy in the administration of protected information surveys and the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes.
 

The District will notify parents of these policies at least annually at the start of each school year and after any substantive changes. The District will also directly notify, such as through U.S. Mail or email, parents of students who are scheduled to participate in the specific activities or surveys noted below and will provide an opportunity for the parent to opt his or her child out of participation of the specific activity or survey. The District will make this notification to parents at the beginning of the school year if the District has identified the specific or approximate dates of the activities or surveys at that time. For surveys and activities scheduled after the school year starts, parents will be provided reasonable notification of the planned activities and surveys listed below and be provided an opportunity to opt their child out of such activities and surveys. Parents will also be provided an opportunity to review any pertinent surveys. Following is a list of the specific activities and surveys covered under this requirement: Collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for marketing, sales or other distribution; Administration of any protected information survey not funded in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Education; Any non-emergency, invasive physical examination or screening as described above. Individuals who believe their rights under the PPRA have been violated may file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-5920.

• Click for the student discipline Policy JG Here.
• Click for the student discipline Policy JG-R1 Here.
• Click for the student discipline Policy JGA-1 Here.

Click for the Human Sexuality Board Policy Here.