Charlottesville City Schools

Each school division must annually notify parents, employees and other building occupants about asbestos inspections, response actions, and post-response action activities. View a copy of the Charlottesville City Schools annual AHERA/asbestos notification here.

All Charlottesville City School Division buildings are inspected according to state and federal regulations to identify all known and assumed asbestos-containing building materials (ACBMs). For any location that may need additional inspection or response action, parents/guardians will be notified by the Chief Operating Officer. For questions about asbestos inspections, call 434-245-2400.

• Annual asbestos notification (sometimes referred to as the AHERA letter).

School Division Policies and Regulations

Each division must make an annual announcement at the beginning of the school year advising the public that current copies of all division policies and regulations are available on the division’s website. The announcement should also state that printed copies of school division policies and regulations are available to citizens who do not have online access. Charlottesville City Schools policies are available online, and printed copies can be requested at any city school or school office.

Upon approval of the school division’s budget by the appropriating body every year, the school board must publish the approved annual budget, in line-item form, including the estimated required local match, on the division’s website. Charlottesville City School’s budget information can be found here. A copy is also available in school offices.

Each division which participates in the Free and Reduced Price Meals and Free Milk in Schools program must notify parents and the public about their programs.

Parents of all children in attendance at school must receive a notice containing an
application form and the following information:

•  eligibility criteria for benefits
• application procedures
•  an explanation that an application for benefits cannot be approved unless it contains complete documentation including, for households applying on the basis of income and household size
  •  names of all household members
  •  income received by each household member, identified by source
    of the income (such as earnings, wages, welfare, pensions, support
    payments, unemployment compensation and social security and
    other cash income)
  •  the signature of an adult household member
  •  the social security number of the adult household member who signs the application or an indication that he/she does not possess a social security number
•  an explanation that households with children who are members of currently identified food stamp, FDPIR (food distribution program for households on Indian reservations) or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
  households may submit an abbreviated application for benefits for those children with the following information: the child’s name and appropriate food stamp or TANF case number or FDPIR case number or other identifier and the name and signature of an adult household member
• an explanation that the information on the application may be verified at any time during the school year
• how a household may apply for benefits at any time during the school year as circumstances change
• a statement to the effect that children having parents or guardians who become unemployed are eligible for free or reduced price meals or for free milk during the period of unemployment if the loss of income causes the household income during the period of unemployment to be within the eligibility criteria
• a statement to the effect that in certain cases foster children are eligible for free or reduced price meals or free milk regardless of the income of the household with whom they reside and that households wishing to apply for such benefits for foster children should contact the school the statement: “In the operation of child feeding programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age or disability”
•  an explanation that Head Start enrollees and foster, homeless, migrant, and runaway children are categorically eligible for free meals and free milk and their families should contact the school for more information
•  how a household may appeal the decision on the application; and
• a statement that Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) participants may be eligible for free or reduced price meals

The public notification must be made at the beginning of each school year. It must contain the same information given to parents and must be provided to the informational media, the local unemployment office and to any major employers contemplating large layoffs in the area from which the school draws its attendance.

The public announcement must contain a copy of the letter or notice sent to parents.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s document entitled Eligibility Manual for School Meals contains an explanation of the required notices. The document also contains a chart describing to whom, and under what conditions, information regarding free and reduced eligibility status may be disclosed.

In addition, schools must post a report of the most recent food safety inspection in a publicly visible location. A copy of the inspection report must be provided to members of the public upon request.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) directs divisions which participate in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program to have a written and clearly communicated system to address meal charges in place.  The USDA directs the division’s system regarding unpaid meal charges to be delivered to all households at the start of the school year and to households that transfer into the school division during the school year.

Information about free/reduced lunch applications are posted on the web, given to media, and distributed to parents in August. The application is available online and on paper. Our policy about school meals and snacks (JHCH) establishes that students with an unpaid balance will be allowed to make lunch choices from the posted school menu. For additional information, see the nutrition page on our website.