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

Within one calendar month of the opening of school, each division must, simultaneously with any other materials customarily distributed at that time, send to the parents of each enrolled student a notice of the Va Code requirements regarding parental responsibility and involvement, a copy of the school division’s standards of student conduct, and a copy of the compulsory school attendance law and the enforcement procedures and policies adopted by the school board. Each parent must sign and return to the student’s school a statement acknowledging receipt of the above materials and each school must maintain records of such signed statements.

The materials sent to parents must include a notice that by signing the statement of receipt, parents expressly reserve their rights protected by the constitutions or laws of the United States or the Commonwealth and that parents have the right to express disagreement with a school’s or school division’s policies or decisions. These policies are referenced in the Student Rights & Responsibilities (formerly the Code of Student Conduct),  the printed calendar (distributed to all households in August), and in the forms required annually for new and returning students.

The superintendent must prepare and distribute notification of the estimated average per pupil cost for public education in the division for the upcoming school year. The notice must also include actual per pupil state and local education expenditures for the previous school year. The notice may include federal funds spent for public education in the division. This figure is reported in our budget and on our “fast facts” page. A hard copy is available upon request.

Parents must be notified annually regarding the academic and career guidance and personal/social counseling programs which are available to their children. The notification must include the purpose and general description of the programs, information regarding ways parents may review materials to be used in guidance and counseling programs at their child’s school and information about the procedures by which parents may limit their child’s participation in such programs.  Families receive this notification through the printed calendar and other materials. To learn more, refer to  Guidance and Counseling Services or Career Assessment, Planning & Placement. You may also contact the school counselor at your school or the Director of Student Services at 245-2400.

Each division must notify the parents of rising eleventh and twelfth grade students of:

• requirements for graduation pursuant to the standards for accreditation, and
• requirements that have yet to be completed by the individual student for graduation.

The division must notify parents of students with disabilities who have an IEP and who fail to meet the graduation requirements of the student’s right to a free and appropriate education to age 21, inclusive.

Graduation requirements are described in the printed calendar distributed to all families in August, as well as in the “Program of Studies” and on the Virginia Department of Education web site. Students meet with school counselors to review their progress toward graduation. Charlottesville City Schools will notify parents of students who fail to graduate or to achieve graduation requirements as provided in the standards for accreditation and who have not reached 20 years of age on or before August 1st of the school year of the right to a free public education. If the student is one for whom English is a second language, the division will notify the parent of the student’s opportunity for a free public education in accordance with Virginia state code.

Students and their parents must be notified of the availability of dual enrollment, advanced placement classes, career and technical education programs, including internships, externships, apprenticeships, credentialing programs, certification programs, licensure programs, and other work-based learning experiences, the International Baccalaureate program and Academic Year Governor’s School Programs. The notification must include the qualifications for enrolling in such classes, programs and  experiences, and the availability of financial assistance to low-income and needy students to take the advanced placement and International Baccalaureate examinations.

Charlottesville High School offers a wide array of dual enrollment and Advanced Placement classes, along with a dual degree program through a partnership with PVCC. In addition, the school also provides credential-bearing classes and the opportunity to pursue internships and workplace experiences.  Students have the option of taking courses at any level while pursuing a high school diploma, and no fees for enrollment or testing are charged to CHS students. Further information is available in the Program of Studies and on our web site on the Charlottesville City Schools Dual Enrollment, Dual Degree, and AP Classes.

Every school board must annually provide information to parents of pupils in grades five through 12 regarding eating disorders. The information must be consistent with guidelines developed by the Virginia Department of Education. Va. Code § 22.1-273.2. More information is available at Virginia Department of Education Eating Disorders Awareness in the Public School Setting (see specifically, “Eating Disorders Parent Information Sheet“). Also refer to the School Health Advisory Board. Information is sent home annually.

Each school’s written procedures to follow in emergencies such as fire, injury, illness and violent- or threatening behavior must be outlined in the student handbook and discussed with staff and students in the first week of each school year. Refer to Charlottesville City Schools Policy Manual, Section E.

School divisions receiving federal funds to provide a language instruction educational program must, not later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year, inform the parents of English learners of the following:

• the reasons for the identification of their child as an English learner and in need of placement in a language instruction educational program
• the child’s level of English proficiency, how such level was assessed, and the status of the child’s academic achievement
• the methods of instruction used in the program in which their child is, or will be participating, and the methods of instruction used in other available programs, including how such programs differ in content, instructional goals, and the use of English and a native language in instruction
• how the program in which their child is, or will be participating, will meet the educational strengths and needs of their child
• how such program will specifically help their child learn English and meet age-appropriate academic achievement standards for grade promotion and graduation
• the specific exit requirements for the program, including the expected rate of transition from such program into classrooms that are not tailored for English learners and the expected rate of graduation from high school (including four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates and extended-year adjusted cohort graduation ra­­tes for such program) if federal funds are used for children in high schools
• in the case of a child with a disability, how such program meets the objectives of the individualized education program of the child
• information pertaining to parental rights that includes written guidance detailing
  • the parents’ right to have their child immediately removed from such program upon their request
  • the options that parents have to decline to enroll their child in such program or to choose another program or method of instruction
  • information pertaining to parental rights that includes written guidance assisting parents in selecting among various programs and methods of instruction, if more than one program or method is offered by the division

For those children who have not been identified as English learners prior to the beginning of the school year, the division must give the notifications listed above to parents within the first two weeks of the child being placed in a language instruction educational program.

In addition, parents of English learners will be notified regarding parental involvement opportunities in the same manner as notice is given regarding other Title I programs.

For more information, parents may refer to the Charlottesville City School Board policy on Limited English Proficient Students, our website’s information about English as a Second Language, or contact Program Director Jeannie Pfautz at 434-245-2421 or PfautzJ1@charlottesvilleschools.org.

The school division’s policy regarding student fees and the fee schedule must be provided to parents annually and posted on the division’s website.

School divisions must provide parents/guardians and adult students annual notice of their rights to inspect and review education records, amend education records, consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information in education records and file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. Refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s& Model Notification of Rights under FERPA for Elementary and Secondary Schools.

School divisions must give notice of the categories of information, if any, which they have designated as directory information. This requirement may be met by providing parents a copy of the division’s FERPA policy (See Policy JO and JO-R).

The division must allow a reasonable period of time after such notice has been given for a parent to inform the division that any or all of the information designated should not be released without the parent’s prior consent.

FERPA and directory information are discussed in the printed calendar distributed to all families in August. Additional information is posted online. Parents/guardians make decisions related to directory information in the forms required of all new and returning students each year.

Each division is required to make its comprehensive plan for the education of gifted students accessible through the division’s website. The division must also ensure printed copies are available to citizens who do not have online access. Find more about our gifted program and its comprehensive plan here.

At the beginning of each school year, every school must provide to students in all grade levels a notice of all requirements for Board of Education-approved diplomas. These requirements are described in the printed calendar mailed to households in August. Refer to Standards of Learning and Requirements.

For any high school credit-bearing course taken in middle school, parents may request that grades be omitted from the student’s transcript and the student not earn high school credit for the course in accordance with policies adopted by the local school board. Notice of this provision must be provided to parents with a deadline and format for making such a request. Information is provided during the course registration process. In addition, refer to Instruction Acceleration.

Each division must give public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths. The notice must be given where such children and youths receive services such as schools, family shelters and soup kitchens. The notice must be in a “manner and form” understandable to homeless students and their parents/guardians, “including, if necessary and to the extent feasible,” in their native language. Information is provided in the printed calendar distributed to all families, posted in schools, and shared with community partners serving the homeless. Refer also to Homeless Education Services.

School divisions are to distribute the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) letter from the Commissioner of Health to parents or guardians or provide the link to the letter on the VDH School Immunization website, in the student handbook, or during orientation. The General Assembly passed legislation that requires the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to provide parents or guardians of rising seventh grade students with information on the HPV and the vaccine that prevents it. If parents or guardians have questions or concerns regarding any vaccine, they should contact their local health care provider for additional information.

Per policies IIA and IIAB, families will be notified about any instructional materials with sexually explicit content. Links to these materials may be found on this page. Parents/guardians may request that their student be provided with alternative instructional material and/or activities.

Every school division that has an Internet website must make its Internet privacy policy statement conspicuously available on its website.  At a minimum, the statement must address

• what information, including personally identifiable information, will be collected, if any;
• whether any information will be automatically collected simply be accessing the web site, and if so, what information;
• whether the web site automatically places a computer file, commonly referred to as a cookie, on the user’s computer, and if so, for what purpose; and
• how the collected information is being used or will be used.

The Charlottesville City Schools statement of web privacy is posted at the bottom of every page of our site; also see policy KBE and regulation KBE-R.

At the beginning of each school year, every school must provide to parents or guardians the learning objectives to be achieved at their child’s grade level. For grade schools, this is described in Charlottesville City Schools’ Instructional Goals and Objectives document.

Parents of children selected to participate in any NAEP assessment must be informed before the administration of any assessment that their child may be excused from participation for any reason, is not required to finish any authorized assessment and is not required to answer any test question.

Parents and members of the public must have access to all assessment data, questions and complete and current assessment instruments of any NAEP assessment except personally identifiable information and questions that may be reused in the future. School divisions must make reasonable efforts to inform parents and the public about their right of access to assessment data. If access is requested in writing, it must be provided within 45 days of the request and be made available in a secure setting that is convenient to both parties.

Charlottesville City Schools complies with these measures.

School divisions are required to notify students, parents, and others that they do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age and are further required to publish the compliance officer for students and employees. Refer to Charlottesville City School’s Equal Educational Opportunities/Nondiscrimination and Prohibition Against Harassment and Retaliation. The nondiscrimination notice and compliance offer information is printed on a “nondiscrimination notice” at the bottom of every page of our web site, on many of the division’s publications, and in required offices. See also our policy against harassment (GBA).

Districts and schools that receive Title I funds  must distribute their parental involvement policy to parents of students in Title I programs. Families are informed in the printed calendar given to all families. Parents may refer to the Charlottesville City Schools Title I Programor contact the Director of Student Services and Achievement at 434-245-2400.

Postsecondary Education and Employment data is published annually by the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. Students have the opportunity to obtain a nationally recognized career readiness certificate at a local public high school, comprehensive community college, or workforce center. The VDOE’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) site provides additional CTE resources.

The PPRA requires school divisions to provide notice of their policy controlling the administration of surveys on certain sensitive topics including political or religious beliefs and behavior involving sex or illegal conduct. Refer to the Administration of Surveys and Questionnaires.

In addition, divisions must also directly notify parents, at least annually at the beginning of the school year, of the specific or approximate dates during the school year when the following activities will occur:

• activities involving the collection, disclosure or use of personal information collected from students for the purpose of marketing or selling that information
• the administration of any survey concerning sensitive information
• any nonemergency, invasive physical examination or screening.

At the beginning of each school year, every school must provide to parents and guardians a copy of the division’s promotion, retention and remediation policies. See Charlottesville City Schools policy IKEC and regulation IKEC-R.  Also, refer to the Remedial and Summer Instruction Program. Find additional material about promotion and retention here.

School boards must provide information developed by the office of the Virginia Attorney General to students regarding laws governing the prosecution of juveniles as adults for the commission of certain crimes. Refer to the Notification Regarding Prosecution of Juveniles as Adults. For more information, also refer to the Charlottesville  City Schools’ Student Rights & Responsibilities (formerly the Code of Student Conduct) and Information about Discipline. The Student Rights & Responsibilities information is given to all households in August.

School boards must annually report to the public the actual pupil/teacher ratios in elementary school classrooms by school and also the actual pupil/teacher ratio in middle school and high schools by school. Refer to the Opening of School Enrollment Update as presented by the Office of Human Resources each September. Reports may be found by searching “opening of student enrollment” in our Electronic School Board.

Divisions must notify parents that they will release the names, addresses and telephone numbers of secondary students to all recruiters or institutions of higher education that request them unless the parents specifically request that this information not be released. Permission is requested in the back-to-school forms. Refer to Student Records for more information.

Divisions that receive Title I funds must prepare and distribute specified information to parents. Federal law refers to the distribution of this information as a “report card.” The Virginia Board of Education uses the term “School Quality Profile.” The Virginia Department of Education now posts the information on its website or for more information on Charlottesville City Schools, refer to Assessment Data. 

Click here to go to the Charlottesville City Schools Quality Report.

A copy of bus rider safety rules shall be sent to parents at the beginning of the school year as part of the “Student Rights & Responsibilities (formerly the Code of Student Conduct).” The information shall include a request that parents or their designee accompany their young children to and from the bus stop. Refer to Student Rights & Responsibilities (formerly the Code of Student Conduct), Student Transportation and School Bus Information or contact Pupil Transportation Supervisor for City of Charlottesville at 434- 970-3532. The printed calendar (sent to all households in August) also requests that parents/guardians (or their designee) are required to escort 1st-graders and younger students to and from the bus.

Each School Board shall annually post information distributed by the Department of Education describing the educational and other services available through the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired to the families of those students who are identified as deaf, hard-of-hearing, or visually impaired. School boards shall annually post this information on the school division’s Web site and inform the parents of those students who are identified as hearing impaired or visually impaired of its availability. School boards shall ensure that packets of such information are available in an accessible format for review by parents who do not have Internet access. Refer to Virginia Department of Education, Sensory Disabilities.

Every school board must annually notify the parents of each student enrolled in the school division of the board’s policy regarding sex offenders and of the availability of information in the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry and the location of the Internet website. For more information, refer to the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry or see CCS policy KN and corresponding regulation KN-R. See also printed calendar.

Each division must, at least annually, conduct a public awareness campaign (also known as a child find program) to inform the community of the rights of persons, ages two to 21, inclusive, to a free appropriate public education and the availability of special education programs and services, to generate referrals, and to explain the nature of disabilities, the early warning signs of disabilities and the need for services to begin early. To learn more, refer to Special Education and Student Services.

At the beginning of each school year, every school must provide to parents or guardians a copy of the Standards of Learning applicable to their child’s grade or course requirements and the approximate date and potential impact of the child’s next SOL testing. Schools distribute this information. Our assessment calendar is posted here. 

Schools that receive Title I funds must provide parents individual reports regarding their student’s level of achievement and academic growth on the state’s academic assessments, if applicable and available, as soon as practicable. The reports must be given in an understandable format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand. Charlottesville City Schools handles these notifications on a case by case basis.

At the beginning of each school year, divisions that receive Title I funds must notify the parents of each student attending schools that receive Title I funds that the parents may request and the division will provide (in a  timely manner) information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including whether the teacher (1) has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction and (2) is teaching under emergency or other provisional status and (3) is teaching in the field and discipline of the teacher’s certification. The notification must also inform parents that they may request information whether their child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications. Charlottesville City Schools handles these notifications on a case by case basis.

At the beginning of each school year, school divisions that receive Title I funds shall notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving Title I funds that the parents may request, and the division will provide (in a timely manner), information regarding any state or division policy regarding student participation in any assessments mandated, including information about the parental right to opt a child out of an assessment, where applicable. Charlottesville City Schools handles these notifications on a case-by-case basis.

In addition, divisions that receive Title I funds shall make widely available through public means (including by posting in a clear and easily accessible manner on the division’s website and, where practicable, on the website of each school in the division, for each grade, information on each assessment required by the state.

• Find assessment information and calendar.

For more information, refer contact the Director of Assessment and Accountability at (434) 245-2400.

Information about Title I schools and their various notifications can be found here. 

Every school division must annually provide educational information to parents of students in grades K though 12 regarding the health dangers of tobacco and nicotine vapor products. For more information, refer to CCS policy IGAG – Teaching about Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco and corresponding regulation KN-R as well as policy JFCH/ GBEC/ KGC – Tobacco Products and Nicotine Vapor Products.

Divisions which have 403(b) retirement plans must notify employees about the plan at least once each year. Information is annual distributed to all staff. Refer to Voluntary Retirement Savings Program and Current Employee Benefits and HR Information.

Each division shall develop and implement a plan to test and, if necessary, remediate potable water from sources identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as high priority for testing, including bubbler-style and cooler-style drinking fountains, cafeteria or kitchen taps, classroom combination sinks and drinking fountains, and sinks known to be or visibly used for consumption. Such plan shall be consistent with guidance published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Health. Each local school board shall submit such testing plan and report the results of any such test to the Department of Health. Each local school board shall take all steps necessary to notify parents if testing results indicate lead contamination that exceeds 10 parts per billion. Find the plan and results here.

Divisions must inform the public about the content and implementation of the local school wellness policy. Divisions must also inform the public about progress toward meeting the goals of the policy and compliance with the policy by making the triennial assessment available to the public in an accessible and easily understood manner.

For more information, see Charlottesville Schools Wellness.

The school board must notify parents of each student enrolled in a middle or high school selected for participation in the survey of student health risk behaviors that their child may be randomly selected to participate in the survey, unless the parent denies consent for the student’s participation in writing prior to administration of the survey. The notice must be in writing and be given at least 30 days prior to administration of the survey. Refer to Administration of Surveys and Questionnaires. Parents have the right to review the survey prior to its administration.

Before the school board approves its budget for submission to the appropriating body, the board must hold at least one public hearing to hear the views of the citizens. Public notice of the hearing will be given at least ten days before the hearing in The Daily Progress newspaper and on the Charlottesville City Schools calendar. For information, see Charlottesville School Budget.

School boards must provide notice that they provide alternatives to animal dissection. This notice may be given in the relevant biological sciences syllabi, student course selection guides or local school division policies or directives. Teachers will also present this option at appropriate times during the year.

The Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States must be posted in a conspicuous place in each school.

A notice must be posted in each school stating the reporting obligations of staff. Refer to Police JHG-GAE, Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting. The notice shall also include the Virginia Department of Social Services’ toll-free child abuse and neglect hotline.

Prior to the adoption of the division’s comprehensive plan or revisions thereto, the plan or revisions must be posted on the division’s Internet website, if practicable, and a hard copy of the plan must be made available for public inspection and copying. Refer to Charlottesville City Schools Strategic Plan.

Each school board must present a report to the public by November 1 of each odd-numbered year on the extent to which the objectives of the division’s comprehensive plan have been met during the previous two school years.

All employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, including school divisions, must post Your Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

• Each employer of 50 or more employees shall post and keep posted, in conspicuous places on the premises of the employer where notices to employees and applicants for employment are customarily posted, the Employee Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Each employer must post, in conspicuous places on the premises of the employer where notices to employees and applicants for employment are customarily posted, a notice prepared or approved by the Secretary of Labor regarding the federal minimum wage law. Refer to the Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The statement “’In God We Trust,’ the National Motto, enacted by Congress in 1956, must be posted in a conspicuous place in each school.

Divisions must post information regarding online courses and programs available through the division on their websites. The information should include the types of online courses and programs available, when the division will pay course fees and other costs for nonresident students. Refer to Charlottesville City Schools Virtual Education.

School Boards must post in a conspicuous location and include in any employee handbook information concerning an employee’s rights to reasonable accommodation for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Such information must also be directly provided to new employees and to any employee within 10 days of such employee’s giving notice to the employer that she is pregnant.

Employers are required to provide employees with notice of their rights, benefits and obligations. Employers may provide the notice by posting Your Rights Under USERRA, where employee notices are customarily placed.

Schools must post all notices related to unemployment insurance furnished by the Virginia Unemployment Commission.

School divisions must post, at a location frequented by employees, notice of compliance with the provisions of the Virginia Workers Compensation Act. Refer to the Workers Compensation Notice