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School districts are required by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to make sure students, families, and employees know about their rights to helps families and staff know how to resolve concerns at the local level.
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Assessments
Please visit our assessment page.
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Attendance
Detailed attendance information is provided in the Parent Handbook.
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Child Find and Special Services
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires all school districts to identify, locate and evaluate all children with disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities.
For children ages 3–5: If you think your preschool child may have a significant delay in communication, motor, social and/or problem solving skills, please contact the Special Education department at 360-473-1008.
For children ages 5-12: If you live within the Bremerton School District boundaries and are concerned that your child may have a disability, please contact the Special Education department at 360-473-1008.
More information on our Child Find program is available on our Child Find web page. -
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."
Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools are 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. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information. •
Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
- School officials with legitimate educational interest;
- Other schools to which a student is transferring;
- Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
- Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
- Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
- Accrediting organizations;
- To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
- Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
- State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law. Schools may disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance.
However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school. For additional information, you may call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (voice). Individuals who use TDD may use the Federal Relay Service. Or you may contact us at the following address: Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202-8520.
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Free and Reduced Lunch Program
Qualifying students are eligible for free or reduced priced breakfasts and lunches. Free/reduced applications will be sent to all families at the beginning of the school year. Applications can also be obtained at any time during the school year at your child's school office or by calling 360-473-4717.
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Highly Capable Program
The Bremerton School District is committed to serving the needs of all students. Students may be served in their home school, in a self-contained elementary program, or by participating in Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the secondary schools. Teachers design lessons to add depth and complexity to the curriculum to keep our highly capable students working on the outer edges of their abilities. Evaluations are administered between January and April each year by a designated school psychologist who schedules a battery of cognitive and academic tests to determine eligibility.
Students must qualify in a least one academic area and on an assessment of cognitive abilities. Following the assessment process, a multi-selection committee will review the information to determine who is eligible for the program. Students who qualify will be invited to join the self-contained program at the elementary level or work with their child’s school to develop a student learning plan. If a student transfers to the Bremerton School District with a highly capable label from a previous school district, that students records will be reviewed by the multi-selection committee to determine eligibility in the Bremerton School District.
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Harassment/Intimidation/Bullying Statement
The Bremerton School District strives to provide students with optimal conditions for learning by maintaining a school environment where everyone is treated with respect and no one is physically or emotionally harmed.
In order to ensure respect and prevent harm, it is a violation of district policy for a student to be harassed, intimidated, or bullied by others in the school community, at school-sponsored events, or when such actions create a substantial disruption to the educational process. The school community includes all students, school employees, school board members, contractors, unpaid volunteers, families, patrons, and other visitors. Student(s) will not be harassed because of their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, mental or physical disability, or other distinguishing characteristics.
Any school staff who observes, overhears, or otherwise witnesses harassment, intimidation or bullying or to whom such actions have been reported must take prompt and appropriate action to stop the harassment and to prevent its reoccurrence. Please review the following policy and procedure regarding harassment, intimidation and bullying.
If you have any questions or concerns about the policy or procedures, please contact the District Compliance Officer, Patty Glaser, Supervisor of School Safety & Support. You can email patty.glaser@bremertonschools.org or call 360-473-1003.
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McKinney-Vinto: Students Experiencing Homelessness
To the extent practical and as required by law, the District will work with homeless students and their families to provide them with equal access to the same free, appropriate education (including public preschool education) provided to other students. Special attention will be given to ensuring the identification, enrollment and attendance of homeless student’s not currently attending school, as well as mitigating education barriers to their academic success. Additionally, the District will take reasonable steps to ensure that homeless students are not stigmatized or segregated in a separate school or in a separate program within a school on the basis of their homeless status.
Homeless students will be provided District services for which they are eligible, including Head Start and comparable preschool programs, Title I, similar state programs, special education, bilingual education, vocational and technical education programs, gifted and talented programs, and school nutrition programs.
Please contact Linda Sullivan-Dudzic, Director of Special Programs if you need assistance. She can be reached at 360-473- 1061 or linda.sullivan@bremertonschools.org.
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Non-Discrimination Notice
The Bremerton School District complies with all federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. This holds true for all students who are interested in participation in educational programs and/or extra-curricular school activities. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the District’s Title IX/RCW 28A.640 Officer and ADA Coordinator, Garth Steedman, at 360-473-1031, email garth.steedman@bremertonschools.org or the Section 504 Coordinator, John Welsh, at 360-473-4400, email john.welsh@bremertonschools.org. Mailing address: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA 98312.
Bremerton School District, in accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (Title 8, U.S. Code, Section 1324A), will hire only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States: therefore, all new employees will be required to complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9), issued by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. New hires are required to produce documentation that establishes one's identity and authorization to work in the United States.
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Requests for Public Information
In 2004, the Washington State Legislature passed a law requiring school districts to annually notify parents of their right to request public information about their school district. If you would like to make a Public Disclosure Request, please review our process and policies here.
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School Performance Report
OSPI produces a school performance report (or “report card”) for each school in the District with the following information:
- School performance information & data
- District graduation rates
- Teacher qualifications
- Spending per student
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Data on Kindergarten Readiness (WaKIDS)
- Discipline rates
- Scores, trends, and participation rates for the Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF)
- And more!
The report card summary with a link to the full report on the OSPI website is included on each school’s website, under the “About Us” section. You can also view your child’s school Report Card on the OSPI website. Type in your school’s zip code to find your school. Paper copies are also available by contacting 360-473-1077. -
Sexual Harrassment & Discrimination
The District’s sexual harassment policy and discrimination complaint procedure is outlined in detail in the Parent Handbook.
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Special Education Services
The District offers special education and related services to students who have a disability that creates an adverse impact on educational performance and requires specially designed instruction. Information is available here.
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Teacher Qualifications
Parents of each student may request information on the professional qualifications of their child’s teacher at any time. General teacher information is provided in each school’s Annual Performance Report on each school’s website. For individual teacher qualifications, please contact the Human Resources Office at 360-473-1021.
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Title I Parent and Family Engagement
The board recognizes that parent and family engagement helps students participating in Title I programs achieve academic standards. To promote parent and family engagement, the board adopts the following policy, which describes how the district will involve parents and family members of Title I students in developing and implementing the district’s Title I programs. The policy (4130) can be found, here. A hard copy of the policy is available by calling 360-473-1077. Additional Title 1 and Learning Assistance Program (LAP) information can be found here.