State Mandated Immunization Requirements for Attendance
Effective October 2015
Beginning the Fall of 2016, all students must meet immunization requirements to attend or they must
have a proper exemption on file.
The 2015 Montana Legislature has revised school immunization requirements for school attendance. The law effective October 1, 2015, requires students attending school be vaccinated against varicella disease (chickenpox) and receive a booster of pertussis vaccine before entering 7th grade. The district has provided several notices of these immunization requirements during the prior school year.
EXISTING REQUIREMENTS:
• DTaP/DTP – 4 vaccinations before entering kindergarten with at least one of these being given after the 4th birthday.
• Polio (IPV/OPV) – 3 vaccinations before entering kindergarten with at least one of these being given after the 4th birthday.
• MMR (Measles/Mumps/Rubella) – 2 vaccinations before entering kindergarten with the first shot being given after the first birthday.
NEW VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS:
• Varicella (chickenpox) – Students in kindergarten through 12th grade will need to have two doses of varicella vaccine or laboratory evidence of immunity/confirmation of disease. Diagnosis or verification of varicella/herpes zoster disease in past by health care provider.
• Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) – Will be required for students prior to attending 7th grade. Students currently in grades 8-12 who have not yet received their Tdap will require a single dose. There has been a booster shot required before entering 7th grade for years but the requirement did not include the pertussis portion of the vaccination. Your child may have received a booster before 7th grade, but unless it included
the pertussis portion of the shot they will still need to receive an additional vaccination.
It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to provide the school with proof of the required vaccinations. In order for your
child to attend school, all vaccinations must be up to date.
If you have any questions please contact:
School Nurse Connie Johnson @777-5481, Ext: 3333 or Ravalli Co. Public Health Dept. @ 375-6670
Asbestos Notice
Uncontrolled asbestos contamination in buildings can be a significant environmental and public health problem. Both the public and private sectors have been dealing with asbestos issue for many years. In 1986, the Congress enacted the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) primarily to require school districts to identify asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in their school buildings and take appropriate actions to
control the release of asbestos fibers. In 1987, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency finalized a regulatory program which enforces the AHERA mandate. A copy of the Asbestos Management Plan is available for your review during regular office hours. Mr. David Haacke is designated as the Asbestos Program Coordinator and all inquiries regarding the plan should be directed to him.
David Haacke, Stevensville School District #2
Maintenance Department
300 Park Avenue
Stevensville, Montana 59870
406-777-7346 Fax: 406-258-1244
School Meals Pricing Program
Children need healthy meals to learn. Stevensville Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast cost is $1.25; lunch cost is $2.25 K-5, $2.50 grades 6-12 and $2.75 for adults. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. Reduced-price is $.30 for breakfast, $.40 for lunch. To apply for free or reduced-price meals, use the Free and Reduced-Price School Meals Application, which is enclosed in this Newsletter. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Only one (1) application per family is required. Return the completed application to: Nicole Sylvester, 300 Park Avenue, Stevensville, MT 59870, 406-777-5481, Ext. 3320.
Here are answers to questions you may have about applying:
1. One Application per Family! Families only need to fill out one application per family, not one per student. If you are on the SNAP program all that needs to be submitted to the Superintendent’s office is the Letter from the state of Montana stating that you are participating in the SNAP program that goes out to all SNAP families.
2. Who can get free or reduced-price meals? Children in households getting Food Stamps, TANF, or FDPIR, and most foster children can get free meals regardless of your income. Also, if your household income is within the limits on the Federal Income Chart, your children can get free or reduced-price meals.
3. Will the information I give be checked? Yes, we may ask you to send written proof of the information you give.
4. If I don’t qualify now, may I apply again later? Yes. You may apply or re-apply at any time during the school year if your household size goes up, income goes down, or if you start getting Food Stamps, TANF, or FDPIR.
5. What if I disagree with the school’s decision about my application? You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Superintendent Dave Thennis, 300 Park Avenue, Stevensville, MT, 777-5481.
If you have other questions or need help, call Nicole Sylvester, 777-5481, Ext. 3320.
Title I Notice
Parents may request and the district will provide the following information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers: Whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction; whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; the baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certificate or degree; and/or whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications. For more information on the Title programs, please contact Superintendent Dave Thennis.
Equal Education/Employment Opportunity Policy
As required by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1971, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act, and the Boy Scouts Act, the Stevensville School District #2 is committed to equal access and a program of equal opportunity for education employment, and participation in school activities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, age, handicap or national origin. For more information regarding Section 504, Title II, Title IX and the Age Act, or to file a complaint, contact District Superintendent, Dave Thennis.
Special Education & 504 Services
Stevensville Public Schools provide Special Education and 504 Services (resource room, self-contained speech therapy, home-bound and psychological services). By state and federal mandate, services will be provided for all handicapping conditions of students between the ages of 3 and 18, inclusive. If you have any questions, please contact Stevensville Primary Principal, Jessica Shourd, Middle School Principal, Tracey Rogstad, or High School Principal, Eric Larson.
School Records
In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Stevensville Public School District #2 may grant access to or release information from student records without prior written consent to school officials with a legitimate educational interest in the information. A school official is a person employed by the District in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or support staff position (including, but not limited to administrators, teachers, counselors, paraprofessionals, coaches, and bus drivers), and the board of trustees. A school official has a legitimate educational interest in student education information when the official needs the information in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the district.
The District guarantees parents the right to inspect, review, and opportunity for hearing to challenge their child’s school records. Request for review should be submitted in writing to the building principal in which the student attends. Parents have the right to file a complaint with the DOE. It is the intent of Stevensville Public Schools to continue to release certain information on its pupils to the news media that is generally public information, such as athletic performances, honor roll, honor awards, student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, awards received, photographs, grade level, enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate; full-time or part-time), degrees, most recent educational agency
or institution attended, and other information generally found in the yearbook without the consent of parents. Any material not pertinent to a student’s file will be removed. The school will select and include only information, which can assist the student with academic, personal, social and vocational decisions. Any parent(s)/guardian(s) or eligible student may prohibit the release of any or all of the above information by delivering written objection to the building principal within thirty (30) days of the date of this notice (Board Policy 3600F). Stevensville School Board policy #3600 dictates the guidelines for student records. A copy of the policy is available at the Superintendent’s office or at www.stevensvilleschools.org.
Protection of Pupil Rights
Stevensville School District protects pupil information and confidentiality. The District does not sell or market personal student information. The District, however, is not prohibited from collecting, disclosing, or using personal information collected from students for the exclusive purpose of developing, evaluating, or providing educational products or services for, or to, students or educational institutions such as the following:
1. College or other post-secondary education recruitment or military recruitment;
2. Book clubs, magazines, and programs providing access to low-cost literary products;
3. Curriculum and instructional materials used by elementary schools and secondary schools;
4. Tests and assessments to provide cognitive, evaluative, diagnostic, clinical, aptitude, or achievement information about students (or to generate other statistically useful data for the purpose of securing such tests and assessments) and the subsequent analysis and public release of the aggregate data from such tests and assessments (individual data is not released);
5. The sale by students of products or services to raise funds for school-related or education- related activities;
6. Student recognition programs
McKinney-Vento Homeless Act
If your family lives in any of the following situations: 1. in a shelter, 2 in a motel or campground due to lack of
alternative adequate accommodation, 3 in a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, or 4 double up with
other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship, your school-age children may qualify for certain rights
under the federal McKInney-Vento Act. Eligible children have the right to receive a free and appropriate public
education regardless of their enrollment eligibility. For further information and eligibility please contact elementary
principal Jessica Shourd, or your building principal.
Notice of Release of Directory
Information to Military Recruiters, the federal No Child Left Behind Act and the National Defense Authorization Act
of 2002 require high schools to provide to military recruiters, upon request, access to secondary school students’
directory information. In accordance with those Acts, military recruiters are entitled to receive the name, address,
and telephone listing of students. If you do not wish the Stevensville School District to release your child’s name,
addresses, and phone number, please stop by the high school office to fill out the proper form. This notice must be
filed each year.