8/12/2019 Schenectady City School District Statement
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Schenectady City School District108EducationDrive
Schenectady,NY 123031238
CENTRALOFFTele: 518.370.81
Fax: 518.370.81
Web: www.schenectady.k12.ny
EverybodyCounts;EverybodyLearns
BOARDOFEDUCATION
CatherineA.Lewis,President JohnFoley,VicePresidentAndyChestnut
EdKosiur RonaldC.Lindsay CherylNechamen AnnM.Reilly
OFFICEOF
THESUPERINTENDEN
LaurenceT.SpringSuperintendent
PatriciaPaserAssistantto
theSuperintenden
ContactKarenCorona,PublicInformationOfficer
SchenectadyCitySchoolDistrict
Office: 5183708100X40137
Cell: 5188585610
eMail: [email protected]
March132014
STATEMENT & ACCOUNT OF EVENTS
Regarding Howe Kindergarten student
who spent the day in the wrong school
Late yesterday afternoon, Schenectady City School District
administration
received a phone call from the parent of a Howe kindergarten
student who
was concerned because her child did not come home on the school
bus.
District administration immediately advised the mother to call
the police who
began to investigate at once. A short time later, after the
school day ended,
district administration learned that the student was at Yates
school, the wrongschool. She arrived in the morning and had spent
the entire school day there.
A series of events led to the student arriving and spending the
day at the
wrong school including the fact that the student misled school
administrators
and teachers by assuming the identity of a new student, one whom
the school
was expecting.
We are very happy that the student was located and is fine. That
is most
important, said Superintendent Larry Spring. While the student
did
impersonate another student, which didnt raise any red flags,
the situation
has brought to light some other serious issues that need to be
addressed on
our end. These include making it very clear to parents what bus
their
children should board each day, improving the communication
between
substitute bus drivers and the school, an identification process
for new
students at school as well as communication with parents when
students dont
show up to school.
8/12/2019 Schenectady City School District Statement
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Spring said some of the confusion could have been avoided at the
start of the day when the
student boarded the wrong bus which was driven by a substitute
driver. It can be
confusing for both the bus driver and the parents when different
buses with different
destinations pick up kids at the same stop, said Spring. We are
exploring ways to help
make it clear to parents which bus their child should be riding
each day, regardless of whois driving. He said it is also important
for bus drivers to know who rides their bus each day
and how they will communicate with the school if they learn that
a child, who should not be
on the bus, is aboard. Its about putting a more effective
communication system into
place, said Spring. We have to know where the kids are.
When the kindergartener arrived at Yates, she was asked by name,
if she was the new
student who had not yet been to the school. She confirmed that
she was. Yates school
began the intake process at which time the student continued to
assume the identity of a
student who had not arrived yet. She responded by name and by
writing that students
name on papers throughout the day.
Yes, she misled staff in the school, said Spring. While that was
wrong, we have to
remember that she is a kindergartener who was alone.
Usually a new student is accompanied by a parent on the first
day in a new school. This
student however, got off the bus and confirmed that she was
someone who she wasnt.
While the district has not had issues like this in the past, in
light of this incident, Spring said
changes will be made when a new student arrives for the first
time. We will be taking a
close look at our school intake process and develop a system to
ensure the identification of
any new students as they enter the schools, said Spring. There
was a series of events,
that while unusual, we should have discovered where this child
was.
School and district administration have both been in contact
with the childs mother todiscuss the issues and talk about her
concerns.
We regret that Ms. Rodriguez spent yesterday afternoon worrying
about her child, said
Spring. I understand her concerns. Right now, we are taking a
look at every angle, from
the school bus stop in the morning , ensuring a student is who
they say they are when they
walk through the door for the first time and the ride home.
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