In the morning when it is necessary to close school due to inclement weather or have an unscheduled early dismissal due to forecasted inclement weather for the afternoon, the “Schools Closed” or “Early Dismissal” announcement will be made over the following radio, television stations, websites, Twitter, and text message via our SchoolMessenger communication system.  

             WLAD                 AM      Danbury 800 on the dial

             WINE                  AM      Brookfield         940 on the dial

             WICC                  AM      Bridgeport         600 on the dial

             WEBE                     FM      Bridgeport         108 on the dial

             WEZN                 FM      Bridgeport         100 on the dial

TV Channel 3, TV Channel 8, & TV Channel 6.

Bethel Public Schools Website – www.bethel.k12.ct.us

Connecticut Weather Website – www.ctweather.com

Twitter - @BethelCTSuper

When school is in session for the day and it is necessary to have an unscheduled early dismissal (click for times) due to weather or other emergency an “Early Dismissal” announcement will be made.  You will be notified by our automated message system, SchoolMessenger, via voice, text message, email, and appropriate announcements will be made over the above radio, television stations, websites, and Twitter. 

*Therefore, it is important your contact information is accurate and you update your contact information promptly if this information changes. If during the school year any of your demographic information were to change, you can update it at any point by contacting your child’s school directly.

The SchoolMessenger caller ID for all phone notifications is: (855) 326-1797.

**Please add this number as a contact in your phone so you can easily identify the call is coming from the Bethel Public Schools.

Please Note:  There will be no school activities, including athletics, on days when school is closed due to inclement weather.

For emergency announcements, SchoolMessenger notifications are sent out as soon as decisions are reached. Being on the notification list is not a substitute for monitoring your local media (radio, TV and so on) in situations where a delay in opening or school closing is an obvious possibility (such as when the weather forecast calls for snow). The BPS website, is updated as media calls are made.

Please note, although the district does not charge you for this service, it does not pay for text message charges that may be incurred by you for sending or receiving text messages. Check with your wireless carrier for possible charges. 

SchoolMessenger alert for Text messages

For all NEW parents/guardians: 

Reminder to New BPS Parents/Guardians - SchoolMessenger:

The district uses the SchoolMessenger notification service to send important information to families through phone calls, emails, and text messages.

To comply with wireless carrier requirements and protect against unsolicited text messages, you may receive a text message on the wireless cell phone number which the district has on your file, requesting that you "opt-in" to receive important information from the district via our SMS text messaging service.

The message you receive will come from our 'short code', 67587 and read similar to the following:

"Bethel Public School messages. Reply Y to subscribe or STOP to cancel. Msg&data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. Visit schoolmessenger.com/txt for info"

So that you may continue to receive these important messages, we encourage you to reply with "Y" or "Yes" when you receive such a verification message. If you do not reply, you will not receive any further text messages from our schools.

To opt-out of all text messages from SchoolMessenger, visit http://www.schoolmessenger.com/txtmsg/ or reply with "STOP" to the opt-in message that you receive. If you opt-in, but later decide to opt-out, simply send "STOP" to 67587.  You may also reply "STOP" to any message from our organization.

Please check with your wireless carrier for information about your mobile service plan and any possible charges related to text messaging.  Our organization does not reimburse for any charges associated with sending or receiving text messages. See flyer for details/QR Code.

SchoolMessenger Call-In Message Retrieval

As you know, our automated message system, SchoolMessenger, allows us to communicate important information to parents, guardians, and staff via voice, text message, and email.  Our SchoolMessgenger account now has a Call-in Message Retrieval feature.

The Call-In Message Retrieval feature is a powerful option that allows SchoolMessgenger phone call recipients to dial a toll-free number where they can replay previous phone notifications that they may have missed, or someone else answered the call, in cases where a cell phone call was dropped before the message could be completed, the reception was poor and/or the recipient was unable to understand the message.

The SchoolMessenger caller ID for all phone notifications and Call-In Message Retrieval is:   (855) 326-1797

*Again, please add this number as a contact in your phone so you can easily identify the call is coming from the Bethel Public Schools.

Please Note:  When a recipient wants to call into the system to listen to a message they might have missed, they simply hit re-dial on their phone, and, if their caller ID is not blocked, the system will identify them and play back the most recent 10 calls to that number from the past 30 days - including the time/date that the message was sent.

If the recipient has their caller ID blocked, the system will prompt them to enter the number that received the original call, after which the system will replay the recent messages to that number.

The Bethel Public Schools, as a learning community devoted to the academic and social growth of our children, creates educational opportunities that inspire competence, creativity, teamwork, and a drive to excel. In an environment of trust and respect, high expectations for student performance are evident in the discussions, actions, and policies of the Board of Education. Board of Education policies can be found on our district website. As a way to increase communication about Board of Education policies, we include Board of Education policy updates in this section of our newsletter as they are approved by the Board. You can find the Board of Education policies on the district website at Bethel Board of Education Policies 

Recently Revised/Reviewed Policies & Regulations: 

• Regulation – 5131.911 – District Safe School Climate Plan – 10-21-21 

• Policy/Regulation 5118 - Nonresident Students - 10-21-21 

• Policy/Regulation 1140 - Distribution of Materials- 10-21-21 

• Policy 1170 - Recognition of Citizens, Staff Members, Members of Board of Education, Students- 10-21-21 

• Policy 1312 - Public Relations- 10-21-21 

• Policy 3524.2 Green Cleaning- 10-21-21 

• Policy/Regulation 5141.3 - Health Assessment and Immunizations - 10-21-21 

• Policy 5131.911 - Bullying & Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Intervention - 11-18-21

• Policy/Regulation 1220 - Citizens Advisory Committee- 12-16-21

• Regulation 1221 - Citizens Advisory Committee for the BOE- 12-16-21

• Policy 1331 - Smoking in School Facilities- 12-16-21

• Policy 1411 - Law Enforcement Agencies- 12-16-21

• Policy/Regulation 4118.231 Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco-Free Workplace - 12-16-21

• Policy 2232 - Electronic Records and Information - 2-15-22 

• Regulation 2232 - Electronic Records and Information - 2-15-22 

• Policy 5141.231 - Chemical Health Policy for Student-Athletes - 2-15-22 

• Regulation 5111 - Admission - 3-24-22

• Policy 1416 - Fiscal Authorities  4-21-22

• Policy 1700 - Otherwise Lawful Possession of Firearms on School Property  - 4-21-22

• Policy 2000 - Concept and Roles in Administration  - 4-21-22

• Policy 2111 - Equal Employment Opportunity - 4-21-22

• Policy 2112 - Professional Learning - 4-21-22

• Policy 2113 - Grievance Procedures - Title IX -  deleted 4-21-22

• Policy 2130 - Job Descriptions - 5-19-22

• Policy & Regulation 2131 - Superintendent of Schools - 5-19-22

• Policy 2141 - Recruitment and Retention of the Superintendent of Schools - 5-19-22

• Policy 2142 - Evaluation of the Superintendent - 5-19-22

• Policy 6162.52 - Student Privacy (PPRA) - 6-21-22

• Policy 6162.51 - Student Surveys (deleted) replaced with Policy 6162.52 - Student Privacy (PPRA) - 6-21-22

• Policy 6141.51 - Enrollment in an Advanced Course or Program and Challenging Curriculum - 6-21-22

Welcome Back to a new school year with new programs on BEtv!

Stay tuned to watch Live Stream, Broadcasts, and On Demand here

https://sites.google.com/bethel.k12.ct.us/betv/home

School Resource Officer's Program Goals & Objectives

Assignment of a uniformed law enforcement officer to a school by the Police Department to work in cooperation with the school administrators, students, staff, parents, and community members in the following areas:

1. Law Enforcement - To help maintain a safe and secure environment that will be conducive to learning. To help prevent crime and violence in our schools and on our school grounds. To help decrease criminal offenses committed against persons and property in and around schools and to help enhance overall safety

2. Education- Counseling - To promote positive attitudes regarding the police role in society and to inform students of their rights and responsibilities as lawful citizens. To help students learn more about the law and the criminal justice system

3. Law Enforcement - Education - To establish a liaison with school personnel in a cooperative effort to prevent disruptive or violent behaviors.

4. School Official - SRO’s are considered school officials in the capacity of district and school safety.

We would like you to meet our School Resource Officer Team for 2022-2023

Our School Resource Officer's biographies can be found on our website at BPS Resource Officers

The Board of Education complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws prohibiting the exclusion of any person from any of its educational programs or activities, or the denial to any person of the benefits of any of its educational programs or activities because of race, color, religion, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, alienage, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, or gender identity or expression, subject to the conditions and limitations established by law. It is the policy of the Board that any form of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, alienage, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, or gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law is prohibited, whether by students, Board employees or third parties subject to the control of the Board. The Board’s prohibition of discrimination or harassment in its educational programs or activities expressly extends to academic, nonacademic, and extracurricular activities, including athletics. It is also the policy of the Board to provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics such as race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, alienage, disability (including pregnancy), veteran status, or gender identity or expression. 

Title IX District Coordinator: Dr. Kristen Brooks, Assistant Superintendent, 203-794-8613   1 School Street, Bethel, CT 06801 

Section 504 District Coordinator:  Dr. Christine Sipala, Director of Special Education & Pupil Services,  203-794-8616 , 1 School Street, Bethel, CT 06801