Health & Safety

What is West Brooklyn doing to keep the community safe?


How will West Brooklyn deal with any cases of COVID-19?

Example of Response to Student Illness:

Stay home if sick: Students and staff should stay home if they show any symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses and get tested for COVID-19. 

Student Immunization Requirements

June 2023

Dear Parent or Guardian,

New York City has updated the school immunization requirements for the 2023-2024 school year. Vaccines protect children from getting and spreading diseases; they are required to attend school. 


Before the school year begins, you must submit proof of immunization or blood test results that show immunity (see below) for your child if they are attending childcare or school. All students in childcare through grade 12 must meet the requirements for: 


• The DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis), poliovirus, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), varicella and hepatitis B vaccines. 


Children under age 5 who are enrolled in childcare and prekindergarten (pre-K) must also meet the requirements for:


 • The Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b) and PCV (pneumococcal conjugate) vaccines. 

• The influenza (flu) vaccine: children must receive the flu vaccine by December 31, 2023 (preferably, when it becomes available in early fall). 


Children in grades 6 through 12 must also meet the requirements for: 

• The Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis) booster and MenACWY (meningococcal conjugate) vaccines. 

Blood tests that show immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, or hepatitis B also meet the requirements (polio labs only if done before September 2019). 


Please take the time this summer to review your child’s immunization history with your child’s healthcare provider. Their provider can tell you whether additional doses of one or more vaccines are required for your child to attend childcare or school this year. 

Please note: If your child received doses of vaccine BEFORE the minimum age (too early), those doses do NOT count toward the number of doses needed. 

If you have questions about these 2023-2024 requirements, please contact your childcare center or school’s administrative office. 


Sincerely,

Cheryl Lawrence, MD, FAAP 

Medical Director Office of School Health 


Emergency Readiness


Dear Parents,


I am writing to provide you with information about the Department of Education’s Emergency Readiness Initiatives that are in place in all NYC Public Schools. 


Every school currently has procedures for emergencies. In 2000, New York State Education Law Section 2801 was enacted requiring schools to develop safety plans regarding emergency response. In July of 2001, the law was amended to require that plans include information for evacuation and sheltering. In accordance with this, “schools need to conduct drills and other exercises to test components of the emergency response plan.” 


School staff members are trained in various procedures that are outlined in the School Safety Plan and we currently conduct a variety of drills throughout the year to prepare our staff and students. Section 807 of the New York State Education Law requires all schools to conduct a minimum of 12 fire drills each year. Section 917 of the State Education Law states that schools are required to provide and maintain automated external defibrillator (AED) equipment, and drills are conducted during the year to assess the use of AED units in an emergency. In accordance with Section 3623 of the State Education Law, drills are also conducted at schools that focus on safety on a school bus.


 In addition to conducting these types of drills, our school has a Building Response Team that is trained to activate and respond to different incidents that may occur at our school. Under the new General Response Protocol (GRP), every school will be conducting specific drills designed to help prepare all school communities for three different types of response to emergencies that may occur: evacuation, shelter-in, and lockdown. Opportunities for parent engagement are available at our school to ensure that families are involved in our school-based emergency readiness program. Parent versions of the School Safety Plan are available upon request in the main office, and information explaining the GRP is included with this letter. Many other important resources for families are also available by visiting https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/safe-schools .

 

Emergency readiness training in schools takes place in September and continues for staff and students throughout the school year. Student training is grade appropriate and designed to ensure that students understand the importance of these drills without causing unnecessary alarm. Please review the General Response Protocols that have been given to all students, and discuss these procedures with your child. 


All families are reminded to update the Emergency Contact Cards that are on file in our main office. This includes providing and updating information indicating phone numbers, and the names of adults to whom the school may release children in an emergency. Families are also encouraged to register with Notify NYC (https://a858-nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/) to receive information about emergency events, and call 311 for additional information about a school during an emergency. 


Sincerely, 


Malik Lewis

Principal



Student Data Privacy and Security Policies

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) takes the confidentiality of information about you and your children seriously. Several federal and state laws and regulations protect the confidentiality of your children's education records, including information that can be used to identify your children. Such information, which includes student‐specific data, is known as "personally identifiable information" or "PII." 


Please see Student Data Privacy and Security Policies HERE.


Parents' Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security


Annual Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Notification for School Year 2023-24.