Required Notifications
This page contains important notices for the attention of families in our community.
Acceptable Computer System Use Agreement: The GCPS Acceptable Computer Use System Agreement may be reviewed by accessing School Board Policy IIBEA/GAB.
Asbestos: This attached letter provides necessary information.
Availability of School Division Policies and Regulations: All division policies and regulations are available on the division website or may be accessed by contacting Diane Bennett at (804)556-5601.
Alternatives to Animal Dissection The GCPS school board provides alternatives to animal dissection. This information is provided through relevant course syllabi.
Bill of Rights: In accordance with Virginia School Boards Association Policy IEC, the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States is posted in a conspicuous place in each GCPS school.
Budget: Information about the School Board's approved budget is available on the division budget updates page.
Code of Student Conduct, Compulsory Attendance Law, Parental Responsibility and Involvement: Each are available in the Parent and Student Handbook online and can be accessed in paper form by contacting your child's principal.
Comprehensive Plan: a hard copy is made available for public inspection and copying at the School Administration building.
Counseling: School counseling programs at each school include academic, career, and social-emotional development. The main objectives of these programs are to assist in academic achievement, career exploration and post-secondary planning, and the practice of developmentally appropriate social and emotional skills. Should any parent or guardian wish for their child not to receive this type of support, in any or all of these three areas, a written request should be sent to the school counselor at the appropriate school. This request should be re-submitted yearly. To further review materials used in the programs at your child's school, please contact the school counselor or school counseling director, or the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction.
Credits Required for Graduation: Credits required for graduation may be obtained by contacting the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction or by accessing the Program of Studies.
Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement Classes, and Special Programs: Students and their parents must be notified of the availability of dual enrollment, advanced placement classes, and Academic Year Governor’s School Programs. The division publishes this information annually in the Program of Studies.
Eating Disorders Awareness Information: Every school board must annually provide information to parents of pupils in grades 5-12 regarding eating disorders. View the information sheet for parents.
Emergency Procedures: Each school's written procedures to follow in emergencies must be outlined in the student handbook and discussed with staff and students in the first week of each school year. Student handbooks are distributed by individual schools, and emergency procedures are discussed with students and parents during student orientation and Back-to-School events.
Fees: School fees are posted on the school's Online Payment System. Each July, the fee schedule is presented to the School Board for approval.
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act): Divisions must provide parents and adult students annual notice of their rights to inspect and review education records, amend education records, consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information in education records, and file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. View the Notification of Rights. View School Board Policy JO, Student Records.
Graduation Requirements: Graduation requirements may be obtained by contacting the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction or by accessing the Program of Studies.
High School Credit-Bearing Courses Taken in Middle School For any high school credit-bearing course taken in middle school, parents may request that grades be omitted from the student's transcript and the student not earn high school credit for the course in accordance with policies adopted by the local school board. Notice of this provision, including a deadline and format for making such a request, is provided to parents of all middle school students enrolled in high school credit-bearing courses and is available upon request at the counseling offices at both the middle and high schools.
Homeless Students: Each division must give public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths. View the Educational Rights of Homeless Youth poster published by the National Center for Homeless Students.
Internet Privacy: Every school division that has an Internet website must make its Internet privacy statement conspicuously available on its website. The division's Privacy Statement can be accessed at the bottom of every page of the division website.
Learning Objectives: Every school must provide to parents the learning objectives to be achieved at their child's grade level. In high school, this requirement is met by providing students with a syllabus for each of their courses. Parents also may find it helpful to view the GCPS curriculum page.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students or English Learners (ELs): Divisions receiving federal funds to provide LEP programs must inform the parents of LEP students of the reasons for the identification of their child as limited English proficient, as well as the details of the division's language instruction program. View School Board Policy IGBF English Learners. For more information about our LEP programs, please contact the Director of Exceptional Education.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): In accordance with federal code, Goochland County Public Schools will inform parents of children selected to participate in any NAEP assessment that their child may be excused from participation for any reason, is not required to finish any authorized assessment, and is not required to answer any test question. Further, parents will be informed of their right of access to assessment data.
Nondiscrimination: Divisions must notify students, parents, and others that they do not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, military status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. The division's Policy AC Nondiscrimination can be accessed from the menu at the bottom of every page of the division website. Contact the Division Assistant Superintendent of Administration, Compliance Officer, and Ms. Demetra Harris, Title IX Coordinator, to report concerns.
Online Courses and Programs: Divisions are required to post information related to online course offerings on the division website. This information is available in the Parent Student Handbook here.
Parent and Family Engagement Policy: This policy is explained here.
Post-Secondary Education and Employment Data: Education and employment resources are available here. Students and their families are encouraged to use a variety of information sources to select a college and major. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) provides one such source that is available here.
Promotion, Retention, and Remediation Policies: Every school must provide to parents a copy of the division's promotion, retention and remediation policies. View School Board Policy IKE Promotion and Retention. View School Board Policy IKEB Acceleration. View School Board Policy IKG Remediation Recovery Program.
Prosecution of Juveniles as Adults: This information, provided each year by the Office of the Attorney General, can be accessed in the GCPS Parent and Student Handbook.
PPRA (Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment): The PPRA requires divisions to provide notice of their policy controlling the administration of surveys on certain sensitive topics, including political or religious beliefs and behavior involving sex or illegal conduct. View School Board Policy KFB Administration of Surveys and Questionnaires.
Public Hearings Notice of the date of public hearing on the school division's proposed budget will be posted on the division website, posted at the School Board Office, advertised in the Goochland Gazette and communicated through email at least ten days prior to the hearing.
Release of Student Records to Armed Forces Recruiters and Educational Institutions: School Board Policy JO Student Records provides information related to release of student records.
School Bus Rider Safety Rules: A copy of bus rider safety rules shall be sent to parents at the beginning of the school year. The school division includes a School Bus Safety Rules sheet within the information received by all students at the beginning of each school year.
Schools Identified for Improvement, Corrective Action, or Restructuring: A school division must promptly provide certain information to the parents of each student enrolled in an elementary or secondary school identified for school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. GCPS will handle such notifications on an individual school basis, when applicable.
School Lunch Program: Each division that participates in the Free and Reduced Price Meals program must notify parents about the program. Information about the division's Free and Reduced Price Meals Program is provided to parents at the beginning of each school year. Please review school board policy EFB for more details.
School Quality Profiles: Divisions that receive Title I funds to prepare and distribute to parents a district report card showing specified information. The Virginia Department of Education now posts this information on its website. School Quality Profiles for Schools, Divisions and the Commonwealth provide information about student achievement, accountability ratings, attendance, program completion, school safety, teacher quality, and other topics. Reports may be viewed and downloaded as PDF files or Microsoft Excel files.
Services for Students Identified as Hearing Impaired or Visually Impaired Each school board shall annually post information distributed by the Department of Education describing the educational and other services available through the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard-ofHearing and the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired to the parents of those students who are identified as hearing impaired or visually impaired. This information is available in the Parent-Student Handbook, made available in paper copy each year.
Sex Offender Registry: Every school must notify parents of the board's policy regarding sex offenders. View School Board Policy KN Sex Offender Registry Notification. The Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry can be accessed online through the Virginia State Police website.
Special Education: Each division must conduct a public awareness campaign (also known as a child find program) to inform the community about special education programs and services. View School Board Policy IGBA Programs for Students with Disabilities.
Standards of Learning (SOLs): Every school must provide to parents the Standards of Learning applicable to their child's grade or course requirements and the approximate date and potential impact of the child's next SOL testing. State expectations for student learning and achievement can be accessed through the Virginia Department of Education website for the following subject areas: English, Mathematics, Science, History & Social Science, Family Life, Economics & Personal Finance, Fine Arts, Foreign Language, Computer Technology, Health, Physical Education, and Driver Education. Parents, please check with your child's school for specific testing dates and times.
Student Achievement: Schools that receive Title I funds must provide each parent information on the achievement level of their child on each of the state academic assessments. Goochland County Public Schools will handle such notifications on an individual student basis.
Tobacco and Nicotine Vapor Products: Every school division must annually provide educational information to parents of students in grades K through 12 regarding the health dangers of tobacco and nicotine vapor products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is one such resource that provides educational information.
Teacher Qualifications: Divisions that receive Title I funds must notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving Title I funds that the parents may request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teachers. Further, schools receiving Title I funds must give timely notice to parents if their child has been assigned or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified, as defined by federal law. Goochland County Public Schools will handle all such notifications on an individual student basis, when applicable. Information regarding the professional qualifications of the division's teachers may be obtained by contacting the Goochland County Human Resources Department at (804)556-5601.
Testing Transparency and Opt Out: Section 1112(e)(2) of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) requires divisions that receive Title I, Part A, funds to notify parents of students attending Title I schools that the parents may request information about any state or division policy regarding student participation in required assessments. At the beginning of each school year, a local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving funds under this part that the parents may request, and the local educational agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding any State or local educational agency policy regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by section 1111(b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.
Voluntary Retirement Savings Programs (403(b) Plans): Divisions that have 403(b) retirement plans must notify employees about the plan. Employees are notified of this benefit during the open enrollment period each year and during the annual Benefits Fair held at Goochland High School.
Wellness Policy: Divisions must inform the public about the content and implementation of the local school wellness policy. Divisions must also inform the public about progress toward meeting the goals of the policy and compliance with the policy by making the triennial assessment available to the public in an accessible and easily understood manner. Please see School Board Policy JHCF Student Wellness.
Youth Health Risk Behavior Survey: The school board must notify parents of each student enrolled in a middle or high school selected for participation in the survey of student health risk behaviors that their child may be randomly selected to participate in the survey unless the parent denies consent for the student's participation in writing prior to administration of the survey. View School Board Policy KFB Administration of Surveys and Questionnaires.