Annual Notifications

FERPA allows schools and districts to designate certain basic student information as directory information, and share that information without consent if certain additional requirements are met. This video describes why a school would want to use student directory information and the types of information that fall into this category. It also explains the process that schools and districts must adhere to when designating directory information. Click Here to watch a short video on The ABC’s of Student Directory Information

The primary purpose of directory information is to allow Bloomfield Hills Schools to include information from your child’s education records in certain school publications. Examples include:

• Newsletters
• Newspaper articles about student accomplishments
• A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production
• The annual yearbook
• Honor roll or other recognition lists
• Graduation programs
• Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team member.

Student Directory Information
The items below are defined by the Board of Education as directory information. Directory information regarding a student may be released to any requesting person or party, in addition to the eligible student or his/her parent, without written consent. Parents may "opt out" of the production of any and all directory information about their child during the annual registration process. If a parent or legal guardian of a student or an eligible student elects to "opt out" of the disclosure of any specific type of directory information, the District will elect not to disclose any directory information for that student.

• A student's name, address, and telephone number
• A student's photograph
• A student's birth date and place of birth
• A student's participation in School District related programs and extracurricular activities
• A student's academic awards and honors
• A student's height and weight if a member of an athletic team
• A student's honors and awards
• A student's dates of attendance and date of graduation

Each school building within the School District has been inspected for the presence of asbestos-containing materials as required by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). A copy of the Building Inspection and Management Plan for each building is available in the building’s main office. The plans may be inspected by members of the public and by School District employees during normal business hours. A copy of the plan will be made available upon request for a nominal fee.

The Board of Education has adopted a policy to provide students and staff with an environment that is free of pests, pesticides, and harmful chemicals to the extent required by law. The Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) includes routine inspections or surveys of all school facilities and various strategies to prevent pests from becoming a problem. Pesticides are used only as a last resort and parents will be notified prior to a pesticide application in a school building or on school grounds.

The Board of Education recognizes that the misuse of drugs is a serious problem with legal, physical, and social implications for the entire school community. In accordance with the federal and state law, the Board establishes a “Drug-Free School Zone” that extends 1000 feet from the boundary of any school property. The Board prohibits the use, possession, concealment, delivery, or distribution of any drug or any drug-related
paraphernalia, including alcohol and marijuana, at any time on School District property, with the Drug-Free Zone or at any School District-related event. Further, the Superintendent, or his/her designee, will take the necessary steps to ensure that an individual eighteen (18) years of age or older who knowingly delivers or distributes controlled substances so designated and prohibited by Michigan statute within the Drug-Free School Zone to another person is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

If you feel that you may qualify for Free-and-Reduced priced lunches, please make sure to fill out an application or update your existing status. There are many other benefits available if your child does qualify, beyond receiving reduced price or free meals in our schools. To complete the Online Free/Reduced lunch application, parents/guardians can Login to ParentPortal and complete the application. Click on your child's name, then click "Food Service Free & Reduced Lunch Application" under School Links. 

The School District, in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, will ensure that homeless children and youth in transition have access to a free and appropriate public education, including preschool, and be given a full opportunity to participate in state and District-wide assessments and accountability systems. A student may be considered eligible for services if he/she is presently living:

• In temporary shared housing, a shelter, or transitional living program;
• In a hotel/motel, campground, or similar situation due to lack of alternatives;
• At a bus station, park, car, or abandoned building; or
• In a temporary or transitional foster care placement.

The Board of Education has designated Cassandra Jones as the School District’s Coordinator under the Homeless Assistance Act. For questions or assistance, please contact the Cassandra Jones, Social Worker and District McKinney-Vento Liaison at 248-341-5629.

Parents have the right to inspect, upon request, any instructional material used as part of the School District’s educational curriculum. Parents will be provided access to instructional materials within a reasonable period of time after the request is received by the building principal. The term “instructional material” means instructional content that is provided to a student, regardless of its format, including printed and representational materials, audio-visual materials, and materials in electronic or digital formats (such as materials accessible through the Internet). The term does not include academic tests or assessments.

The Board acknowledges the need for a reasonable degree of in-school storage of student possessions and will provide storage places, including desks and lockers, for that purpose. Where lockers are provided, students may lock them against incursion by other students, but lockers remain School District property.  Students do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to School District personnel or their designees in lockers or other in-school storage places provided by the School District.

The Board also authorizes the use of canines, trained in detecting the presence of drugs or devices.  Canines are used to determine the presence of drugs in locker areas and other places where such substances may be concealed. Canine detection is usually conducted in collaboration with law enforcement authorities or other certified organizations and is not used to search individual students without legally
sufficient suspicion, a warrant or parental permission has been obtained.

School authorities are authorized to take reasonable steps to safeguard the safety and well-being of the students by, among other things, implementing the School District’s Student Code of Conduct. Within the discharge of their responsibilities, School District personnel may search students, student property, and school property in the manner permitted by law.

The School District is required, by law, to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools located within the School District, as well as homeless children. The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find.

Child find extends both to children who may be eligible for special education under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and those who may be eligible under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504).

If you believe your child may qualify under either the IDEA or Section 504, please contact the District’s Director of Special Services.

The Personal Curriculum (PC) is a Michigan Department of Education (MDE) endorsed process, permitting modification of specific credit requirements and/or content expectations based on the individual learning needs of a student. It is designed to serve students who want to accelerate or go beyond the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) requirements and students who need to individualize learning requirements to meet the MMC requirements. For more information from MDE about personal curriculums, please click here. To the extent required by law, the School District will grant all requests for personal curriculums.

Under the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) and School District policy, no student will be required as a part of the school program or the School District’s curriculum, without prior parental consent, to submit to or participate in any survey, analysis or evaluation that reveals information concerning:

• Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or his/her parents;
• Mental or psychological problems of the student or his/her family;
• Sexual behavior or attitudes;
• Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;
• Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom students have close family relationships;
• Legally-recognized privileged and analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;
• Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or his/her parents; or
• Income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such a program).

This requirement also applies to the collection, disclosure, or use of student information for marketing purposes (“marketing surveys”), and certain physical examinations and screenings.

Parents have the right to inspect, upon request, a survey or evaluation created by a third party before the survey/evaluation is administered or distributed by the school to the student. The parent will be given access to the survey/evaluation within a reasonable period of time after the request is received by the building principal.

Parents who believe their rights have been violated may file a complaint with:

Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC  20202

Eastover Elementary School within Bloomfield Hills Schools receives Title I funding.  In accordance with law, the Board of Education has adopted a parent involvement policy (also known as a parental and family engagement policy). The School District is committed to establishing and maintaining positive relationships with families and the community. To that end, the School District will provide a variety of opportunities for families and other members of the community to become involved in children’s education.  

Parents may request information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers in writing submitted to HR. The request may include:

• Whether the teacher has met Michigan qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which s/he provides instruction;
• Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification or licensing criteria have been waived;
• The teacher’s baccalaureate degree(s), major, any other graduate certification or degree(s) held, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree; and
• Whether the student is provided services by a paraprofessional and, if so, the paraprofessional’s qualifications.

Parents/guardians of limited English proficient (LEP) students participating in a language instruction program will be notified, no later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year, of the following:

• Placement and reason why their child was identified as LEP;
• The student’s academic achievement level and level of English proficiency (including method of measurement);
• The methods used for language instruction;
• How the language program will meet the student’s instructional needs;
• How the program will help the child to learn English and meet the academic standards required for promotion or graduation;
• The exit requirements for the language program; and
• An explanation of parental/guardian rights, including the parent’s right to enroll or remove a child from the language instruction program.

The School District is committed to creating a school environment that enhances lifelong wellness practices.  As required by law, the Board has adopted a Wellness Policy, which is periodically reviewed. The Board’s policies and/or administrative regulations can be found here.

In the absence of an emergency or an IEP or Section 504 plan, the School District does not provide physical examinations and screenings on school premises. In the event the School District does provide physical examinations and screenings, parents may opt-out their student from participation by sending the request, in writing, to their student’s building principal, or by submitting this Physical Examinations and Screenings Opt-Out Form.

Title IX Coordinators
7273 Wing Lake Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301

Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Information Guide

Title IX Coordinators oversee the district's Title IX compliance and are also a district employee:

• Sarah Fairman, Executive Director of Learning Services and Title IX Coordinator - (248) 341-6921

Title IX Training Documentation

Stormwater Management Program Plan

Stormwater Public Education and Links

Any questions, comments, or suggestions related to BHS SWMP can be directed to Ken Vavruska at kvavruska@bloomfield.org.

Public Notice Document - Bloomfield Hills PS MS4-Oakland

Information is available here if you would like to find out how you can help protect our waterways

Bloomfield Hills Schools participates in the School Drinking Water Quality Reimbursement Program, which is a program jointly administered by the Michigan Department of Education and Department of Environmental Quality. This program provides school funding costs associated with the mitigation of potential lead exposure from drinking water, fixture replacement, filter purchases, plumbing assessments, or technical assistance incurred between July 2, 2017 and September 30, 2017.

The School Drinking Water Quality Reimbursement Program requires schools submit proof of public notification of the number of fixtures providing water for drinking or food preparation, testing results, number of fixtures replaced, and other corrective action plans prior to reimbursement.

Maintenance and Operations regularly tests the water in student-occupied buildings to ensure safe drinking water for all building occupants. In August 2017, all water testing came back "normal" with no action required or cause for concern.

Water Testing Reports:

Bloomfield Hills High School
Bloomfield Hills Middle School
Bloomin' Preschool Fox Hills
Booth Doyle Center
Bowers Academy
Conant Elementary School
East Hills Middle School
Eastover Elementary
E.L. Johnson Nature Center
International Academy
Lahser Building
Lone Pine Elementary School
Way Elementary School
West Hills Middle School
Wing Lake Developmental Center