Annual Notices

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law in 2015 and replaced the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, the national kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) education law emphasizing equal educational opportunities for all students. The law maintains a focus on equity for all students while giving states and local school districts much more ownership over systems of school accountability and support. ESSA requires states to develop comprehensive plans for accountability and support, identify schools for support and improvement (Comprehensive and Targeted), and publish school report cards reflecting performance. Iowa’s system for accountability and support under ESSA was developed with broad public input, fits the state’s context, and focuses on helping schools find solutions that work for them. Iowa’s new report cards, called the Iowa School Performance Profiles, include each school’s scores on a set of accountability measures, such as state assessments. The reports display results based on a school’s overall performance and the performance of subgroups of students, such as children from low-income backgrounds.

ESSA FACT Sheet  – https://educate.iowa.gov/media/4568/download?inline

Common Questions – https://educate.iowa.gov/media/4570/download?inline 

Notice for Free & Reduced Lunch  A free or reduced lunch consists of bread, protein, vegetable, fruit, and one carton of milk.  The State of Iowa allows only one meal per day.  If a student wants two cartons of milk, they must pay for the second carton.  If the child brings lunch from home, they must bring a drink, buy a carton of milk, or get a drink from the water fountain.  If parents have a question, please feel free to call the Food Service Director at (319) 257-7700. If at any time during the school year, there is a change of income, you may fill out a free/reduced application to help you and your children with lunch and breakfast needs.  Applications are available online wmucsd.org.  All information is kept confidential.

Open Enrollment 

Iowa’s open enrollment law allows students residing in one school district to request transfer to another school district upon the parents’ request. Students wishing to open enroll to another school district must apply for open enrollment by March 1st for the following school year for 1st -12th grade, and September 1st for incoming Kindergarten students.  The application & process for open enrollment are outlined in the open enrollment application. Please mail, email, or fax copies of the application to your resident and attending school district.  You can find the application(s) here:

Applications:

Open Enrollment Application for the 2025-2026 School Year

Open Enrollment Application for the 2026-2027 School Year

You may reference Winfield Board of Education policies on open enrollment on the Winfield Community School District website. Please contact Business Manager for open enrollment questions at (319) -257-7700.

Asbestos Notice

With regard to the requirement of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, a copy of the Asbestos Management Plan for each school building is available for review in each school’s office of the principal of each respective facility.  A complete set of management plans is available for review in the district’s administrative office at 208 South Olive Street, Winfield, IA.

Homeless Notice

The Board of Education is responsible for locating, identifying and educating homeless children and youth found within the Winfield Community School District. Definition of Homeless Child/Youth

• A homeless child or youth ages 3-21;
• A child who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and includes the following:
  • A child who is sharing the housing of others (includes doubled-up families) due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; is living in a motel, hotel, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; is abandoned in a hospital
  • A child who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for humans beings
  • A child who is living in a car, park, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting; or
  • A migratory child/youth who qualifies as homeless because of the living circumstances described above
    • Includes youth who have runaway or youth being forced to leave home.

The Winfield Community School District will make available to homeless children and youth all services and assistance including, but not limited to, compensatory education, special education, ELL, vocational courses or programs, programs for the gifted and talented, health services, transportation, and food and nutrition programs on the same basis as those services provided to resident students. You can find homeless information on our website at wmucsd.org under the Curriculum tab.  Please contact Brooke McArtor, Homeless Liaison, at (319) 257-7700 ext 114 regarding specific questions and/or issues. For more information please click on this link – https://nche.ed.gov/

Notice of Accessibility The Winfield Community School District will take steps as are necessary to ensure that no qualified handicapped person is denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in, or otherwise subjected to discrimination because of the inaccessibility of educational programs and activities operated by the Winfield Community School District.  To obtain information as to the existence and location of services, activities, and facilities that are accessible to handicapped persons, interested persons should contact Karinda Wahls, Superintendent; Winfield Community School District, 208 South Olive Street, Winfield, IA  52659, (319) 257-7700.

Equal Educational Opportunity It is the policy of the Winfield Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices.  There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator/Title IX Coordinator, Sierra Wyse, 208 South Olive Street, Winfield, IA 52659, (319) 257-7700, [email protected]

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Students, parents, employees, and other doing business with or performing services for the Winfield Community School District are hereby notified that this school district does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age (except students), religion, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment in, its programs and activities. The school district does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age (except students), religion, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment in, its hiring and employment practices.  Any person having inquiries concerning the school district’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), §504 or Iowa Code§ 280.3 are directed to contact:  Sierra Wyse – The Title IX Coordinator/Equity Coordinator, 208 South Olive Street, Winfield, Iowa 52659, (319) 257-7700, who has been designated by the school district to coordinate the school district’s efforts to comply with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), §504 or Iowa Code § 280.3 (2007).

Notification of Rights under FERPA for Elementary and Secondary Schools 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”

• Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
• Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
• Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
  • School officials with legitimate educational interest;
  • Other schools to which a student is transferring;
  • Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
  • Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
  • Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
  • Accrediting organizations;
  • To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
  • Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
  • State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.

Schools may disclose, without consent, “directory” information such as a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school. Parents who believe their rights have been violated may file a complaint with: Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C.  20202

Notification of Rights Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)

PPRA affords parents certain rights regarding our conduct of surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams.  These include the right to:

• Consent before students are required to submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas (“protected information survey”) if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education (ED)

1.  Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent;

2.  Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family;

3.  Sex behavior or attitudes;

4.  Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;

5.  Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships;

6.  Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers;

7.  Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or parents; or

8.  Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility.

•Receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of –

1.  Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding;

2.  Any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student, except for hearing, vision, or scoliosis screenings, or any physical exam or screening permitted or required under State law; and

3.  Activities involving collection, disclosure, or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others.

•Inspect, upon request and before administration or use –

1. Protected information surveys of students;

2. Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes; and

3. Instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum.

 

These rights transfer from the parents to a student who is 18 years old or an emancipated minor under State law.

Winfield Community School District will/has develop(ed) and adopt(ed) policies, in consultation with parents, regarding these rights, as well as arrangements to protect student privacy in the administration of protected information surveys and the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes.  Winfield Mt. Union Community School District will directly notify parents of these policies at least annually at the start of each school year and after any substantive changes.  Winfield Mt. Union Community School District will also directly notify, such as through U.S. Mail or email, parents of students who are scheduled to participate in the specific activities or surveys noted below and will provide an opportunity for the parent to opt his or her child out of participation of the specific activity or survey.  Winfield Mt. Union Community School District will make this notification to parents at the beginning of the school year if the District has identified the specific or approximate dates of the activities or surveys at that time.  For surveys and activities scheduled after the school year starts, parents will be provided reasonable notification of the planned activities and surveys listed below and be provided an opportunity to opt their child out of such activities and surveys.  Parents will also be provided an opportunity to review any pertinent surveys.  Following is a list of the specific activities and surveys covered under this requirement: •Collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for marketing, sales, or other distribution.  •Administration of any protected information survey not funded in whole or in part by ED. •Any non-emergency, invasive physical examination or screening as described above. Parents who believe their rights have been violated may file a complaint with: Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C.  20202