Talking about Tragedy
With the news pouring out from Las Vegas, it has been a trying day for many of us. It can be hard to know how to talk with children about a tragedy like this. The Lurgio team sent this thoughtful article [HERE] to their parents. At the heart of the article, it suggests that "a tragedy does not have to be a trauma for children if it is 'buffered by good, strong and caring relationships, by the adults around the child.'"
Student Privacy and Internet Safety
We have two important updates for the entire community regarding student privacy and internet safety.
- First, we have added a layer of web filtering for Lurgio students. This is for our seventh and eighth graders. The new level of filtering is when they are at home using their school Chromebooks with their school account. Previously, the district's network filters at school could not filter the web when students were using their Chromebook and school account at home. We made this change because we have the additional capability to add this layer of filtering for our middle schoolers' experience. Web filtering settings for high school students has not changed.
Please keep in mind that the school district cannot control every element of a child's internet access inside and outside of school (nor should we). We need to work with parents as partners to help students use technology responsibly.
- Second, we have posted a notice regarding pupil rights for parents. The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), 20 USC 1232h, is a federal law that gives parents and students certain rights regarding the conduct of surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams. The district is committed to protecting these rights and that includes providing parents with an annual notice about them. The full notice can be found on the district website (sau25.net) and directly [HERE].
The state has also made changes to the law regarding surveys, which I will not go into here. Suffice it to say, we follow the state law as well.
Thank you for trusting us with your children!
You are invited to the 2017 Induction to the Bedford Schools Hall of Fame
In much happier news, we are very pleased to announce the first inductees selected to the Bedford School Hall of Fame.
- BILL GREINER
- TIM MAYES
- SUE MULLEN
- DENNIS POPE
- ANN REMUS
- BILL WHITMORE
These six individuals have gone above and beyond in their contributions to the Bedford School District, in their commitment to the students of Bedford and to the Bedford community. Each has individually contributed an immeasurable amount of time, energy and dedication to making the Bedford School District extraordinary. They have each been instrumental in establishing and upholding a tradition of excellence. Their desire to excel in all areas of education and extracurriculars has helped to cultivate an environment of learning and enrichment that make our schools and our students truly exceptional. We are honored to recognize their contributions to our community with their induction to the Bedford Schools Hall of Fame. An induction ceremony and luncheon will be held October 21, 2017 at the BHS Commons. Limited tickets are available. Please see the link at https://goo.gl/forms/PJ23FlMWdMujDs9f1 or contact the SAU office in Bedford for more information and to reserve your seat at this first annual event.
