In accordance with Section 763.84 of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), or the “Asbestos in Schools Rule,” Carman-Ainsworth Community  Schools  is notifying employees and building occupants, or their legal guardians, of activities conducted within the past school year involving the asbestos inspections, response actions, and post-response action activities, including periodic re-inspection and periodic surveillance activities, that are planned or in progress at School District facilities.

During the upcoming school year (the “2018 – 2019 School Year” – September 2018 through August 2019), Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools has planned the following activities related to asbestos-containing materials throughout the School District:

• Six Month Periodic Surveillances: Six-month periodic surveillances will be completed every six months and continue on a regular six-month schedule (next two scheduled rounds will occur in January and July of 2019).
• Three Year Re-inspections: The EPA requires that each school district re-inspect all known and assumed asbestos-containing materials once every three years. The three-year re-inspection activities for all Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools facilities were completed in July 2016.  Therefore, the next three-year re-inspections are due in the summer of 2019.
• Asbestos Abatement Projects – Scheduled: As of the construction of this document, no projects have been scheduled. When necessary to support renovations of building operations, abatement will be completed by trained and accredited personnel.

During the previous twelve months (the “2017 – 2018 School Year” – September 2017 through August 2018), Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools completed the following activities related to asbestos-containing materials throughout the School District:

• Six Month Periodic Surveillances: Six-month periodic surveillance activities were completed in January and August of 2018.
• Removal of floor tile at Dye Elementary and Rankin Elementary. Material removed at C-A High School.

AHERA Management Plans are available for review in each school building office or at the CACS Administration Building (G-3475 Court Street, Flint, Michigan). Summaries for all of the asbestos abatement projects conducted prior to the 2017 – 2018 School Year are located at each building in their AHERA Management Plan, while complete documentation is maintained in the CACS Administration Building.

Questions regarding the asbestos program for Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools may be addressed to Mr. Marc Cavett, Operations Supervisor for Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools at (810) 591-3220.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education recordswithin 45 daysof the day the School receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the School principal (or appropriate school official) a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The School official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. Charges will be made for copies of items contained within the record.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the School principal (or appropriate official), clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the School decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the School will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to have records which personally refer to a student kept confidential except either by consent of the parent/eligible student or when being used by school personnel for a legitimate educational interest. A school official is a person employed by the School as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the School has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Certain official agencies may also request records. These are listed in the Board of Education Policy on Privacy of Student Records.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20200-2-4605.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Carman-Ainsworth may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow Carman-Ainsworth to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications.

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent. In addition, two Federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent.

Carman-Ainsworth has designated the following information as directory information:

• Student’s name • Parent’s name • Address • Telephone number • Date and place of birth • Major field of study • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports • Weight and height of members of athletic teams • Dates of attendance • Degrees, honors, and awards received • Electronic mail address • The most recent educational agency or institution attended • Grade level • Similar information generally found in
yearbooks • Pictures and video tapes of the image of the student

If you do not want Carman-Ainsworth to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing. This letter must be resubmitted on a yearly basis to the building principal.

Charles joins us from Novi Schools where he was Assistant Principal of their High School.

Taylor had been principal of Avondale Alternative High School after being a teacher in Avondale Public Schools.

Mary has been our Interim Principal of C-A Middle School and is now our Athletic Director/Assistant Principal. She had been Athletic Director/Assistant Principal at Lapeer Schools before joining C-A last year.

Charles LaClear

All meetings are the First or Third Tuesdays and will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Carman-Ainsworth Administration Building, G-3475 W. Court Street, Flint, Michigan unless otherwise noted.

Welcome Back Carman-Ainsworth Cavaliers!

The 2017/2018 school year was another exciting year in our school district. We are very eager to continue to create and maintain high standards of academic and social success for all Carman-Ainsworth students. The 2018 graduating class of Carman-Ainsworth High School amassed nearly $4 million dollars in college scholarships and attained well over 600 college credits. The 2018 graduating class of Carman-Ainsworth Baker Career Academy earned a combined total of 131 college credits; graduating senior Paris Folsom alone completed a total of 55 credits! These are examples of students who have taken advantage of the outstanding college partnerships that we have in Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools. Our hope is that this year even more students will aspire to take advantage of gaining college credit while attending high school.

As we continue to improve upon our ability to deliver outstanding instruction, we are very fortunate to provide students with extra curricular activities that are exceptional. For example, the Carman-Ainsworth Middle School Robotics team MO’ Peeps was crowned World Champions and was the recipient of the Excellence Award at the VEX World Championships that were held in Louisville, Kentucky. The Carman-Ainsworth High School Robotics team BIG MO, received the Quality Award and the Innovation in Control Award at the FIRST World Championships, which was held in Detroit.

Moving forward, please keep in mind the two initiatives that began last year that will be available to our students for this upcoming school year:

• School-based Health Center at Carman-Ainsworth High School- Our partnership with the Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools (RAHS) at Michigan Medicine aligns with the district’s continued commitment to the health and well being of students and the community. The fully functioning health center provides valuable resources to our students and families that include, but are not limited to: Immunizations, Physical Exams, Sick Visits, Nutrition Counseling, Health and Fitness Education Programs & Groups, Confidential Mental Health Services and Psychotherapy, Vision Screening, Referrals for Community Resources.

You can find more information about the Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools at Michigan Medicine and RAHS-Carman-Ainsworth Health Center on the RAHS website at: http://umhs-rahs.org/ or by calling 810-591-5473.

• Free Breakfast and Lunch for all Carman-Ainsworth Students- Based on our current Free and Reduced Lunch data, Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools qualifies to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a program designed to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students without the burden of collecting and processing free and reduced price meal applications. All students in Carman-Ainsworth, beginning with the 2017/2018 school year, received meals at no charge. Although students will receive meals at no charge, all families will be required to complete a Household Information Survey in order for us to fulfill our requirement and obligation for participation in the program. This is yet another opportunity for us to meet the needs of our families.

Expectations for 2018/2019 include a continuous effort in building and sustaining a district-wide culture of positive relationships that help foster environments that are safe, secure, respectful, caring, and most importantly conducive to helping each student meet and/or exceed their highest academic potential. This year we are working to advance and promote the following initiatives that are researched based and intended to meet the social and emotional needs of our students, they include:

• Culturally Proficient Instruction: Culturally Proficient Instruction is a way of teaching in which teachers engage in practices that provide equitable outcomes for all learners. Culturally Responsive Classrooms specifically acknowledge the presence of culturally diverse students and the need for these students to find relevant connections among themselves and with the subject matter and the tasks teachers ask them to perform.
• Restorative Practices: Restorative Practices are standards derived from the concept of Restorative Justice. These practices are designed to improve school environment, enhance learning, promote safety, inclusion, and respect as well as increase positive relationships in the school setting.
• SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity): SEED is a peer-led professional development program that promotes change through self-reflection and interpersonal dialogue and builds capacity for more equitable curriculum, schools, workplaces, and communities.
• ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences):Adverse Childhood Experiences are events that can cause significant social-emotional, behavioral, and health problems. Information provided from ACEs Surveys will help us establish and provide academic and behavioral interventions for students impacted by ACEs.

I can assure you that our staff understands the commitment and effort that it takes to carry forward these strategies in an effort to impact each student personally in a positive yet meaningful way.

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The safety and security of our students is paramount in the success of the programs, services, and initiatives that we provide, participate, or institute within our district.  Please continue to partner with us to ensure that our safety protocols are adhered to on a daily basis.  As a reminder:

• Michigan law requires that all K-12 schools conduct at least three lockdown drills per school year. Schools are also required to provide a list of scheduled fire, tornado, and lockdown drills to their county emergency management coordinator no later thanSeptember 15of each school year.
• All of our instructional buildings have single point entry areas with surveillance cameras and buzz ringer/alert systems. Building doors are locked during school hours and those who enter or visit are directed to the single point entry areas.
• Our district has established outstanding partnerships with our local Police and First Responder Community. We are fortunate to have School Resource Officers on several of our campuses.

Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools has and will continue to invest in safety resources that provide additional layers of security district wide. Although we adhere to a high degree of safety requirements and standards, we constantly evaluate our current procedures in an effort to stay up-to-date with practices that enhance the safety and security of our buildings.

In closing, I would like to welcome three individuals that will assume new roles within our school administration.

• Ms. Mary Haslinger will serve as the Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Carman-Ainsworth High School.
• Mr. Charles LaClear will serve as the Principal of Carman-Ainsworth High School
• Mr. Taylor Chapman will serve as the Principal of Carman-Ainsworth Middle School.

Ms. Haslinger, Mr. LaClear, and Mr. Chapman are dedicated educators that will be a welcome addition to our administrative team.  I can assure you that they will build outstanding relationships with our students, staff, families, and community members and will provide the type of leadership that will uphold the high educational standards that we expect and appreciate in Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools.

We are looking forward to the start of the upcoming school year and are preparing for nothing less than another outstanding year in Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools.

Sincerely,

   Eddie

Eddie L. Kindle
Superintendent of Schools