Forms & Notices

In the past, asbestos was used extensively in building materials because of its insulating, sound absorbing, and fire retarding capabilities. Virtually any building constructed before the late 1970s contained some asbestos. Intact and undisturbed asbestos materials generally do not pose a health risk. Asbestos materials, however, can become hazardous when, due to damage or deterioration over time, they release fibers. If the fibers are inhaled, they can lead to health problems, since as cancer and asbestosis.

In 1986, Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), which requires schools to be inspected to identify any asbestos containing building materials. Suspected asbestos-containing building materials were located, sampled (or assumed) and rated according to condition and potential hazard. Every three years, Governor Mifflin School District has conducted a reinspection to determine whether the condition of the known or assumed asbestos containing building materials (ACBM) has changed and to make recommendations on managing or removing the ACBM. At the last reinspection conducted in August 2013, all materials listed in the Management Plan as asbestos containing (or assumed to be asbestos-containing) were inspected and found to be in good condition. The law further requires an asbestos management plan to be in place by July 1989. Governor Mifflin School District developed a plan, as required, which has been continually updated. The plan has several ongoing requirements: publish a notification on management plan availability and the status of asbestos activities; educate and train its employees about asbestos and how to deal with it; notify short-term or temporary workers on the locations of the asbestos containing building materials; post warning labels in routine maintenance areas where asbestos was previously identified or assumed; follow set plans and procedures designed to minimize the disturbance of asbestos containing building materials; and survey the condition of these materials every six months to assure that they remain in good condition.

The following buildings contain no asbestos-containing building materials; therefore, no operations and maintenance programs or future inspections are required: Mifflin Park Elementary School and Governor Mifflin Athletic Community Center (GMACC). During the past year, asbestos containing materials have been removed, encapsulated, or enclosed in the following buildings: Governor Mifflin High School and Cumru Elementary School. During the next year, we have plans to conduct asbestos related activities at Governor Mifflin High School and Governor Mifflin Middle School. It is the intention of the Governor Mifflin School District to comply with all federal and state regulations controlling asbestos and to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure students and employees a healthy and safe environment in which to learn and work. You are welcome to review a copy of the asbestos management plan in school district administrative office or administrative office of the school during regular business hours. Governor Mifflin Director of Operations Timothy Ziegler is our designed asbestos program coordinator, and all inquiries regarding the asbestos plan and asbestos-related issues should be directed to him at 610-775-5087.

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The Governor Mifflin School District maintains a variety of documents concerning students who are identified as either Gifted or as having or thought to have a disability within the meaning of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To conserve space and avoid unnecessary storage costs, and to protect privacy, these documents are subject to destruction when the District deems them no longer relevant to the education of your child. This correspondence will provide you with information concerning when we consider certain documents to be no longer educationally relevant. Although the District might have documents of the sort described in this letter that pertain to your child, you should not assume that such documents exist or that they are “educational records.”

The point at which a document is no longer educationally relevant will depend on the type of document.

1. The following types of document will be considered no longer educationally relevant once read by the intended recipient, unless stored in a student file:
   a. electronic communications between school staff
   b. electronic communications sent to school staff by parents, guardians, and other third parties.
    
2. The following types of document will be considered no longer educationally relevant at the conclusion of the school year during which such document was created:
   a. raw data and test protocols used in evaluations and reevaluations
   b. raw data, test protocols, and work samples used for progress monitoring, when those data and samples are thoroughly presented in progress reports or in IEP present educational levels
   c. all other raw data, tests and quizzes, and student work.
    
3. The following types of document will be considered no longer educationally relevant at the expiration of six years from the date on which the child is no longer receiving special education services from the District:
   a. permissions to evaluate or reevaluate
   b. evaluation and reevaluation reports
   c. invitations to IEP team meetings
   d. IEPs and IEP revisions e. notices of recommended educational placement or prior written notices.

Parents and Guardians have the right to request, in writing, that the District destroy any or all records deemed no longer educationally relevant. The District, at its discretion, may also destroy such records without further notice to parents, guardians or students. If you have any questions concerning the foregoing information, please contact Brian Bell, Director of Student Services, at (610) 775-5085. For more information and a copy of the District’s Student Records Policy, please go to our district home page: http://www.gmsd.org/ then to “Student Services” under the “Departments” tab.

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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students who are 18 years of age or older ("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 records within 45 days after 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 records 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.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the school to amend a record should write the school principal [or appropriate school official], clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed. 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 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 provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. 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) or a person serving on the school board. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the school who performs an institutional service of function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist; a parent or student volunteering to serve on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent, student, or other volunteer 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. Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer.
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 20202

To request a copy of the entire FERPA policy, please contact the Education Center at 610-775-1461.

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The below health forms may be completed and returned to the Nurse or Food Services department if necessary.

The Governor Mifflin School District uses an integrated pest management (IPM) approach for managing insects, rodents, weeds, and plant diseases. Our goal in using this approach to pest management is to protect every student from pesticide exposure. Our IPM approach focuses on making the building and grounds an unfavorable habitat for pests by removing food and water sources and eliminating their hiding and breeding places. We accomplish this through routine cleaning and maintenance. We routinely monitor the building and grounds to detect any pests that are present. The pest monitoring team consists of our building maintenance, office, and teaching staff and includes our students. Pest sightings are reported to our IPM coordinator, who evaluates the “pest problem” and determines the appropriate pest management techniques to address the problem. The techniques can include increased sanitation, modifying storage practices, sealing entry points, physically removing the pest, etc.

From time to time, it may be necessary to use pesticides registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to manage a pest problem. A pesticide will only be used when necessary and will not be routinely applied. When a pesticide application is necessary, the school will try to use the least toxic product that is effective. Applications will be made only when unauthorized persons do not have access to the area(s) being treated. Notices will be posted in these areas 72 hours prior to application and for two days following the application.

Parents or guardians of students enrolled in the school may request prior notification of specific pesticide applications made at the school. To receive notification, you must be placed on the school’s notification registry. If you would like to be placed on this registry, please notify the district in writing. Please include your email address if you would like to be notified electronically.

If a pesticide application must be made to control an emergency pest problem, notice will be provided by telephone to any parent or guardian who has requested such notification in writing. Exemptions to this notification include disinfectants and antimicrobial products; self-containerized baits placed in areas not accessible to students; gel-type baits placed in cracks, crevices, or voids; and swimming pool maintenance chemicals. Each year the district will prepare a new notification registry. If you have any questions, please contact Tim Ziegler, IPM coordinator. Tim Ziegler timothy.ziegler@gmsd.org GMSD Operations Department 610-775-5087.

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The Governor Mifflin School District allocates funds to a property tax rebate program.  To be eligible for this program you must have already been approved for the PA State Property Tax Rebate.  Please call the office at (610) 775-1461 X 7100 with questions or to make an appointment for assistance.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PROPERTY TAX REBATE PACKET

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 to from the parents to a student who is 18 years old or an emancipated minor under State law. Governor Mifflin School District has developed and adopted 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. Governor Mifflin School District will directly notify parents of these policies at least annually at the start of each school year and after any substantive changes. Governor Mifflin 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. Governor Mifflin 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. 20202-590

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In order to enroll a child in the Governor Mifflin School District, proof of residency must be provided. If the parent/guardian of a child does not own or lease the residence in which they are residing, they may complete a Residency Affadavit. The Residency Affadavit may be downloaded by clicking the button below. The completed form must be returned to the Governor Mifflin Education Center, located at 10. S. Waverly St., Shillington, PA 19607.

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Photos, video footage, and interviews of students are often used as part of the Governor Mifflin School District’s community relations efforts through publications (printed and online), the district website (www.gmsd.org), district social media, and in community presentations. Also, on occasion, our district invites the news media (Reading Eagle, WFMZ-TV, WEEU, Berks-Mont News, etc...) to cover events on our campus. If you do not want photos, video footage or interviews featuring your child used in district publications, on the website, on social media, in community presentations, or in news media outlets, please complete the form below and return it to:

Governor Mifflin Office of Communications
Ashley Shannon, Director
10 S. Waverly Street
Shillington, PA 19607

Be advised that signing this form prevents the intentional use of your child’s photo or videotape footage. In situations where large groups of people are participating, it is often impossible not to photograph or videotape certain students, and therefore, we cannot prevent the use of photos or videotape footage that unintentionally includes your child. Additionally, students who participate in school activities and/or athletics may be photographed or videotaped by members of the media or the general public while participating. It should be noted that under these circumstances, the publicity refusal form below would not be a valid means of preventing photographs or videotape of a specific student.

*Please note: This request will expire at the end of the current school year and must be resubmitted annually. Signing this form does not prevent your child’s photos from being included in school yearbooks. If you DO NOT want your child’s photo included in the yearbook, please notify your child’s school secretary.
 

MEDIA EXCLUSION FORM - ENGLISHMEDIA EXCLUSION FORM - SPANISH

Governor Mifflin School District will excuse absences for pre-planned educational trips up to a maximum of five (5) days per student per school year. In order to be considered for an excused absence, the form below must be completed, signed, and submitted to the school office at least five days prior to the trip. No trip will be approved for excused absences after the trip has been taken. If a trip occurs during PSSA or Keystone Testing, the dates will be considered unexcused for those assigned to take the test.

EDUCATIONAL TRIP REQUEST FORM - ENGLISHEDUCATIONAL TRIP REQUEST FORM - SPANISH

In accordance with school policy, the Governor Mifflin School District has established a Student Activity Fee. The purpose of this fee is to offset costs associated with Governor Mifflin’s extracurricular programs.

In accordance with school policy, the Governor Mifflin School District has established a Student Activity Fee. The purpose of this fee is to offset costs associated with Governor Mifflin’s extracurricular programs. A one-time fee of $75 will enable each Grade 7-12 student to participate in an unlimited number of school athletic teams or other co-curricular activities during the school year. Families with multiple children shall pay a maximum of $225 in student activity fees for the school year. Students eligible for free meals through the application process will have the activity fee automatically waived; and, others who feel this fee is a financial hardship can call the Business Office to discuss installment payments. The fee is due by the following dates: ]

• Fall Sports/Marching Band: Wednesday, September 25, 2024
• Co-curricular Clubs: Wednesday, December 18, 2024
• Winter Sports: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
• Spring Sports: Wednesday, April 16, 2025

If payment is not received by the due date indicated above, the student will not be eligible to participate on the appropriate athletic team or co-curricular club until payment is made.

1. Online payment using a credit card (SchoolPay)
   a. You may access SchoolPay by visiting gmsd.org/schoolpay. A link to SchoolPay is also available on the GMHS homepage and in our website footer. The fee will not show up as an option until the student is flagged as participating in a chargeable activity. For sports that will be after the first two weeks of practice and for clubs that will be after the first couple of weeks of school.
2. Check -- Please write the student's name, grade and activity on your check and make the check payable to "Governor Mifflin School District."
3. Cash

Cash and check payments may be dropped off at the Education Center, the high school main office, the middle school main office or the athletic director’s office. The activity fee applies only to certain co-curricular activities. Students who participate in any of the following are required to pay the student activity fee:

• All Junior High, JV, and Varsity Athletics
• Esports Club
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Governors
• Show Choir
• Spring Swing
• Tests of Engineering, Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS)
• Academic Challenge
• Fall Play
• Future Educators of America (FEA)
• Marching Band
• Ski Club
• Statesman Jazz Band
• World Quest
• Chess Club
• French Club
• GM Hunting and Fishing Club
• Science Olympiad
• Spanish Club
• Technology Student Association (TSA)

Refunds will be granted if payment has been made, but the student does not make an athletic team or does not participate in three or more co-curricular activity meetings/events. All refund requests must be made by contacting the Business Office. Refund requests must be made in the same school year they are paid to be granted. If you have any questions regarding the activity fee or the payment process, please contact the Business Office at (610) 775-1461 ext. 7100 or by e-mailing elaine.snyder@gmsd.org.

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On August 18, 2014, the Governor Mifflin Board of School Directors approved an amendment to Policy 810.2.TRANSPORTATION – VIDEO AUDIO RECORDING, to include audio recording as part of the monitoring equipment on district school buses. The change was made in accordance with School Code 24 P.S. Sec. 510; Wiretap and Electronic Surveillance Act – 18. Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 5704;Vehicle Code – 75 Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 102; Board Policy – 113.4, 216, 218, 805.1, 810. The use of video and audio recording equipment supports efforts to maintain discipline and to ensure the safety of all students, staff, contractors and others being transported on district-owned, operated
or contracted school buses or school vehicles.

Governor Mifflin School District follows PA School Vaccination Requirements as specified by the PA Department of Health. These requirements may be viewed by clicking the button below.

VIEW PA SCHOOL VACCINATION REQUIREMENTSEXEMPTION FROM IMMUNIZATIONS