Accessibility Statement

The Berkeley County Board of Education is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended in 1998. Section 508 is a federal law that requires agencies to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to electronic information and data comparable to those who do not have disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. The Section 508 Standards are the technical requirements and criteria that are used to measure conformance within this law. Berkeley County Schools frequently audits its sites for accessibility using the WAVE Accessibility Evaluation Tool and provides accessibility options in web platform through its web host, Schoolwires/Blackboard. To learn more about Schoolwires/Blackboard accessibility approach please click here or type http://help.schoolwires.com/accessibility.

If you wish to report an issue related to the accessibility of any content on a Berkeley County Schools website, document, form, or statement you may do so in any of the following ways:

Email help@berkeleycountyschools.org. Please include the web address or URL along with a detailed description of the problems you have encountered.

Submit written correspondence to: Leah Bass, Technology Coordinator, Berkeley County Schools 401 S. Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV, 25401. In your correspondence, please include the web address or URL along with a detailed description of the problems you have encountered.

Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

In order to be in compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), district Internet safety policies must include monitoring and filtering the online activities of students. Internet safety policies must provide for educating students about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyber bullying awareness and response. The WVDE provides a method and curriculum modules that allow districts/schools to certify compliance with this FCC regulation.

Berkeley County Schools will provide additional instructional materials which provide for educating students, teachers and staff about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyber bullying awareness and response.

Berkeley County Schools is currently using the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in order to meet the CIPA compliance. Information about the Olweus program can be found at http://www.violencepreventionworks.org.

Policy IDF Equity and Inclusion

This policy sets forth requirements for equity and inclusion for schools and personnel within Berkeley County Schools.

https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/cms/lib/WV01000962/Centricity/Domain/1/Equity%20and%20Inclusion%20IDF%20Policy%20Final%20070218.pdf

The Every Student Succeeds Act

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

The new law builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country.

For example, today, high school graduation rates are at all-time highs. Dropout rates are at historic lows. And more students are going to college than ever before. These achievements provide a firm foundation for further work to expand educational opportunity and improve student outcomes under ESSA.

The previous version of the law, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, was enacted in 2002. NCLB represented a significant step forward for our nation’s children in many respects, particularly as it shined a light on where students were making progress and where they needed additional support, regardless of race, income, zip code, disability, home language, or background. The law was scheduled for revision in 2007, and was not actually revised until 2014 with a final revision into the "Every Student Succeeds Act," in 2015.