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Dr. Maria Vazquez: Hello. By now you've probably been made aware of the back-to-school forms parents need to read and sign for each student. Coming up on Mondays with Maria, we will break down the consent forms and tell you what you need to know.
Announcer: Welcome to Mondays with Maria, presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Here's OCPS Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Hi everyone. Welcome back. Jamie Holmes is here with me. Jamie, today I want to talk about all of the forms our families get at the beginning of the year. They’ve seemed to multiply and they want to know why do we have to fill out all of these forms.
Jaime Holmes: That's right. It's like a book. Here you go. Yes, but there is obviously somebody somewhere requiring that, right?
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Yes. In fact, this year, we have more forms and that's because they are being required by the state. Some of it as a result of legislation that's been passed.
Jaime Holmes: One of those is the model release form. And that's something that we would end up using if we went in and we did an interview, for instance, with a student, right?
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Correct. And when parents sign the form, it allows a student to be part of videos, and posting of pictures on social media. If parents do not opt-out, the default is that their child will be included in any publication or social media with their pictures or videos.
Jaime Holmes: Good to know. Yes. All right. So there's also something called the Acceptable and Responsible Uses of Technology form, and then the other one is the Release of Student Directory Information. So what, what are those?
Dr. Maria Vazquez: So those are two very important forms and pretty self-explanatory. The first one deals with the proper use of technology, and the other one deals with the release of student directory information. This past year we also started the clinic services and health screening forms. And a parent or guardian must choose for their child to be eligible to receive those services. So unlike the first form we talked about where if a parent doesn't sign the form, the child is automatically allowed to have their pictures used. For this particular form, a parent must say, yes, I choose for my child to be able to have a health screening for my child to be able to have any type of health services available through the school. And if the parent doesn't sign that their child cannot receive those services.
Jaime Holmes: Another very important form obviously is the emergency contact information. So a parent or legal guardian, that information all has to be filled out as well.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Right. And that's a form that we've had for a very, very long time. It's important that parents fill that out. It can be found on Skyward, and if our parents need assistance filling it out or have questions about the form, they can reach out to their school or they can find answers under the Current Families tab from the front page of our website, OCPS.net.
Jaime Holmes: So the staff in Digital Curriculum also made me aware of another form, and this one is a little complicated, but basically this is the device refusal form. So essentially if a student wants to use their own device, they can instead of the district issued one, is that right?
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Yes, that's right. And some parents may not be aware that they have that opportunity to bring their device from home. Jamie, one form that we haven't talked about is the code of conduct. So there's lots of information in our code of conduct. It needs to be signed by the student so that they know and understand what's in the code and the consequences.
Jaime Holmes: And I understand that is also reviewed in class as well. Is that right?
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Yes. Whether they are in kindergarten, middle school, or high school, instruction is offered on the code. So students are aware of what the violations are, and what the consequences are if they violate any part of the code. And that's important because when you violate the code, there's some sort of discipline that's associated with it. So we encourage parents to review that with their child at home as well so that the parents are also aware of what are the consequences for each of the offenses in the code of conduct.
Jaime Holmes: Important to know the rules. We've also put together a video explaining that it's quick, it's painless. Just watch it and be able to see, okay, I get it now and understand exactly what the parameters are.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Great idea to have produced that video. We will make sure to share that link with our families. Sometimes being able to digest the information in small doses, especially at the beginning of the year when there's so much coming at our parents and our students, it's important that we find those opportunities for them. So, that's great!
Jaime Holmes: So good reminder here for all this information as well. It's either in Skyward or it's under the “Current Families” tab on OCPS.net. Is that right?
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Yes, that's correct. You look…
Jaime Holmes: Well, it's good form. I think <laugh>
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Thanks again for being here and thank you all for joining us. Remember to like and follow us on social media and subscribe on YouTube to get notified when a new episode is posted. I'll be back next week for another Mondays with Maria. Got a razor?
Announcer: Mondays with Maria is presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Count us in for every step of your financial journey. Learn more at Additionfi.com. For more OCPS news and information, visit TheSlice.OCPS.net. I'm your announcer. Kaleb Priester, a senior at Jones High School. Thanks for watching and have a great week.