September 21, 2023
Dear Parents and Members of the Myra S. Barnes, I.S. 24 Community:
Welcome to our school community. This notice is to remind you of the importance of taking steps to keep your child safe when he or she is involved in outdoor activities, including traveling to and from school. The following are some safety tips that we hope you will share with your children:
- Students should never go home with strangers.
- Students should never talk to strangers.
- Students should not take things from strangers.
- If students are approached by strangers and are still near the school, they should be encouraged to
return to the school and immediately inform a staff member.
- Young students should be escorted to and from school.
- Older children should be encouraged to walk/travel to school in groups whenever possible.
The teachers at our school will also remind students the importance of not responding to strangers and actions each child should take if approached by a stranger, including reporting it to responsible adults. In addition, over the course of the school year, we may receive from the New York City Police Department notification under the New York State Sex Offender Registration Act that a registered sex offender has moved into the region where our school is located. Copies of all the notifications we receive will be kept accessible to parents in the Parent Coordinator’s Office as well as the Main Office.
You also can find information about registered sex offenders on the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services website, located at http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/SomsSUBDirectory/search_index.jsp or by calling 1-800-262-3257, or through the subdirectory of level three (high risk) registered sex offenders maintained at the NYPD, One Police Plaza, Room 110 C, New York, New York. The website can also be accessed through the Department of Education’s website, www.nycenet.edu, through the Office of School Intervention and Development home page.
Finally, if our school is located in the same zip code where the sex offender resides, we will provide copies of the notification to all parents of children in our school.
These procedures are part of our continuing effort to provide a safe environment for all children in this school.
Sincerely,
Lenny Santamaria,Principal