Memo RE: School Safety and Educational Climate Data Collection for the 2016-17 School Year, and Important Information about Changes to Data Collection for 2017-18 School Year
June 6, 2017
TO: BOCES District Superintendents, Superintendents of Public School Districts Outside NYC, Public School Principals Outside NYC, Charter School Leaders
FROM: Renée L. Rider
SUBJECT: School Safety and Educational Climate Data Collection for the 2016-17 School Year, and Important Information about Changes to Data Collection for 2017-18 School Year
It is time again for the submission of the School Safety and Educational Climate data, also known as Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting (VADIR), and Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) data. This communication contains information regarding the 2016-17 data submission and also the recent changes to Commissioner’s regulations that affect how School Safety and the Educational Climate data will be collected in the 2017-18 school year. Please share this information with appropriate school and district staff.
SUBMISSION OF 2016-17 VADIR AND DASA DATA
All school districts, public schools, including charter schools, and BOCES that were active for any period during the 2016-17 school year are required to submit VADIR/DASA data to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) even if zero incidents are reported. All relevant and school-related incidents that occurred during the summer months of 2016, including when summer school was in session, must be included when reporting 2016-17 School Safety and the Educational Climate (SSEC) data.
The online reporting application may be accessed through the NYSED Application Business Portal, and will be available to all school districts, public schools, including charter schools, and BOCES beginning on June 26, 2017. To determine the deadline for submitting complete and certified data, please refer to the table on the next page.
DEADLINES FOR SUBMITTING 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR VADIR/DASA
Category |
Data Submission Due Date |
Other Data SubmissionsAnd Due Date |
|
July 21, 2017 |
|
|
July 10, 2017
|
|
|
July 21, 2017 |
End-of-Year Incident Reduction Plans (IRP) July 14, 2017 |
|
July 10, 2017
|
The count of individual violent incidents must be submitted to accountinfo@nysed.gov July 14, 2017 |
*More information on requirements for submitting data for receivership is available at this link. A list of schools that selected Indicator 5/School Safety is available at this link.
If you have difficulty accessing the online reporting form, please notify IRS at datasupport@nysed.gov. Specific questions regarding the information provided in the report, including questions regarding incident classification, responsibility for reporting, etc. may be directed to SSS at (518) 486-6090 or StudentSupportServices@nysed.gov.
SUBMISSION OF 2017-18 VADIR/DASA DATA
Together with NYSED staff, members of the New York State Safe Schools Task Force developed a revised method for collecting incident data that incorporates both VADIR and DASA into one reporting structure. The revised definitions developed by the Task Force provide more clarity and are better aligned with the intent of VADIR. As a result, the Commissioner’s regulations §100.2 (gg) were revised in December 2016, to reduce the twenty reporting categories to the following nine categories (1), effective July 1, 2017:
- Homicide
- Sexual Offenses
- Assault
- Weapons Possession
- Material Incidents of Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying
- Bomb Threat
- False Alarm
- Use, Possession or Sale of Drugs
- Use, Possession or Sale of Alcohol
To implement the regulatory changes, NYSED staff is working to revise the electronic application that is used to collect VADIR and DASA data beginning with the 2017-18 collection. It is important to note that the 2017-18 submission of SSEC data will occur for the first time in June/July of 2018.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE 2017-18 SCHOOL YEAR
- The School Violence Index (SVI) will be computed in accordance with a formula established by the Commissioner that considers the enrollment of the school and is weighted to reflect the most serious violent incidents. The Criteria for Designating Persistently Dangerous Schools in 2017-18 is available here.
- Individual incident data that schools maintain in their school records must reflect the nine categories beginning with any incidents that occur on July 1, 2017 or later, including incidents that occur during summer months of 2017 and when summer school was in session. Violent and disruptive incident reports and summary records, including copies of summary information submitted to NYSED, must include a detailed description of the incident and kept at the school until the youngest person involved in the incident is 27 years old. (2)
- NYSED staff are working with New York State Center for School Safety to expand the availability of technical assistance and professional development during the Summer and Fall of 2017 to provide training for district and school staff regarding these changes that will go in effect for the 2017-18 school year. Again, actual data submission to NYSED will not occur until June/July of 2018. The schedule for VADIR and DASA training titled Reporting of Incidents Concerning School Safety and the Educational Climate is available here.
Questions may be directed to the Office of Student Support Services at (518) 486-6090 or StudentSupportServices@nysed.gov. We look forward to our continued work with you to improve the safety of our students and schools.
(1) Memo RE: Proposed Amendment of Section 100.2(gg) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, Relating to the Uniform Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting System (VADIR)