Visitor Information

The Blind Brook-Rye UFSD Central Administrative Offices are located at the Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School on 390 North Ridge Street Rye Brook, NY 10573, just off the Hutchinson Parkway.

Visitor Protocol

The Blind Brook Public Schools extend a warm welcome to parents/guardians and others to visit our schools and classrooms. At the same time, we must assure that our students and staff are safe and learning is not disrupted. Schools must be aware of who is in the building and why they are there. All schools have a buzz-in system so no one can enter the building without the knowledge of the office staff. In addition, we have developed the following guidelines for school visitors. 
 
1. All visitors upon entry to the school must sign in at the front security desk before going elsewhere in the building, and they must sign out before leaving. A photo ID such as your driver’s license is a necessary pre-condition for entry to all school buildings.

2. Visitors will receive a Visitor’s badge when they sign in. Please be sure the Visitor’s badge is visible while in the school or schoolyard. Visitor’s badges are not required at Open Houses, Parent/Guardian Nights, or other school-sponsored events open to the public.

3. For the safety of our students and staff, we will consider that visitors who do not sign and are not wearing a visitor’s badge are trespassing. A school staff member will escort them to the main office. If necessary the Rye Brook Police will be called to assist.

4. Visitors will not be allowed unmonitored access to children. Individuals who want to serve as volunteers will need to be approved by the Principal.

5. Visitors who want to meet with a teacher or administrator must make an appointment. Generally no appointment is necessary for Open Houses, Parent Nights, or other school-sponsored events open to the public.

6. If a meeting is scheduled to address a concern, the meeting will take place in the office or a conference room - not in a classroom, to the extent possible. The parent/guardian must first report to the office and will be escorted to the meeting place.

7. The routine presence of parents in classrooms and corridors is disruptive to the educational process. Accordingly, parents dropping off or picking up children at the beginning and end of the school day will do so only in areas designated by the school administration.

8. If parents/guardians need to pick up their child before the regular dismissal time, they should call or notify the school office first. They must pick up their child in the office or other location named by the school. Parents/guardians may not go directly to the classroom to pick up their child. The school will not release a student to anyone other than a custodial parent without prior arrangements with the parent/guardian and proper identification.

9. If a visitor engages in disruptive or inappropriate behavior, the school administrator may restrict or deny future visits. In such a case, the school administrator will meet with the visitor and present this decision in writing.

This protocol has been developed to have clear expectations for our visitors and to continue to provide a safe environment for our students, staff and visitors.