Latest news with #DemarioStrickland
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RCSD forum to tackle youth mental health and substance abuse
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester City School District (RCSD) and the city of Rochester are hosting a mental health and substance abuse forum at the School of the Arts. The event will be held on Saturday, April 12 at 11 a.m. 'Many of the challenges we have in our city and country are increasingly tied to mental health,' Mayor Malik Evans said. The free event is to encourage youth ages 12 to 21 and parents, to have an open conversation about mental health and substance abuse issues to gain perspective, ask questions, voice concerns, and be provided with community resources. 'Supporting the mental health of our students is essential to their success in school and life. When we create a safe space for open conversations about the challenges our children face, those challenges become more manageable,' RCSD's Interim Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland said. 2025 Clean Sweep date announced Collaborators and supporters include RCSD'S My Brother's Keeper Fellows, the Mayor's Office of Special Projects and Educational Initiatives, Teen Empowerment, Planned Parenthood, The Center for Youth, BreatheDeep, and In Control. For additional information and to RSVP, visit the city of Rochester's website here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Balancing Act Tool' app is focus as RCSD crafts superintendent's budget
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester City School District held a public discussion Monday night to gain feedback and input as they begin to craft next year's budget. All with the hopes of following all five of their priorities which include preparing students for life and having an inclusive school culture and climate. Interim Superintendent Demario Strickland shared with News 8 his optimism about initiatives like these sessions and the introduction of a new digital resource known as the 'Balancing Act Tool.' This tool aims to gather more feedback from parents and the community, enabling the district to allocate funds more effectively towards the priorities that matter most to them. 'Some families prioritize restorative practices. Some families really want to ensure that their students are reading at grade level. Others want to make sure there's a POC in front of their children,' Dr. Strickland said. 'This tool helps assign points to what its stockholders feel is important to them and in turn we can say this is how we want to allocate the dollars that are generated from our budget.' The superintendent's budget presentation is scheduled for February 27 with the board planning several sessions to deliberate in April with hopes of taking an early vote in May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
RCSD Superintendent addresses district-wide data breach
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – The superintendent of the Rochester City School District is sharing insight into the district's recent data breach. The breach took place in late December with a software called PowerSchool, which is used across the RCSD to keep student records. District leaders have made clear that no identities have been compromised as a result. The software is used by schools across the country. While there have been no reports of information being stolen, the district's superintendent says they are prepared to work with families and staff who may share concerns. 'This is inevitable in a large district. It's inevitable in a small district. At times, in small districts, it has a larger impact. All we can do is internally make sure our cybersecurity software is up to date. We're making sure we are in line with all of these outside vendors to ensure we are protecting students, families, and staff as much as possible,' said Demario Strickland, RCSD superintendent. As a result of the breach, more than 130,000 student records could have been affected. The software houses information such as names, personal contact information, medical records, grades, and transcripts. 'These are systems that are fairly complex. They really drive the very essence of what the district needs information-wise. You figure when you're thinking about New York State as a whole, 700 districts, probably a third of them are using PowerSchool's information system,' said Strickland. He adds the RCSD could look at alternative software to use in the future. However, given the size of the district, PowerSchool remains the most viable option. 'Be mindful of your material or information. Check and see if you have any changes. A lot of it does fall on behalf of the outside vendor. The vendor has been helpful in various ways by providing information on what to do in the event there may be an issue. We help navigate families and parents to those resources, so they understand there are other individuals available to help and support,' said Strickland. RCSD families can follow along with updates from PowerSchool on the district's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
