Other Information - Student Personnel Services

The Omaha Public Schools are pro-active in addressing truancy. The Drop-Out and Intervention Plan is available for public review.

When parents/guardians have concerns regarding their students not attending school, the Student Personnel Assistant can assist in working with the student and family to encourage students to return to school, regularly. The interventions include addressing the issues that interfere with the student feeling disassociated with their school, or working with other agencies to encourage that involvement.

When parents have attempted to set limits, constructed rules for home behaviors, set tasks to be completed daily and have conveyed their expectations to their students, the next step is to attempt counseling with the student. There are many agencies in the metropolitan area that accept families on a sliding scale based on the ability to pay. If you need a referral, contact a SPA. The parent/guardian should document each attempt to work with the student. When all avenues have been exhausted, a contact to the County Attorney, Juvenile Division is warranted telling them the child is "incorrigible" and that the documentation is available for review by the court.

Transportation is provided to students under the Student Assignment PLAN. In order to qualify for transportation at the elementary level, the home attendance area school must be greater than 1.5 miles from the residence of the student, or the student may select to choose an option school which is in a cooperative zone to the home attendance area school.

Transportation is provided to students to their neighborhood middle school provided they live greater that 2.0 miles from the school.

High school students receive transportation to Northwest, when living in the home attendance/shared area, and to students who live greater than 3.0 miles from North or South and living in the attendance area.

Students do not receive transportation if they choose to ask for a school that does not receive transportation. You may check your choices based on your elementary school attendance area, or by using the DOSO.

School officials are mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse and/or neglect (LB 28-711). As such, when a student self-reports that an adult has physically or sexually assaulted them, district personnel are obligated to contact the Student Personnel Assistant who is the first responder and determines if the incident is to be documented as forwarded to the Omaha Police Department, Youth Services Division, or if OPD needs to respond immediately. The child is interviewed without parent permission and, if removed from the building by an OPD detective, contact with the family is the responsibility of the detective.

Many agencies exist for the benefit of our constituents. The Links to Success program provides OPS to partner with agencies in the metropolitan area to provide services in circumstances where families may not have the resources to provide them for themselves. The Student Personnel Assistants have many resources at their disposal to assist families as well. Contact the SPA if you, or someone you know, can benefits from a referral to a pantry, shelter, medical or mental health agencies, tutoring services, domestic abuse assistance, or crisis/support groups.

The National Council of Jewish Women, Omaha Section, have the most comprehensive listing of social agencies in Omaha. The NCJW R.A.F.T. Book is available on line. The R.A.F.T. book is not an OPS document and the link is present through the agreement of the NCJW, Omaha Section.

Students from outside of the Omaha Public Schools may option to attend the school district at anytime. If the family is applying to enter the school district prior to the deadline date of March 15th (by state statute), the application is submitted to the receiving school district. Following the deadline date, which OPS maintains as the final release date, a student may come to the Omaha Public Schools by having the home school district sign a release on the application form. Placement into a school in OPS is based upon space availability.

The Omaha Public Schools Home Page provides links to the Nebraska Department of Education, Policies and Practices of the school district, curriculum and learning opportunities, forms for the release of records, immunization waiver and application for duplicate diploma application. By navigating through the homepage, you can find links to PTA, US Department of Education and links to colleges and universities.