1. The successful proposer will manage a Hearing Officer Program under the authority of the Superintendent of the Syracuse City School District and in collaboration with the Office of Student Support Services. 2. The Hearing Officer Program will provide an estimated 200 to 250 hearings and restorative meetings per year between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday through Friday. 3. The Hearing Officer Program will require sufficient staffing levels to provide for up to two hearings to be conducted simultaneously between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday through Friday excluding District holidays/recess periods and for timely responses to inquiries from students, parents/guardians and/or District staff members between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday through Friday excluding District holidays/recess periods. 4. The Superintendent’s Hearings are approximately one hour for General Education students and two hours for Students with Disabilities and students and families requesting translation. 5. The proposer’s Hearing Officers will: a. Conduct suspension hearings in a timely and impartial manner. b. Conduct student disciplinary hearings in a manner consistent with New York State and Federal law and regulations. c. Refer students for case management services as necessary. d. Facilitate Restorative Meetings upon request at the home school of the student as scheduled by the Office of Student Support Services. Restorative Meetings are designed to assist the school, the student and the family to construct a behavioral plan for the student’s return to school or an alternate facility following a short-term suspension. The schedule for these meetings is set by the Director of Student Discipline. e. Provide a full time Restorative Conference Facilitator who can facilitate both/either Family Conferences or Post-Suspension/Returning to School Conferences. f. Conduct up to 180 Restorative Conferences, which result in a detailed plan that outlines the commitment of the family, the school and the student to specific changes in behavior and interaction with the required school supports. The Conference Facilitator details in writing the plan that the student, family, and staff construct, and submits to the Hearing Office for review. g. Maintain all necessary records, memoranda, case notes and work products for the time period required by law. h. Maintain accurate time records for the hours worked by all program staff.
