RCSD families frustrated amid placement backlog

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester City School District is just about one full week into the academic year, but not all students are in class. A backlog of classroom placements is causing some families to keep their student home, but now, those families are left wondering what to do in the meantime.

“I had no idea it it would have ended up being like this,” says Nicoletta Lombardo, a mom of five with three children still in school.

Lombaro explains her son, Matteo, graduated out of a charter school last year and is now in 6th grade, but unlike his two siblings, he’s not in class. She enrolled her son in the spring and has been following back up with the district ever since.

“You call these numbers they give you and you’re not able to get in touch with nobody. Nobody answers, the voicemailboxes are full. I’ve tried emailing and I’ve gotten no where. I’ve even gone down the Board of Education on Broad Street a few times already,” Lombardo says.

Another family News 8 spoke with is dealing with similar issues. Erricka Roemer and Seth Barbour are new to RCSD this year after moving, enrolling their two kids over the summer. According to the district website and officials, the Pre-K program does have a deadline in the spring, but all enrollment is considered a ‘rolling basis.’

RCSD reconfiguration plan would close 11 schools

Roemer and Barbour recently received word of their children’s placements, which ended up being 15 minutes apart driving distance.

“No one calls you back. We’ve been down there [sic, School Board] everyday since before Labor Day trying to get placement. We live in the Neighborhood of the Arts and we’re in the South Zone and we’re not able to put the kids in even any schools within those zones were our choices, you’re allowed five choices. We didn’t get any of those and then our son is in 16 and and now she’s going to Asbury so it’s very stressful to try to figure out how to get them on time,” Roemer explains.

The district acknowledges there is a backlog of placements, telling News 8 this happens each year.

“We moved from a paper process to an online process and we need families to upload all of the information that we require by the State Department of Education in New York and so sometimes what happens is maybe families filled out the application and they should be placed, unfortunately we need the information to include all of the documentation that’s required,” says Marisol Ramos-Lopez, Chief Communications Officer with RCSD.

“The other thing that happens is that some families wait a little longer than others to register their children but we’re gonna make sure that all of them get into schools,” Ramos-Lopez adds.

Overall, families News 8 spoke with say aside from being able to have their children attend classes, they feel the district could make the enrollment and placement process more transparent and accessible to understand.

“Honestly at this point I just want somebody to hear me and I’m hoping that at some point sooner than later, somebody will reach out to me and Matteo will be starting school, this week would be lovely,” Lombardo adds.

​ ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester City School District is just about one full week into the academic year, but not all students are in class. A backlog of classroom placements is causing some families to keep their student home, but now, those families are left wondering what to do in the meantime.

“I had no idea it it would have ended up being like this,” says Nicoletta Lombardo, a mom of five with three children still in school.

Lombaro explains her son, Matteo, graduated out of a charter school last year and is now in 6th grade, but unlike his two siblings, he’s not in class. She enrolled her son in the spring and has been following back up with the district ever since.

“You call these numbers they give you and you’re not able to get in touch with nobody. Nobody answers, the voicemailboxes are full. I’ve tried emailing and I’ve gotten no where. I’ve even gone down the Board of Education on Broad Street a few times already,” Lombardo says.

Another family News 8 spoke with is dealing with similar issues. Erricka Roemer and Seth Barbour are new to RCSD this year after moving, enrolling their two kids over the summer. According to the district website and officials, the Pre-K program does have a deadline in the spring, but all enrollment is considered a ‘rolling basis.’
RCSD reconfiguration plan would close 11 schools
Roemer and Barbour recently received word of their children’s placements, which ended up being 15 minutes apart driving distance.

“No one calls you back. We’ve been down there [sic, School Board] everyday since before Labor Day trying to get placement. We live in the Neighborhood of the Arts and we’re in the South Zone and we’re not able to put the kids in even any schools within those zones were our choices, you’re allowed five choices. We didn’t get any of those and then our son is in 16 and and now she’s going to Asbury so it’s very stressful to try to figure out how to get them on time,” Roemer explains.

The district acknowledges there is a backlog of placements, telling News 8 this happens each year.

“We moved from a paper process to an online process and we need families to upload all of the information that we require by the State Department of Education in New York and so sometimes what happens is maybe families filled out the application and they should be placed, unfortunately we need the information to include all of the documentation that’s required,” says Marisol Ramos-Lopez, Chief Communications Officer with RCSD.

“The other thing that happens is that some families wait a little longer than others to register their children but we’re gonna make sure that all of them get into schools,” Ramos-Lopez adds.

Overall, families News 8 spoke with say aside from being able to have their children attend classes, they feel the district could make the enrollment and placement process more transparent and accessible to understand.

“Honestly at this point I just want somebody to hear me and I’m hoping that at some point sooner than later, somebody will reach out to me and Matteo will be starting school, this week would be lovely,” Lombardo adds. Read More RochesterRochesterFirst