The Ithaca City School District is committed to building healthy partnerships between schools, families, and communities to support the well-being of students better academically, socially, and emotionally. Creating environments that foster mutually respectful and engaging communication is a priority for Ithaca City Schools.

We believe that sharing information and working through issues are best handled when both sides work together to dialogue and find solutions as close to the origin as possible. It is an important goal of the ICSD to work with school personnel and families to ensure the best results for your child’s education. Below are the appropriate steps for communication with school district personnel. If you have an issue directly related to your child’s safety or an emergency situation, please call the school directly and the office staff will connect you with an administrator or lead teacher to help.  

To ensure quick and effective problem-solving, please direct concerns or questions involving instruction, discipline, intervention services, or learning materials to:

1. The classroom teacher or instructional support teacher by phone or email. For Dignity for All Students (DASA) cases, please contact ICSD DASA Coordinator Robert Van Keuren at (607) 274-2138 or rvankeur@icsd.k12.ny.us.

2. If you have not received a response from the teacher, Educator of Inclusion, or DASA Coordinator within three (3) business days or if you are unsatisfied with the resolution or communication exchange, please contact the building principal by phone or email. 

3. If you have not received a response from the building principal within three (3) business days or if you are unsatisfied with the resolution or communication exchange, please contact Chief Information Officer Zachary Lind at (607) 274-2165 or zach.lind@icsd.k12.ny.us.  

4. If you have not received a response from the Chief Information Officer within three (3) business days or if you are unsatisfied with the resolution or communication exchange, please contact Superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown at luvelle.brown@icsd.k12.ny.us or (607) 274-6845.

5. If you have not received a response from the Superintendent within three (3) business days or if you are unsatisfied with the resolution or communication exchange, please contact members of the Board of Education. Contact information for Board of Education members can be found on the district website.

On the following pages, you will find the contact information for each building’s principal, Educator of Inclusion (EI), special education (SPED) clerical staff, and family liaison (if applicable). The district cafeteria and transportation managers and the district and early childhood EIs are listed, as well. In each school, there are also many support staff members, such as social workers, school counselors, and special education chairs, who are available to assist parents and caregivers.

For families that would prefer an outside advocate to assist in communication with school and district leaders, there are several local organizations in Ithaca that provide support to caregivers. Please contact Assistant Superintendent of Inclusion Mary Grover at (607) 342-8748 or mary.grover@icsd.k12.ny.us if you would like help in finding a local organization for support.