Policies & Disclosures

Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary

Missing Student Notification Policy – 2026 Edition

Applicability: All registered students residing in on-campus institutional housing at both the Brooklyn and Ossining campuses.

1. Statement of Policy

If any member of the seminary community has reason to believe that a student who resides in on-campus housing is missing, they must immediately report this concern to the administrative office or local campus coordinator.

A student is considered missing when their absence is inconsistent with their established behavior, and attempts to contact them through standard means have failed for 24 hours. If circumstances suggest foul play or an immediate safety hazard, an investigation will begin immediately without waiting for 24 hours to elapse.

2. Designation of Confidential Contact Information

Every residential student has the option to identify a Confidential Emergency Contact person.

Purpose: This contact will be notified by the institution no later than 24 hours after the student is officially determined to be missing.

Privacy: This information is strictly confidential. It will be kept separate from general emergency contacts, accessible only to authorized institutional officials, and will only be disclosed to law enforcement personnel in furtherance of a missing student investigation.

Registration: Students can register or update their confidential contact information at any time through the administrative registrar’s office.

3. Special Provisions for Underage Students

In compliance with federal law, if an on-campus resident is determined to be missing and is under 18 years of age (and not an emancipated minor), Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary is legally required to notify the student’s custodial parent or legal guardian within 24 hours of the official determination. This notification occurs in tandem with contacting any designated confidential contact.

4. Institutional Response and Notification Procedures

Upon receiving a report that a resident student may be missing, institutional officials will execute the following steps to verify the student's status:

Internal Investigation: The housing coordinator or administrator will attempt to contact the student via cell phone, email, text message, or in person at their residential room.

Community Inquiry: Officials will discreetly interview roommates, study partners (Chavrutas), faculty, and friends to determine when the student was last seen.

Access Review: If applicable, key card logs or attendance records will be checked to establish the student’s last known location on campus grounds.

Law Enforcement Escalation: If the student cannot be located within 24 hours of the initial report, or if an immediate risk is apparent, the institution will officially notify the local police department:

Brooklyn Campus: NYPD 90th Precinct – (718) 963-5311

Ossining Campus: Ossining Police Department – (914) 941-4099

Contact Notification: Within the same 24-hour window, the administration will initiate contact with the student's designated confidential contact, or parent/guardian if the student is under 18.

5. Reporting Requirement

All missing student reports must be funneled through the main campus point of contact:

Administrative Office Phone: (718) 963-1212

Emergency Dispatch: Call 911 directly if immediate danger or a crime is suspected.

(Note: Federal regulations require that if any of the offenses above—or incidents of larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation, or property damage—were motivated by bias/hate, they must be explicitly detailed here by category of bias).

All counts in the supplied institutional table are zero for each year, for both on-campus and public-property locations.