This portal is for current Center for Learning employees. Please check this portal frequently to obtain the latest information & alerts/instructions from Aspire of WNY’s Center for Learning Leadership Team. Thank you!
November 26th, 2025 | 2 PM
We appreciate your continued commitment to our students and the professionalism you demonstrate daily.
To ensure we maintain a supportive and respectful work environment for everyone, we want to reiterate a few key expectations regarding the workplace:
- Workplace Conduct: Team members are expected to always maintain a professional and respectful workplace. This includes honoring your colleagues’ privacy and dignity.
- Confidentiality of Personnel Matters: Please be reminded that decisions involving employees are personnel matters and are strictly confidential. All employees must refrain from speculating about, and/or discussing assumptions regarding, the reasons for any personnel decision.
- Impact of Discussion: Engaging in these discussions can cause unnecessary harm, create misinformation, and cause confusion for stakeholders, including parents and guardians, who may overhear or become aware of them. We must be mindful of the impact our conversations have on our colleagues, our students, the families we serve, and the overall integrity of our school.
- Reporting Concerns: If you have specific concerns related to the safety or well-being of our students, please address these directly by speaking with your immediate supervisor or a member of the Human Resources department.
Thank you for your cooperation and for upholding the standards that make Aspire of WNY’s Center for Learning a great place to work and learn.
Aspire of WNY Administration
November 13th, 2025 | 2:15 PM
We wanted to provide some updated information for you. Please read and distribute to any team members who may not have email addresses. Please remind everyone to check the staff portal, as this information has also been posted there.
- As you should have seen from the Celebrations Committee email, the movie night scheduled for November 17th at the CFL has been postponed. A new date will be announced when it is determined.
- OASIS, the agency’s internal strategic leadership group, will meet at the CFL on November 19th. Everyone will be instructed to remember their IDs and to follow visitor protocol during their visit.
- Holiday Spirit, the agency’s holiday vendor fair, will take place at the CFL on the evening of December 12th.
- A security guard’s presence at the CFL (or any Aspire of WNY property) is a daily decision made by agency leadership and implemented only when deemed necessary. This temporary measure is subject to ongoing review.
- At the CFL, the therapy and bus circle doors will now remain locked and are not to be used by employees for routine entrance or exit, except in an emergency (as all accessible doors can be used for evacuation).
- The bus circle door at the CFL will be open only during bus duty (8-9 AM and 2:15-3:15 PM) with supervisory support to facilitate student arrival and departure.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your direct supervisor.
November 12th, 2025 | 11 AM
Hi Aspire of WNY,
Aspire of WNY Administration and Leadership teams are aware of public messages that tagged the agency and the Center for Learning this morning, indicating that someone might be outside our properties doing a Facebook Live this week. We want to remind everyone at the agency that if the media contacts you in any way (via phone, email, or in person) all media inquiries should be directed to Megan Rechin, Vice President of Communications & Growth. No one should speak to the media while representing the agency or on behalf of the agency. Formal requests from the media will be responded to appropriately.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email Megan Rechin at mrechin@aspirewny.org or your immediate supervisor, and your question and concern will be directed to the appropriate party.
We appreciate everyone’s dedication to the people we support.
Thank you,
Aspire of WNY Administration + Leadership Teams
November 3rd, 2025 Update | 2 PM
Aspire of WNY Center for Learning team,
Thank you for your prompt response during today’s emergency evacuation and dedication to ensuring all staff and students were safe. The Center for Learning Leadership team is currently debriefing the evacuation now to see what went well and what we can do to improve. If you have any suggestions or feedback, you can tell your supervisor and we will gather the information to improve processes moving forward. Thank you again for all you do.
With sincere appreciation,
The Aspire of WNY Center for Learning Leadership Team
November 3rd, 2025 Update | 12:20 PM
Aspire of WNY Center for Learning is writing to inform you that the potential gas leak was not a gas leak and we have obtained an all clear from the fire department. Students are being moved back into the building to finish the school day as usual. If you have any questions, please contact Megan Rechin at mrechin@aspirewny.org, thank you.
November 3rd, 2025 Update | 12:10 PM
Aspire of WNY Center for Learning is writing to inform you of a potential gas leak in the Center for Learning building. As such, everyone is being evacuated per emergency protocols. First responders are on the way. We will provide more information as we can, and student and staff safety is our highest priority.
November 1st, 2025
November Newsletter! Click to read the CFL’s November Newsletter
October 31st, 2025 Update
Subject: Employee Information & Security Updates
Date: October 31, 2025
To: All Aspire of WNY Center for Learning Team Members
Team, thank you for your continued dedication to safety and security. We wanted to share the security plan and key communication access information with you.
Next week (November 3 – November 7, 2025), the security plan details you should know are:
- We have requested the presence of a security guard to be on-site at the main entrance from 7:30 AM to 4 PM, Monday – Friday
- We will continue to operate in a state of modified Secure Lockout, which entails having all access doors locked at all times, and all students and employees will enter and exit through the main entrance, except during student arrival and departure, when the bus circle entrance will be used for student entry. Additional supervision at the bus circle entrance will happen during arrival and dismissal.
- We will begin to allow expected (they have a confirmed appointment) visitors to come into the building. Still, they must be escorted and accompanied during their visit with appropriate supervision, and they must enter through the main entrance and follow all visitor protocol guidelines.
Additionally, based on your feedback and because some team members were not receiving School Messenger messages, we have created a “Center for Learning Staff Information Portal” and a “Center for Learning Parent & Guardian Information Portal.” These portals will house important information, security updates, and communications that are relevant to each audience. You can —and should —check these links frequently, especially in the evenings and before coming to the CFL campus to report. If sensitive information needs to be shared, you will be instructed on the portal to contact your supervisor at the Center for Learning. Here are the links and QR codes to get to the staff and parent portals (save the link to your bookmarks or email it to yourself for easy access):
Center for Learning Staff Information Portal:
https://www.aspirewny.org/center-for-learning-staff-information-portal/
Center for Learning Parent & Guardian Information Portal:
https://www.aspirewny.org/center-for-learning-parent-guardian-information-portal/
Sincerely,
Aspire of WNY’s Center for Learning Leadership Team
______________________________________________________________
October 30th, 2025 Update
TO ASPIRE OF WNY CENTER FOR LEARNING TEAM MEMBERS:
|
Area
|
Update Details (Actionable)
|
|---|---|
|
Secure
Lockout |
We will operate in a modified Secure Lockout tomorrow, Friday, October 31st. Employees and students with proper ID/access will be able to enter and exit via the main entrance, but all visitors will be denied access. This differs from a standard Secure Lockout, where employees and students can leave the building but not return after exiting. To understand the difference clearly, please speak with a member of the Center for Learning Leadership team if you have questions. Environment & Safety repair workers who have been screened and will be allowed in the building after 3:00 PM on October 31st, 2025, following student dismissal.
|
|
Increased
Police Presence |
The Cheektowaga Police Department will be on site from 8:00–9:00 AM and 2:00–3:00 PM during peak arrival and departure times. They have also confirmed they will make frequent drop-ins, be immediately available if needed, and monitor the situation per their expertise.
|
|
On-Site
Security & Admin |
A dedicated security guard (an active-duty police officer) will be posted at the main entrance during operational hours. Aspire of WNY’s Leadership and The Center for Learning Leadership team was actively involved today, supported by the agency administration team. The same will happen tomorrow to support the staff and students.
|
|
Centralized
Entry Point |
All employees must use the Main Entrance for building access until further notice. The therapy and bus circle doors will remain locked, except for the bus circle door during the 8:00–9:00 AM and 2:00–3:00 PM bus windows (for student arrival/departure), where there will be additional supervisor oversight. For all other hours, for all employees, the main entrance must be used.
|
|
Halloween Caution
|
Per the memo distributed in person today, costume masks that fully cover the face and make a person unidentifiable will not be allowed during the Halloween celebrations tomorrow and until further notice.
|
______________________________________________________________
October 29th, 2025 Update
This morning, on October 29, 2025, Aspire of WNY received an email from a former Center for Learning employee. The contents of this email were directed at agency administration and attacked Aspire of WNY’s reputation. Out of an abundance of caution:
- We forwarded the messages to local police, the School Resource Officer, and the Erie County Behavior Assessment team for their interpretation, and they have agreed with the plan we’ve begun to implement.
- We have also increased security at our larger commercial buildings, including the CFL, and starting tomorrow, we have requested the presence of a hired security guard to be on-site at the CFL.
- We’ll let you know if we receive any more relevant information, and we understand that everyone is concerned about their own safety, the team’s safety, and the children we support.
- Please know we are working through the proper protocols to maintain the safety & security of everyone, with consultation from police and legal professionals.
- Please remember that all visitors should report to the main entrance and follow visitor protocol at all times.
- In addition to the administrative team’s work, we rely on you to comply with our security and visitor policies.
- No one should allow anyone to enter any door for any reason. All staff should have access cards. All visitors, for any reason, should go to the main entrance and follow proper visitor protocols. Staff who have forgotten or lost their access cards are treated as visitors and must enter through the main entrance until they obtain a new access card.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Christine Lalka, Vice President of Educational Services at clalka@aspirewny.org
Thank you,
Aspire of WNY Administration