505 - Parental Involvement

500 - Instructional Programs

505 Parental Involvement

Last Updated Date: 11/03/2014

General Expectation for All Schools

The Sevier County School System will be governed by the statutory definition of parent involvement as cited in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition.

The Sevier County Board of Education will implement the following as required by federal and state legislation:

The system will ensure that teachers keep record of parent/guardian attendance at parent-teacher conferences, Individual Education Plan meetings, 504 Plan meetings, or any other meeting or conference with the child’s teacher to review the child’s status in school. Such records shall be kept by the teacher for two school years.
The Sevier County School System will put into operation activities and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools. These programs, activities, and procedures including the system’s plan for parent involvement and the school improvement process will be planned, developed and operated with meaningful consultation with parents.
The system will incorporate activities and strategies that support this system-wide family and community engagement policy into its Tennessee Comprehensive System-wide Planning Process (TCSPP).
The TCSPP will include procedures by which parents may learn about how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve student achievement.
The TCSPP will include strategies for parent participation in the system’s schools, which are designed to improve parent and teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, attendance, and discipline.
If the school district’s TCSPP is not satisfactory to the parents, the school system will submit any parent comments with the plan when the system submits the plan to the State Department of Education.
To the extent practicable, the system and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in an understandable and uniform format including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.
The system will appoint a Family and Community Advisory Council that will annually assess, through consultation with parents, the effectiveness of the Family and Community Engagement Program and determine what action needs to be taken, if any, to increase parental and community participation. In order to accomplish this, each advisory council will be composed of representatives from parents of students in elementary, middle, and high schools, community business leaders, a member of the school board, and representatives from the system.
The system will ensure Title I schools are in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act.
Families and community members should be engaged in the education of students based on the following standards:

Families are welcomed into the school community;
Families and school staff should engage in regular and meaningful communication about student learning.
Families and school staff work together to support student learning and development;
Families are informed and encouraged to be advocates for students;
Families are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families; and
Community, civic, and business resources are made available to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning.

Schools shall establish and develop programs and practices that enhance family engagement and address the specific needs of students and families. Decisions affecting students, schools, and established school procedures shall always be made within the parameters of legal and Sevier County Board of Education policies. The programs and practices will be comprehensive and coordinated and will include the following goals:

Assist families in developing skills and techniques to support their children’s learning.
Promote clear, two-way communication between school and family about school issues, instructional programs, and children’s progress.
Identify and reduce barriers to family engagement, including such barriers as those of economic concerns, disabilities, limited English proficiency, limited literacy, or issues related to cultural diversity.
Inform, involve, and train family members, where appropriate, in voluntary instructional and support roles at school.
Provide information about community and support services for children and families.
Include families in decision-making affecting schools and programs when consistent with law and policies of the Sevier County Board of Education.
Provide professional development for teachers and staff on ways to work effectively with parents, families, and volunteers.
Provide access to the family engagement policy for each family and post the policy in each school.

Additional Expectations for Title I Schools:

The system will provide coordination, technical assistance and other support to schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student achievement and school performance according to the guidelines set forth in law which includes, but is not limited to, the following:

The Title I Program will be planned, designed, implemented, and assessed with timely consultation with parents.
Parents will be involved through activities and procedures which are of sufficient size, scope, and quality to give reasonable promise of substantial progress toward achieving required goals.
An annual meeting will be convened to explain the programs, activities, and curriculum available under Title I, and all parents of participating children will be invited. Other reasonable support for parent involvement activities will be provided per parent request.
Parents of participating children will be provided with support in understanding the State academic content standards, State achievement standards, state and local assessments, and reports and explanations of student academic progress.
To the extent practicable, parent/teacher conferences will be conducted with the parents of each participating child. Parents will be informed of each child’s progress, placement, and will be provided materials and training in methods the parents can use to complement the child’s instruction and improve their achievement.
Parents of participating children will be provided a copy of the school’s parent/family involvement policy as well as timely information about the instructional program.
Parent involvement activities and strategies under other programs which include, but are not limited to, Head Start, preschool, and language instructional programs will be coordinated when feasible.
A school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff and student will share the responsibility for improved student achievement will be developed annually. The compact will encourage parents, school staff, and students to share the responsibility for improved student achievement and will provide means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve high standards.

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