General Expectation for Parent and Family Engagement

The Board is committed to ensuring the engagement of parents and other family members in the education of students.

The Board shall implement the following as required by federal or state laws or regulations:¹

1. The school district shall annually work with parents in evaluating and potentially revising the provisions of this policy in improving the quality of schools. Such an evaluation shall strive to identify any barriers to greater participation by parents (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background).
2. The school district shall provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other necessary support to assist individual schools with planning and implementing parental and family engagement activities.
3. The school district shall involve parents with the development of required educational or improvement plans.
4. The school district shall coordinate and integrate parental and family engagement strategies with those associated with other federal or state programs.
5. The school district shall put into operation activities and procedures for the engagement of parents in all of its schools.² Those programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents.
6. The school district shall ensure that activities and strategies are implemented to support this policy and included in the district plan.
7. The district and school improvement plan shall include strategies for parental participation in the district's schools which are designed to improve parent and teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, attendance, discipline, and higher education opportunities for students.
8. The district plan shall include procedures to enable parents to learn about the course of study and academic achievement of their children and have access to all learning materials.
9. The district plan shall identify opportunities for parents to participate in and support classroom instruction in the school.
10. If the school district's plan is not satisfactory to parents, the school district shall submit parental comments regarding the plan to the State Department of Education as required.
11. The school district shall ensure Title I schools are in compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act, Section 1116.

The Director of Schools shall develop and implement any procedures necessary to accomplish the goals of this policy.

SCHOOL LEVEL POLICY

Each school shall submit to the Director of Schools or designee, for review and comment, its Title I school parent and family engagement policy which must meet state and federal requirements, including a school-parent compact. This school level policy shall be developed jointly with and distributed to parents of participating students. A copy of these documents shall be retained in the district office and made available on the school's (if applicable) and school system's website.

SUPPORT FOR PROGRAM

If the Title I allocation is $500,000 or more to the school system, then at least one percent (1%) of that allocation shall be reserved for the purpose of promoting parent and family engagement. Parents of students participating in the Title I programs shall be consulted on the use of these funds.

FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS¹

Families and community members shall be engaged in the education of students based on the following standards:

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