The board of trustees of this district adopts this policy to encourage and facilitate parent and family member participation in Title I educational programs and experiences of students. This policy provides the framework for organized, systematic, ongoing, informed, and timely parent involvement relative to decisions about the Title I services within the district. The superintendent or designee will guide Title I schools within the district in meeting the requirements of the Parent and Family Engagement provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as outlined herein.

Aberdeen School District #58

POLICY DEVELOPMENT

The administration will develop jointly with parents/guardians of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy that will be incorporated into the district’s Title I plan. The policy will be reviewed on an annual basis, and amended as necessary. Parents/guardians will be notified of this policy and, to the extent practicable, it will be provided in a language they understand. The policy will be developed on a district-wide basis and will be applicable to all district schools which receive Title I funds.The Title I Coordinatorwill:

1. Convene an annual school-based meeting to:

a. Provide Title I schools with information and tools;

b. Give an overview of the District’s Title I program, including providing a description and explanation of the school’s curriculum; information on the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress; and information on the achievement levels of the state’s challenging academic standards students are expected to meet;

c. Give an overview of Title I policies and procedures, including the right of parents to be involved in the school’s programs and ways to do so, the right of parents/guardians to request opportunities for regular meetings and ways to participate, and the school-parent compact; and

d. Solicit input from parents.

The district will offer flexible meeting times and places and, when feasible, assist with transportation, child care and other related services such as translation and interpretation.

2. Conduct, with the involvement of parents/guardians, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this policy, such as: considering policy revisions; identifying barriers that prevent parents/guardians from participating in Title I school activities; and/or ways to improve parent/guardian involvement. Evaluations will be used to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the district-level parent and family engagement policies.

3. Develop, implement and annually revisit an action plan for parent involvement aligned to Title I school-wide plans and Title III requirements.

4. Ensure that parents/guardians are involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of the school program and policies and procedures.

5. Communicate information to parents/guardians which affects their students, including student achievement, curriculum, assessment and staff.

6. If requested by parents/guardians, provide opportunities for regular meetings to facilitate participation in decisions regarding the education of their students.

FACILITATION OF MEANINGFUL PARENT INVOLVEMENT

In order to facilitate meaningful parent involvement at schools within the district, the district will do all of the following:

1. Develop a school-parent compact, which may include establishing a Title I parent advisory council at each school. The purpose of a parent advisory council is to assist in the review and evaluation of the school’s school-parent compact; parent involvement plan; use of parent involvement funds; and the school’s Title I program and plan for school improvement. The school-parent compact will:

a. Describe the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in an environment that will enable participating students to meet State student academic achievement standards.

b. Describe the parent’s responsibility for supporting their children’s learning, including volunteering in their child’s classroom and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time.

c. Address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an on-going basis through:

(1) At least annual parent-teacher conference to discuss the compact and the child’s achievement;

(2) Frequent progress reports to the parents;

(3) Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer, participate, and observe in the child’s classroom; and

(4) Regular two-way, meaningful communication between family members and school staff and, to the extent practicable, in a language that family members can understand.

d. Be in writing and a copy kept on file at the school, as well as documentation of how it was distributed.

2. Provide support and assistance. The district designee will attend annual meetings, any school-parent meetings and any parent advisory council meetings at each school to provide the support and technical assistance necessary to plan and implement effective parent involvement activities. The purpose of parent involvement activities is to improve student academic achievement and school performance.
3. Build capacity for involvement with parents/guardians and school staff. The district will assist each school in providing materials and training to help parents/guardians work with their children to improve their children’s achievement. This may include math, reading and/or other activities to which all Title I families in the school will be invited. In order to improve communication between home and schools all information will be: (i) sent to parents/guardians in a timely manner; (ii) sent in a format that is easily readable; and (iii) to the extent practicable, sent in a language that parents/guardians understand.

PARENT ACCESSIBILITY

The district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents, including parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency or have limited literacy or are of any racial or ethnic minority background. This includes providing information and school profiles in a language and form that is understandable by the parents. The district and each school will assist parents and parent organizations in learning of and about parental information and resource centers.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

LEGAL REFERENCE:

Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 USC §6301 et seq. (Parent and Family Engagement provisions)

ADOPTED: June 15, 2022

AMENDED: