FILE: IFD
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION
The Plaquemines Parish School Board recognizes that parental involvement must be a priority of the District for children to learn and achieve academic success. Parents and families provide the primary educational environment for children; consequently, parents are vital and necessary partners with the School Board throughout their children's elementary and secondary school careers. The term parent shall refer to any caregiver who assumes responsibility for nurturing and caring for children, and includes parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, foster parents, stepparents, and others. The concept of parental involvement shall include programs, services, and/or activities on the school site, as well as contributions of parents outside the normal school setting.
It shall be the policy of the School Board and each public school in Plaquemines Parish, in collaboration with parents, teachers, students, administrators, and other educational resources, to establish, develop, and maintain strategies and programs that are intended to enhance the involvement of parents and other caregivers that reflect the needs of students, parents, and families served by the School Board, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. As part of the parental involvement program, it shall be the responsibility of every school to create a welcoming environment, conducive to learning and supportive for comprehensive family involvement programs that have been developed jointly with parents/families.
DISTRICT LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES
It is the policy of the Plaquemines Parish School Board to:
Involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and improvement of programs, including the school’s Family Involvement provisions, and the joint development of the School Improvement Plan.
Have an annual meeting in August or September to inform parents of the requirements in the school program, setting Parental Involvement goals and activities, providing information on the process of school review and improvement, providing parents with a Student/Parent Handbook, and informing parents of their right to be involved.
Provide a school-parent-student compact that outlines how parents, staff, and students share the responsibility for improved student achievement. The school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help achieve the state’s high standards.
Such compacts shall:
Describe the school’s responsibility to provide:
High quality curriculum;
Instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment; and
The state’s student performance standards
Describe the parents’ responsibility to support their child’s learning by:
Monitoring attendance, homework, and television;
Volunteering in the child’s classroom; and
Participating in decisions relating to the education of their child and positive use of extracurricular time.
Address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through:
Parent-Teacher conferences in schools, at least annually, during which the compact shall be discussed, as it relates to the child’s achievement;
Frequent reports to the parents of their child’s progress; and
Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer, and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities.
Assist parents in understanding the No Child Left Behind Act, state student performance standards, state and local assessments, how to monitor a child’s progress, and work with educators to improve the performance of their child, as well as, information on how parents can participate relating to the education of their child by organizing and presenting workshops for parents.
Provide continuous communication to assist parents in understanding the school curriculum and student achievement through newsletters, report cards, parent-student handbook, handouts, mailings, student achievement reports, phone calls, home-visits, and conferences. Newsletters will include parenting tips and suggestions. All invitations shall be sent in a timely manner with an additional follow-up reminder.
Provide materials and training to help parents work with their child to improve their child’s achievement.
Develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses to form a partnership with parents and schools to promote student achievement and family involvement activities.
Involve parents in an organized, ongoing process for the purpose of planning, reviewing, and improving school programs by offering a flexible number of meetings at least three (3) times per year.
Ensure to the extent possible, that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the homes of participating children in the language used in such homes.
Conduct an annual survey for parents to collect opinions and concerns of parents about the current program and to collect suggestions for improvement and topics for meetings that meet the needs of parents.
Inform parents when a child is taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not “highly qualified;” inform parents about supplemental services, and inform parents about school choice (when applicable).
Statement of Compliance
Each student in grades 4-12 and each parent or guardian of a student in grades 4-12, shall annually sign a Statement of Compliance, in accordance with state law. For students, the Statement of Compliance shall state that the student agrees to attend school regularly, arrive at school on time, demonstrate significant effort toward completion of homework assignments, and follow school and classroom rules. For parents, the Statement of Compliance shall state that the parent or legal guardian agrees to ensure his/her child's daily attendance at school, ensure his/her child's arrival at school on time each day, ensure his/her child completes all assigned homework, and attend all required parent/teacher/principal conferences.
OTHER PROGRAMS
In conjunction with the district services rendered under the School Board’s parental involvement program, the School Board shall maintain contact and communication with social service and health agencies, faith-based institutions, and community groups to support key family and community services and issues. In particular, the Parish School Board has a strong relationship with and support from community and/or governmental organizations such as Families in Need of Services (FINS), Partners in Education, and District Parent/Teacher Association (PTA). One of the primary goals of these groups is to support, supplement, and assist in improving involvement of parents of children in Parish public schools.
Revised: April, 2010
Adopted: November 1, 2010
Ref: 20 USC 6312 (Part A – Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies)
20 USC 6318 (Parent and Family Engagement)
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:235.2
Plaquemines Parish School Board