Purpose: To establish the board’s vision for the involvement of parents and families in the education of their children.
For the purpose of this policy, "parent" refers to the parent or legal guardian of the child.
The board believes that parent and family involvement must be pursued and supported by homes, schools/colleges/universities, communities, businesses, faith congregations, organizations and government entities by working together in an collaborative effort.
The board believes it can impact student achievement by improving the quality and quantity of parent/family involvement in the education of their children.
Therefore, the board commits to the following.
Seeing that each school establishes a comprehensive parent involvement program that includes parent education programs and activities that will assist parents and families in supporting classroom learning.
Providing support and coordination for staff and parents and families to make family involvement in education a priority.
Establishing effective, two-way communication between all parents and families and schools that respects the diversity and differing needs of families and encourages the development of mutual support between home and school.
Seeing that each school develops effective school planning/management teams that involve a broad spectrum of families, staff and community representatives in school governance and decision-making at the local and statewide level.
Recognizing that improved student achievement must be an equally shared responsibility and ultimate goal of parents and families, teachers, the school system as a whole and the community at large.
Parent Involvement (Parent Involvement in their Children's Education Act)
Responsibilities of board
In order to heighten awareness of the importance of parent and family involvement in the education of their children throughout their schooling, encourage the establishment and maintenance of parent-friendly school settings, and emphasize parent/school partnerships to assure a child’s academic success, the board will do the following.
Consider joining national organizations that promote and provide technical assistance on various proven parental involvement frameworks and models.
Incorporate, where possible, proven parental involvement practices into existing policies and efforts.
Provide incentives and formal recognition for schools that significantly increase parental involvement as defined by the state board of education.
Periodically require reports on school and district parental involvement programs including evaluations of the success of the programs.
Include parental involvement expectations as part of the superintendent’s evaluation.
Responsibilities of superintendent
The superintendent will do the following.
Include parental involvement expectations, as part of each principal’s evaluation.
Include information about parental involvement opportunities and participation in the district’s annual report.
Disseminate parental expectations as defined by law to all parents of the district.
Parent involvement (Every Students Succeeds Act of 2015)
The board also recognizes the special importance of parental involvement to the success of its Title I, Migrant (MEP), and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) programs. Pursuant to federal law, the district and parents will jointly develop and agree upon a written parental involvement policy that will be distributed to parents participating in any of these programs.
In keeping with these beliefs, it is the intention of the district to cultivate and support active parental involvement and to set and realize goals for parent-supported student learning. The district will do the following.
Provide activities that will educate parents regarding the intellectual and developmental needs of their children at all age levels. This will include promoting cooperation between the district and other agencies or school/community groups (such as parent-teacher groups, Head Start, First Steps, etc.) to furnish learning opportunities and disseminate information regarding parenting skills and child/adolescent development.
Implement strategies to involve parents in the educational process, including the following
Enable families to participate in the education of their children through a variety of roles. For example, family members should be given opportunities to do the following.
Provide input into district policies.
Volunteer time within the classrooms and school programs.
Provide professional development opportunities for teachers and staff to enhance their understanding of effective parent involvement strategies.
Perform regular evaluations of parent involvement at each school and at the district level.
Provide access, upon request, to any instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum.
If practicable, provide information in a language understandable to parents.
Title I parent involvement
The board recognizes that parent involvement is vital to achieve maximum educational growth for students participating in the district’s Title I program. Therefore, in compliance with federal law and state department of education guidelines, the district will meet with parents to provide information regarding their school’s participation in the Title I program and its requirements.
The superintendent will ensure equivalence among schools in teachers, administration and other staff and in the provisions of curriculum materials and instructional supplies.
The board directs the superintendent to ensure that each of the district’s schools participating in the Title I program meet annually. Parents of participating students will be informed of their right to be involved in the development of the district’s parental involvement policy, overall Title I plan and school-parent compact.
The district will, to the extent practicable, provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, parents of homeless students and parents of migratory students. In cooperation with parents, the district’s policy, plan and compact will be reviewed annually and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school and distributed to parents of participating students in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.
The superintendent will develop administrative regulations, as necessary, to implement this policy and meet the requirements of law.
Migrant Education Program (MEP) parent involvement
Parents of students in the MEP will be involved in and regularly consulted about the development, implementation, operation and evaluation of the program.
Parents of MEP students will receive instruction regarding their role in improving the academic achievement of their children.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) parent involvement
Pursuant to federal law, parents of LEP students will be provide notification regarding their child’s placement in and information about the district’s LEP program.
Parents will be notified of their rights regarding program content and participation.
South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA)
Parental participation is an integral component of the clusters of study system mandated by the EEDA.
Beginning with students in the sixth grade and continuing through high school, each school will schedule annual parent counseling conferences to assist parents or individuals appointed by the parents and their children in making career choices and creating individual graduation plans. These conferences must include, but not limited to, the following:
assisting the student in identifying career interests and goals
selecting a cluster of study and an academic focus
developing an individual graduation plan
A mediation process that includes parent advocates must be developed, explained, and made available for conferences upon the request of the parent or student.
The district may provide guidance and counseling sessions during hours that are not typically part of the workday, such as in the evenings or on Saturday.