Tallapoosa County Parent Engagement Policy

Tallapoosa County Parent and Family Engagement Written Policy(Sec. 1116 (2))

Sec. 1116(a)(2)(A))

A. Describe how the Local Education Agency will involve parents and family members in jointly developing the local educational agency plan under section 1112, and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d).

The Tallapoosa County School District will involve parents in accordance with the development of the LEA Parent & Family Engagement Plan under section 1112 of the ESEA, as amended by the Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) of 2015 by involving parents to:

Serve on the LEA Title I Advisory Committee and provide suggestions/revisions on the LEA Parent & Family Engagement Plan and the District Consolidated Plan on an annual basis.
Participate in the development of each school’s Alabama Continuous Improvement Plan (ACIP).
Serve on schools' ACIP committees

In addition, each school will notify parents & families of the date of the Annual Title I Meeting and invite parents & family members to attend. Schools will also host Open Houses and Parent & Family Workshops, and involve parents using suggestions from Parent Surveys.

Sec. 1116(a)(2)(B))

B. Describe how the Local Education Agency will provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools within the local educational agency in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance, which may include meaningful consultation with employers, business leaders, and philanthropic organizations, or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education.

The District will provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools within the District in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance by inviting members of the community and workforce development partners to become a committee and advisory members for planning safety at the schools, the curriculum at the Career Tech Center and high school CTC programs, development of technology plans, Data Governance planning and implementation, school CIP committees, the Title I Advisory Committee.

Parents are encouraged to access the home portal for PowerSchool SIS, school websites, district websites, and social media platforms for information related to the schools and district. Parents can also pot to receive information via phone call, email, and/or text message through Blackboard, a mass notification system. Each school develops a parent engagement plan with the input of parents and community members.

Sec. 1116(a)(2)(C))

C. Describe how the Local Education Agency will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies under this part with parent and family engagement strategies, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs.

The district’s Mission is to ensure every student graduate are prepared for success in college, career, and citizenship. The district recognizes that the PUBLIC must become partners with the schools for students to be successful. The district assists in coordinating and integrating parent and family engagement strategies with other relevant federal, state, and local laws and programs by:

Reviewing each school CIP and giving technical assistance in the development of each.
Encouraging schools to use parent engagement funds to provide a school parent engagement facilitator to work closely with the principal and other parents in planning meaningful parent engagement activities.
Providing resources for parent engagement and building capacity of parents.
Implement parent engagement activities, 3 or more per year at each school. This will involve parents and build the capacity for parents to assist in student success at school.

Sec. 1116(a)(2)(D))

D. Describe how the Local Education Agency will conduct, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all schools served under this part, including identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in activities authorized by this section (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)

Tallapoosa County Schools recognizes families as an integral component of the PUBLIC in public schools and strives diligently to involve parents and families. The district conducts, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement plan and uses the data to design/revise engagement activities and to identify barriers to greater participation by parents in parental involvement activities.

Each spring the District distributes the Title I parent surveys to parents/guardians (via the COGNIA platform). The results are analyzed and used by each school and the LEA in evaluating its parent engagement effectiveness. The results are also used by the school and the LEA for revising the parent engagement plan. This includes identifying the needs of the parents and family members and addressing those needs to the greatest extent possible. Also, the district provides translated documents to parents when needed.

E. the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers

Communication with parents and family members is crucial for each student’s education as is building capacity with parents to ensure student success. The school district will, with the assistance of its Title I schools, will provide assistance to parents of children served by the school district or school, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following, by undertaking the actions described:

Inviting parents to serve on each school’s CIP committee and assist in the development of the school plans
Conduct Title I Advisory Committee meetings to develop/revise and review the LEA Consolidated Plan which includes the LEA Parent Engagement Plan.
Ensure that each Title I school conducts an Annual Title I Meeting with parents. At this meeting principals will discuss:
- the State’s academic content standards,
- the State’s student academic achievement standards,
- the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments,
- how to monitor their child’s progress, and
- how to work with educators:
- provide opportunities for parents to meet with teachers/counselors to discuss their child’s state assessment results.
- develop the school’s parent engagement plan

The district parent involvement committee meets annually to discuss, review, and assess the parent involvement plan, each school's ACIP, and the Parent/Teacher/Student Compact. The parent coordinators at the schools are liaisons between the schools and the district central office. Using this feedback as well as the results from the parent surveys, specific personnel analyze the information at the school level and then at the district level. Schools will use their data in revisions to their school plans and the district will take action to ensure the information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents and addresses needs that have been identified.

F. strategies to support successful school and family interactions

The annual evaluation of the effectiveness of parent and family engagement is analyzed each year. The parent engagement committee meets to discuss ways to involve parents/families through school and family interactions. This will vary from school to school based on need. Plans/activities are amended based on the evaluation each year, solutions are recommended, and decisions are made that consider available resources and capabilities. The following describes ways parents/families have been encouraged to become involved in their child(ren)'s education.

The school district will, with the assistance of its schools, provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement, such as literacy training, and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

The parent facilitator, with guidance from the school principal and staff, will plan activities to ensure parents have information to improve students’ learning and ensure school success.
Schools have Family Night events encouraging parents to participate in reading and math activities with their children.
School representatives will explain to parents how the school plans to spend the allocated portion of parent involvement money to be received.
Parents will be encouraged to participate in parent-teacher conferences.
Resources for parents to use at home will be shared.
Information to parents will be distributed in a language they can understand through the use of TransAct or other translation services.

Sec. 1116(a)(2)(E))

G. Describe how the Local Education Agency will use the findings of such evaluation described in the section above (Sec. 1116(2)(D)) to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary the parent and family engagement policies described in this section.

The district will use the findings from the annual parent survey to provide opportunities to give families regular communication about their children’s activities and progress in their preferred language and way of communication, recognize families as assets in strengthening relationships with other families, conduct family literacy events that embrace strategies, share data, learning frameworks, and best practices with families to reinforce high expectations for program/school quality and success. Revisions recommended by the Parent Advisory Committee will be made and a copy will be sent to each committee member. Additional parent advisory committee meetings are held as needed to allow for further revisions and/or updates to the Parent Involvement Plan. Parent surveys will be utilized and surveys will be sent in the language the parents can best understand and communicate.

Sec. 1116(a)(2)(F))

H. Describe how the Local Education Agency will involve parents in the activities of the schools served under this part, which may include establishing a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents or family members served by the local educational agency to adequately represent the needs of the population served by such agency for the purposes of developing, revising, and reviewing the parent and family engagement policy.

The Tallapoosa County Board of Education agrees to implement the following statutory requirements: The school district will put into operation programs, activities, and procedures for the engagement of parents in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with section 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Those programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children. Consistent with section 1118, the school district will work with its schools to ensure that the required school-level parental involvement policies meet the requirements of section 1118(b) of the ESEA, and each include, as a component, a school-parent compact consistent with section 1118(d) of the ESEA. The school district will incorporate this district-wide parental involvement policy into its Local education Agency (LEA) plan developed under section 1112 of ESEA. In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school district 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 required under section 1111 of ESEA in an understandable and uniform format and, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand. If the LEA plan for Title I, Part A, developed under section 1112 of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school district will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school district submits the plan to the State Department of Education. The school district will involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the one percent (1%) of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement are spent, and will ensure that not less than 90 percent (90%) of the one percent (1%) reserved goes directly to the schools. The school district will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement, and expects that its Title I-A schools will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition: Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, ensuring that parents play an integral role in assisting their child's learning; that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's educaiton at school, that parents are full partners in their child's education, and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA. Each school will have committees composed of parents, administrators, paraprofessionals, and students. These school support teams will assist schools in increasing student learning by composing a parent/family plan targeting students' needs. The district will involve parents in the activities of the schools by:

Inviting parent and community members to serve on the Title I Advisory Committee,
Inviting parents to serve on the school's CIP committees,
Planning engagement activities that meet the needs of each school’s community.

In order to build capacity for Parent and Family Engagement, the Local Education Agency will ensure effective involvement of parents and will support a partnership among the schools involved, the parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, the LEA shall:

I. Describe how it will provide assistance to parents of children served by the school or local educational agency, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the challenging State academic standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

The district will provide assistance, training, and workshops to parents & families of children served by the system or school in understanding topics such as the following:

State Academic Content Standards
State Student Academic Achievement Standards
·State and Local Academic Assessments including Alternate Assessments
Training on how to monitor their child’s progress
Workshops on how to work with educators
Provide opportunities for parents to meet with teachers/counselors to discuss ways to assist their children academically

The district will encourage schools on providing opportunities for parents/families to become involved in the decision-making at the school level on how the parent & family engagement programs will be designed, implemented, assessed, and strengthened through meaningful consultation during the development of the CIP.

J. Describe how it will provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

The school district, with the assistance of its schools, will provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve academic achievement, and use technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

The parent facilitator, with guidance from the school principal and staff, will plan activities to ensure parents have information to improve students’ learning, ensure school success, and are aware of technology guidelines.
Schools have Parent Night events that promote parent participation in reading and math activities with their children.
Parents, to the extent practicable, will exhibit an understanding of how the school plans to spend its portion of parent involvement money.
Parents will be encouraged to participate in parent-teacher conferences.

K. Describe how it will educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.

The district will train school parent facilitators, teachers, administration, and other school staff on ways to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners to build ties between parents and the school at the beginning of each school year. At new hire orientation and new teacher trainings, ways to effectively communicate with parents will be presented. Resources and information about various parent engagement topics will be provided to schools and parents (parent/teacher resources).

Each school will notify parents of the date and time of its Annual Title I Meeting and invite parents and families to attend. At the Meeting, schools will provide information about the school's participation in the Title I program and what it means to be a Title I school-wide program, and the rights of parents under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. The schools will conduct parent meetings throughout the year at flexible times meeting parent’s needs.

L. Describe how it will to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local programs, including public preschool programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.

The district will to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. The district and the schools will provide transition activities to children that will attend schools within the district who are currently attending Head Start and other preschool programs. The transition will include a site visit to the enrolling school when feasible.

M. Describe how it will ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

The school district will take the following actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent- programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:

Notices will be sent to parents informing them of upcoming events through school newsletters, phone calls, parent conferences, and monthly school calendars.
When possible, information will be sent to parents in a language that parents can understand by using TransAct or other translation services.
Phone translator (Language Link or MasterWord) when needed for conferences and communication.

N. Describe how it will ensure/provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request.

The district will consider parent requests when providing reasonable support for parent engagement activities. Schools parent facilitators will solicit requests from parents and plan with building principals accordingly. Parents may submit requests directly to the principal. Parents are invited to participate on district and school committees at which times input from parents and community members is encouraged.

O. Describe how the LEA may involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training.

Training that emphasizes parents as equal partners in the education of their child will be provided to the staff. Parents will be involved through family engagement teams, ACIP and planning of other parent and family engagement activities/nights. Feedback from parents will be used to identify areas of concern that need to be addressed at both the LEA and school level.

P. Describe how the LEA may provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the local educational agency has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such training.

Tallapoosa County schools will provide necessary literacy training from funds received under Title I. These funds will only be used if all other reasonably available resources have been depleted.

Q. Describe how the LEA may pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions.

Tallapoosa County Schools may pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in important school-related meetings and training sessions.

R. Describe how the LEA may train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents.

Tallapoosa County Schools will train volunteers to work with other parents to help them better understand their school. Schools will recognize families as an asset and strengthen their relationship with families. Volunteers may reach out to churches and other parents to get them involved.

S. Describe how the LEA may arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation.

Tallapoosa County will encourage schools to arrange meetings at various times, provide transportation if necessary, or provide in-home conferences between teachers/educators if the parent is unable to attend in-person conferences at school. When possible technology, via video chat or other virtual methods, may be used to assist and communicate with parents and families that cannot come to the school to attend conferences.

T. Describe how the LEA may adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.

Tallapoosa County Schools will seek out evidence-based programs for adopting and implementing model approaches to improving parent and family engagement. Schools without a 12th grade are required to submit to the Central Office no less than 2 parent engagement activities each semester.

U. Describe how the LEA may establish a district-wide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in programs supported under this section

Tallapoosa County Schools will establish a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents or family members served by the LEA to adequately represent the needs of the population served. The job of the board will be developing, revising, and reviewing the parent and family engagement policy. Parents and families will be invited to serve on the LEA Title I Advisory Council and provide suggestions for annual revisions of the LEA Parental Involvement Plan.

V. Describe how the LEA may develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities.

Tallapoosa County Schools will develop relationships with community-based organizations and businesses by providing opportunities for each to visit and volunteer with schools. Business partners will be given a chance to donate to such events as Grandparents’ Day, Veterans Day honors, Spirit Days, Red Ribbon Week, Homecoming avtivities, etc.

Sec. 1116(f)

W. Describe how the Local Education Agency, to the extent practicable, shall provide opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members who have limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children, parent and family members of homeless children, and parents and family members of immigrant children), including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand.

Tallapoosa County Schools will make every effort to accommodate the needs of all parents and families. Tallapoosa County Schools will provide opportunities for full participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students. Notices of parent activities will be sent home by students, posted on school websites, and announced on School Cast. The schools and LEA will provide basic information and school reports in a format and to the extent practical, in a language that parents understand. Feedback from parent engagement evaluations will be used to revise the parent and family engagement policy using evidence-based strategies to promote more effective parental involvement. This will be communicated to parents in our district in a language/method that parents understand to the extent practical.

This LEA Parent and Family Engagement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs as evidenced by

This LEA Parent and Family Engagement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs as evidenced by documentation of the Parent Advisory Committee.