Family Involvements

General Expectations

The McKenzie Special School District agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:

The school district will implement the statutory definition of parental involvement as the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including 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 education 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;
That the school district will inform families of the parents' "right to know" requirements concerning teacher and paraprofessional qualifications, student achievement, and non-highly qualified teachers.

The school district will put into operation activities and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools. Those programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents.

Title I Schools, Part A programs will be consistent with section 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA).

The school district will incorporate activities and strategies that support the district wide family and community engagement policy into its district plan.

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 in an understandable and uniform format and including alternative formats upon request, and to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

The school district will involve parents of Title I schools in decisions about Title I funds allocated for family involvement.

DESCRIPTIONS OF IMPLEMENTATION

The McKenzie Special School District will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district wide family involvement plan:

Select a broad stakeholder committee to serve as a district family involvement team.
Review the plan annually to ensure improvement and current implementation.

The MSSD will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement:

Parents will serve on individual school improvement committees.
The district will present report card information to the Board of Education and to the local media.
Parents and community members can have input by participation at school board meetings.

The MSSD will provide necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist schools in planning and implementing effective family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance through:

Providing professional development regarding family/community involvements.
Providing assistance in school improvement planning.
Providing tutoring programs for students needing help with curricular objectives.

The MSSD will provide support to assist schools in designing improvement strategies, such as homework, attendance, and discipline through these actions

Providing and promoting the use of the internet to access for children's homework.
Providing tutoring programs for students needing help with homework.

The MSSD will coordinate and integrate family strategies under the following programs: ESL program; Head Start screenings; Parent/Teacher organizations; School improvement and SACS committees; Special Education services.

The MSSD will provide necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist parents in learning about the course of study for their children and having access to all learning materials. These actions will be implemented by

Scheduling parent-teacher conferences for all schools.
Requiring that handbooks and other materials include courses of study.
Implementing web-based programs for academic instruction/intervention.

The MSSD will identify barriers that prevent economically disadvantaged, disabled, limited English proficiency, limited literacy, racial, or ethnic minority background parents from participating in activities through these actions

Surveying parents and staff to identify and remove barriers.
Providing materials to parents in their native language.
Providing equal access to parents with disabilities to participate in activities.
Providing training to help parents improve home support for children's education.

The MSSD will take the following actions to conduct an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this plan. The evaluation of the family involvement plan will be used to design strategies for more effective family involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the policies and plan by

Soliciting public opinion from parents/community.
Surveying staff members to determine effectiveness of professional development.
Reviewing annually the district improvement plan for family involvement.

MSSD Family Involvement Plan