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MASD Parent Involvement Policy

 

Meyersdale Area Elementary School

Meyersdale Area School District Parental Engagement Policy

(Refer to Title I Parental Involvement Policy No. 918)

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PART I. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

The Meyersdale Area Elementary School (MAES) agrees to implement the

following statutory requirements:

  •       MAES will put into operation programs, activities and procedures for the involvement 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, MAES 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.
  •       MAES will incorporate this district-wide parental involvement policy into its LEA plan developed under section 1112 of the 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 the 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.

 

  •       MAES will involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the one percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement is spent, and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the one percent reserved goes directly to the schools.

 

  •       MAES will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement, and expects that its Title I 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, including ensuring -

(A) that parents play an integral role in assisting their child's learning;

(B) that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education at school;

            (C) 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;

             (D) the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.

  •       The school district will inform parents and parental organizations of the purpose and existence of the Parental Information and Resource Center in the State.

 

PART II.  PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS

 

  1. The Meyersdale Area Elementary School (MAES) will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district-wide parental involvement plan under section 1112 of the ESEA:
  •       Hold an annual meeting at the beginning of each school year to present and review the policy.
  •       Including- Title 1 kick-off (Fall), Title 1 Bingo for Books (December) and Title 1 Spring Event (Spring)
  •       Several additional meetings will be planned at flexible times throughout the year to allow parents an opportunity to attend and participate in planning and programs.
  •       Hold an annual meeting at the end of each school year to review the program, parental involvement policy and all components.

 

  1. MAES will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under section 1116 of the ESEA:
  •       Provide a variety of flexible meeting dates and times that allow parents the opportunity to participate in the process of school review and improvement.
  •       Provide childcare and transportation to parents in an effort to increase participation.

 

  1. MAES will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance:
  •       Provide support through the Federal Programs Coordinator and secretary and the audio-visual technician.
  •       Provide faculty and staff with opportunities to develop skills in working with parents.
  •       Provide parents opportunities to attend state, regional, and local workshops focusing on parent involvement and student achievement.

 

  1. 4. MAES will coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies in Part A with parental involvement strategies under the following other programs: Head Start, Meyersdale Area Public Library, and Somerset County Technology Center by:
  •       Collaborating on meetings and activities that involve parents.
  •       Providing additional opportunities for adult education.

 

  1. MAES will take the following actions to conduct, with     the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parental involvement policy in improving the quality of its Title I, Part A schools.  The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in parental involvement activities (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). The school district will use the findings of the evaluation about its parental involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary (and with the involvement of parents), its parental involvement policies.
  •       The Federal Programs Coordinator will collect data throughout the course of the school year to be used in the annual evaluation of the parent involvement policy.
  •       The district will offer parents an opportunity to provide feedback about individual activities and the overall program throughout the course of the year, utilizing surveys.
  •       An annual survey will be sent to parents at the end of each year prior to the year-end policy review.
  •       The Federal Programs Coordinator will establish a Title I evaluation committee consisting of parents, faculty, staff, the elementary principal, and the Federal Programs Coordinator that will meet at the end of each school year to review survey results and feedback from interested parties in preparation for annual policy review.
  1. MAES will build the school's and parent's capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:

 

  1. MAES will, with the assistance of its Title I, Part A schools, 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 in this paragraph --
  •       the State's academic content standards,
  •       the State's student academic achievement standards,
  •       the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments,
  •       the requirements of Part A,
  •       how to monitor their child's progress, and
  •       how to work with educators.
  1. B. MAES 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, by:
  •       Providing workshops at the Parent-Teacher-Student-United (Educational Boosters) meetings.
  •       Providing planned summer activities.
  •       Providing childcare and transportation in an effort to improve participation.
  1. MAES will, with the assistance of its schools and parents, educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and schools, by:
  •       Providing professional development specific to parental involvement programs.
  1. MAES will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with Head Start, The Family Center, the Meyersdale Area Public Library 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.

 

  1. MAES 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 in the following ways:
  •       Written notification
  •       Telephone calling systems
  •       School District website
  •       Teacher-Parent telephone calls

 





 

PART III.  DISTRICT WIDE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS

The components list and describe additional activities that the school district, in consultation with parents, to build parents' capacity for involvement in the school and school system to support their children's academic achievement, such as the following discretionary activities listed under section 1118(e) of the ESEA:

  •       involving parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of that training;
  •       providing necessary literacy training for parents from Title I, Part A funds, if the school district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for that training;
  •       paying reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions;
  •       training parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;
  •       in order to maximize parental involvement and participation in their children's education, arranging school meetings at a variety of times, or conducting in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend those conferences at school;
  •       adopting and implementing model approaches to improving parental involvement;
  •       establishing a district wide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Title I, Part A programs;
  •       developing appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parental involvement activities; and
  •       providing other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under section 1118 as parents may request.



Reviewed: April 2023