Parents were invited to attend meetings in May, June and July to provide suggestions and ideas to improve this district parent and family engagement policy for the 2022-2023 school year. The notification for Parent Engagement sessions to develop the policy was advertised on the district website, School Messenger, reminder cards and flyers, and facebook@millercountyschools. During this meeting, parents also reviewed and discussed the Comprehensive LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP). The policy will be monitored and revised annually by each School’s Council.

Upon final revision, the district parent and family engagement policy was incorporated into the CLIP which was submitted to the state. Parents are welcome to submit comments and feedback regarding the policy at any time on the district website or by submitting written comments to their student’s school. All feedback received by July was considered for inclusion within the policy for this school year. The district parent and family engagement policy is posted on district website, distributed during the annual Title I meeting, reviewed with School Councils and other meetings where parents are involved in building partnerships with the schools.

MCS reserves 1 percent from the total amount of Title I funds it receives in FY24 to carry out the parent and family engagement requirements listed in this policy and as described in Section 1116 of the ESSA. Furthermore, the district will distribute 90 percent of the amount reserved to Title I schools to support their local-level family engagement programs and activities. The district will provide clear guidance and communication to assist each Title I school in developing an adequate family engagement budget that addresses their needs assessment and parent recommendations. Parents and family members of children receiving services under Title I, Part A shall be involved in the decisions regarding how the reserved 1% is allotted for parental involvement activities. Family Engagement funds will be used to carry out activities and strategies consistent with this policy, including not less than one of the following: 1) supporting schools and non-profit organizations in providing professional development for district and school personnel regarding family and community engagement activities which may be provided jointly to teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, paraprofessionals, early childhood educators, and parents and family members. 2) supporting programs that reach parents and family members at home, in the community and at school. 3) Dissemination of information on best practices for increasing economically disadvantaged parents and family members, 4) collaborating or providing subgrants to schools to enable such schools to collaborate, with community-based or other organizations or employers with a record of success in improving family engagement.

Input and suggestions from parents and family members are an essential component of the district and school improvement plans that are developed each year. All parents of students eligible to receive Title I services are invited to participate in opportunities described in this section to share their ideas and suggestions to help the district, schools, and students to reach academic achievement goals.  

To ensure that parents and community are informed of opportunities to participate in activities, MCS advertises in a variety of formats: district website (www.miller.k12.ga.us), facebook@miller.k12.ga.us, School Messenger electronic messaging system, flyers, reminder cards, and school marquis to name a few. Onsite and online activities are provided.

School Improvement Forums for SY 2023-2024 were advertised for dates in May, June and July.

Parent input on the use of Title I funds to support family engagement activities is provided by an annual district survey that can be completed any time: www.miller.k12.ga.us/schoolimprovement. Surveys and other data collection for improvement effort is provided at all school sponsored activities. 

Families and community are encouraged to complete feedback forms during Family & Community Engagement activities.

Each Title I school will hold an annual meeting independent of the date and time of the other schools to discuss the effectiveness of the Title I program and allow parents and community the opportunity to provide input for improvement. The date and time will be scheduled in order that attendance is convenient for participation.

MCS will build the schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong family engagement. In order to ensure effective involvement of parents and family members and to support a partnership among the Title I schools; parents, and the community are encouraged to participate in school and districtwide activities that support improving student achievement.

(1) SHALL 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;
(2) SHALL 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;
(3) SHALL 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;
(4) SHALL, 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;
(5) SHALL 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;
(6) SHALL provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as
parents may request.

Of Parents- MCS will work as a district and through its Title I schools to provide assistance to  parents in understanding state and district academic information connected to their student’s learning and progress, as well as information regarding the Title I program. MCS will provide sessions for parents to gain knowledge about the challenging state academic standards, local academic assessments, as well as the required assessments for Georgia students including alternative forms of assessment.

School Councils: Maintaining Active Stake Holding: MCS maintains that there are 6 core standards for effective student achievement through active Family & Community Engagement. In consultation with each school’s council, the Federal Programs Director will provide technical assistance and other support necessary to assist and build capacity of all participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities. This includes meaningful consultation with employers, business leaders, and other agencies, or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education.

MCS will also publish pages on the district and school websites that will contain resources and materials, including parent guides, study guides, practice assessments, to help parents work with their children at home. Copies of these materials will be made available at all Title I schools for those families who may have limited internet access, including copies languages other than English. In addition, assistance will be provided to parents to understand the online student information system and other digital educational resources. MCS will partner with Title I schools to host informational sessions for parents.

MCS will coordinate and integrate the district’s family engagement programs with the local preschool program and other federal and state funded preschool programs in the district by inviting faculty and staff from those programs to attend planning meetings focused on family engagement activities.

Our Goals for Family & Community Engagement

• Welcome All Families and Community Members
• Support Student Success
• Speak Up For Every Child
• Build Relationships That Foster School Improvement
• Communicate Effectively
• Provide meaningful strategies that assist parents with understanding about their student’s achievement

Mission Statement: The mission of the Miller County School System is to pursue excellence for all students in academic knowledge, skills, and behavior in order to equip them for their future success.

Of School Staff – MCS will provide ongoing professional learning for its staff through Professional Learning Communities in order to learn and discuss strategies to increase family engagement, improve school-family communication, and build ties with parents and the community. These trainings will be delivered to the faculty and staff of Title I schools. Embedded in the learning communities will be topics that support creating welcoming environments and improving two-way communication with families.

To ensure that information related to district, school, parent programs and activities are available to all parents, each Title I school is required to send home and post online information for parents and family members in an understandable language and uniform format. Throughout the school year, school staff will be trained regarding parent notifications and resources to be sent home in parents’ native language, where applicable, and providing interpreters at parent events. Information posted on the district website will be translated to the extent practicable.

MCS will analyze data related to the content and effectiveness of this parent and family engagement policy through activity participation evaluations and surveys. In addition, an annual survey will be distributed regarding the effectiveness of Family & Community practices. Each Title I school will maintain a core stakeholder group to facilitate group discussions regarding the needs of parents and children eligible to receive Title I services. Activities will be designed to provide strategies for more effective family engagement.

MCS will use the findings from school forums and survey results to design strategies to improve effective family engagement, to remove possible barriers to parent participation, and to revise its parent and family engagement policies.

This districtwide parent and family engagement policy has been developed jointly and agreed upon with parents and family members of children participating in Title I, Part A programs as evidenced by the collaboration of parents and the school district.

This policy was adopted by MCS on July 24, 2023 and will be in effect for the 2023-2024 academic school year. The school district will distribute this policy in multiple ways to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before September 1, 2019.