Revision Date 06.12.2024

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Miller County School District receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on with, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy that contains information required by Section 1116(a)(2) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  The policy establishes the LEA’s (Local Education Agency) expectations and objectives for meaningful parent and family engagement and describes how the LEA will implement a number of specific parent and family engagement activities, and it is incorporated into the LEA’s plan submitted to the Georgia Department of Education. 

The school district agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by Section 1116: 

• The school district will put into operation programs, activities, and procedures for the engagement of parents and family members in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs.  These programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents and family members of participating children. 

• The school district will work with its schools to ensure that the required school-level parent and family engagement policies meet the requirements of Section 1116(b) of the ESSA, and each include as a component a school-parent compact consistent with federal law.

• In carrying out the Title I, Part A parent and family engagement requirements to the extent practicable, the school district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, limited literacy, disabilities, of migratory children, who are economically disadvantaged, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background, including providing information and school reports required under Section 1111 of the ESSA in an understandable and uniform format 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 ESSA, 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 be governed by the following definition of parental involvement/family engagement and expects that its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition in Section 8101 of the ESSA:

  Family engagement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

  (A) Parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning

  (B) Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school

  (C) 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) Other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESSA

   

  JOINTLY DEVELOPED

   

  The school district will take the following actions to involve parents and family members in jointly developing its LEA plan under Section 1112, and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of Section 1111(d) of the ESSA: 

   

  Parents were invited to attend meetings in May and June 2024 to provide suggestions and ideas to improve this district parent and family engagement policy for the 2024-2025 school year. The notification for Parent Engagement sessions to develop the policy was advertised on the district  and School website, digital displays in the facilities, reminder cards and flyers, and district and school social media. During these meetings, parents also reviewed and discussed the Comprehensive LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP). The policy will be monitored and revised annually.

   

  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 June 30^th 2024 was considered for inclusion within the policy for this school year. The district parent and family engagement policy is posted on the district website, distributed during the annual Title I meeting, and reviewed with School Councils and other meetings where parents are involved in building partnerships with the schools.

   

        BUILDING CAPACITY OF INVOLVEMENT: PARENTS, TEACHERS & COMMUNITY

   

  The school district will provide the following coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build capacity of all Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family engagement 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. 

   

  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.

   

  Activities include but are limited to:

• The challenging State academic standards
• The State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments
• The requirements of Title I, Part A
• How to monitor their child’s progress
• How to work with educators
• 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 family engagement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions
• Training parents to enhance the engagement of other parents
• Maximize family engagement 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 family engagement
• Establishing a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to family engagement in Title I, Part A programs
• Developing appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in family engagement activities

All Title I schools are required to have school-parent compacts designed to serve as a tool to demonstrate the cooperation among school, parents, and students towards building a successful partnership to help ensure children are participating in a safe, nurturing and challenging academic environment. School compacts are distributed to all returning students each year and new students upon enrollment. Compacts are used during parent/family activities as a strategy to gather input and feedback for school improvement. Compacts are posted on school websites and managed through the Infinite Campus student information system parent portal.

ANNUAL EVALUATION

The school district will take the following actions to conduct, with the meaningful engagement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of its Title I, Part A schools.  The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in 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 evaluation will also include identifying the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers and strategies to support successful school and family interactions. The school district will use the findings of the evaluation about its parent and family engagement policy to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental engagement, and to revise, if necessary, its parent and family engagement policies.

 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.

RESERVATION OF FUNDS

 MCS reserves 1 percent from the total amount of Title I funds it receives in fiscal year 2025 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.

STRENGTHENING OUR SCHOOLS: OPPORTNITIES FOR MEANINGFUL PARENT CONSULTATION

Each school in the district is a Title I Schoolwide school. This year, the district will provide technical assistance and support ensure family engagement requirements are being satisfied and that family engagement strategies and activities are being implemented. Each school will receive notifications and resources to help them improve and strengthen family engagement. In addition to frequent communication and school visits by the Federal Programs Director; the Principals and Academic Coaches will provide professional learning to ensure that plans and activities for parents are designed to improve student achievement. In addition, the Federal Programs Director, Principals and Academic coaches will ensure that Family Engagement is an integral part of the School Improvement Plan and monitored accordingly through the development of a school improvement action plan.

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), social media (Facebook, Remind 101, ClassDojo), , flyers, reminder cards, and digital displays in the facilities. Onsite and online activities are provided.

School Improvement Forums for SY 2024-2025 were advertised for dates in May and June 2024.

Parent input on the use of Title I funds to support family engagement activities is provided by a feedback form 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.

COORDINATION OF SERVICES

The school district will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies with parent and family engagement activities, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs included but not limited to HeadStart, Family & Children Services, Babies Can’t Wait, Chamber of Commerce, and Family Connections in order that parents are encouraged to support the education of their children.

ADOPTION

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 06.12.2024 and will be in effect for the 2024-2025 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, 2024.

Disclaimer:  The use of the term policy is to denote Federal Compliance for Title IA and supporting Federal Programs. It is not connected to Miller County Board of Education policy