Parent and Family Engagement Policy

Part I. General Expectations and Objectives

The Grant Parish School Board is committed to providing the students of Grant Parish with the opportunities to receive an education that will prepare them for success throughout their lives. With a focus on safety, parent and family involvement, community support, technology and by fostering a love for learning, we believe that all students can and will succeed.

Objective: To accomplish the mission and educational goals set forth for our students, it is essential that all students have an equal opportunity for success at school. The Grant Parish School Board has put a framework in place that consists of management, instruction and a system of comprehensive learning supports. This framework helps support students and ensure they have an opportunity for success. The school system recognizes that parents and family are often a child’s first teachers and are valuable partners in educating our children.

The Grant Parish School Board agrees to implement the following statutory requirements of ESSA:

1. Consistent with Section 1116, the district will ensure that the required Family Engagement Policy meets the requirements and includes, at each school-level, a school-parent compact.
2. Each school will notify parents/guardians of the policy in an understandable and uniform format. The policy will be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of families and the school. School administrators will review all correspondence sent home for readability. Parents or guardians with disabilities or limited literacy may be contacted by telephone when necessary with a log of communication maintained at the school.
3. In carrying out the Title I, Part A, parental and family engagement requirements, to the extent practicable, each school will provide full opportunities for the participation of families with limited English proficiency, families with disabilities, and families of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under Section 1112 of the ESSA.
4. If the school-wide program plan for Title I, Part A, developed under Section 1116 of the ESSA, is not satisfactory to the parents or guardians of participating children, the school will submit any parent/guardian comments with the plan when the school submits the plan.
5. Each school will involve the parents/guardian of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how funds reserved under this part are spent for family engagement activities. In collaboration with parents/guardians, each school will build its own capacity for strong family engagement, in order to ensure effective involvement of families and to support a partnership among the school, families, and the community to improve student academic achievement.
6. Each school will provide family engagement activities in the areas of student achievement, educational pathways, and resources available, as well as, additional topics parents may request.
7. Each school will be directed by the following definition of family engagement, and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition: Family engagement means the participation of parents/guardians in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:
   • parents/guardians play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
   • parents/guardians are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
   • parents/guardians 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.
8. Involve parents and family members in jointly developing the local educational agency’s Title I, Part A plan and the development of schoolwide plans.
9. Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools within the LEA in planning and implementing effective parent and family engagement activities. These activities should focus on improving 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.
10. Coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs.
11. 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 and family members 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;
    • 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;
    • Use the findings of such evaluation to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental and family engagement, and to revise, if necessary, the parent and family engagement policies described in this section; and
12. Involve parents and families in the activities of the schools to the extent possible.

Part II. Implementation of Required Family Engagement Policy Components

The Grant Parish School System has developed this parent and family engagement policy with the collaboration and input from parents/guardians of participating children. This policy serves as the basis for family engagement and is an important part of the consolidated application for federal programs. Family input is an integral part in developing and/or revising the district and school plans and school parental/family compacts. The district involves parents and families in planning and scheduling family engagement activities, programs, and use of the 1% Family Engagement funds.

1. The LEA will take the following actions to involve parents/families in the joint development of its family engagement plan:
   1. Each school year, district level personnel will provide technical assistance and support to schools in the development and implementation of individual school family engagement plans.
   2. Parents/guardians will have input on the district family engagement plan through a survey that will be sent out annually. Families are encouraged to review and respond to the district family engagement plan using these surveys. The district plan will be posted on the district website and in the district handbook.
   3. Parents/guardians will also have opportunities to review and respond to the parent and family engagement policy throughout the year at events such as:
      • Policy/Procedure reviews, including CTE meetings, athletic policy meetings, parish handbook meetings, open house, discipline/dress code review, Ag Day, College/Career Day, and Open House.
      • By email, mail, or school level. parents@gpsb.org has been established as a way for parents to communicate with district personnel.
   4. Parents/guardians will be instrumental in the planning process of the Schoolwide Plan (SWP). Parents/guardians and school personnel will provide feedback on schoolwide plans as needed during the year.
2. The LEA will take the following actions to involve parents and families in the process of school/district review and improvement by:
   1. Each school’s family engagement plan and school compact will be available at Open House or Parent Information Night. At various times throughout the school year, families and community members will have the opportunity to review and comment on the school and district family engagement plans. Schools will maintain agendas and sign-in sheets.
   2. The schoolwide plan committee will review and update the plan and address any concerns and dissatisfactions expressed by family or community members in regards to the school’s family engagement plan. Schools will maintain agendas and sign-in sheets.
3. Schools will hold an annual meeting to inform families of the school’s participation in Title I, Part A programs, and to explain the right of parents or guardians to be involved in programs. The school will convene the meeting at a time convenient for families and will offer a flexible number of additional family engagement meetings, such as in the morning or evening, so that as many parents/guardians as possible are able to attend. The school will invite all parents/guardians of children participating in Title I, Part A programs to this meeting, and will encourage them to attend, by:
   • Sending notices, calendars or flyers home.
   • JText or electronic messaging.
   • Posting on school and district websites.
   • Posting announcement on social media platforms.
4. The Grant Parish School System collaborates with principals, teachers, families, and students in providing family engagement activities that encourage and support families in full participation in the education of their children. In their efforts, Title I schools provide family engagement activities throughout the school year. The district will provide the planning and support necessary to schools for families to be actively involved in their child’s education. Information on upcoming events and activities can be found and encouraged through such efforts as:
   • Posting on school and district websites, school newsletters and calendars and social media websites.
   • JText Parent Command Center.
   • Formal and informal conferences, student planners, take-home folders, and community activities through community partners.
5. The LEA will provide the families of participating children information in a timely manner about the school’s curriculum, the forms of academic assessment used to measure children’s progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet. Schools provide information to parents or guardian on current educational requirements and topics through venues such as:
   • Informing parents/guardians of the state testing informational website.
   • Family Night activities, which are based on specific data of needed skills.
   • Academic Nights, which gives families an opportunity to interact with curriculum informational meetings held the first 9 weeks of school for information on Title I programs.
   • Distribution of such information as the LDOE resources and school/district brochures.
   • Open House, Parent Teacher Conference and other Family Engagement Events, including Literacy Night, Open House, Ag Day, and career events.
   • District and school websites.
   • Social media platforms.
   • School and Family Compact.
6. The LEA will, at the request of parents or guardians, provide opportunities for regular meetings for families to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school and district will respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible through:
   • Parent/family conference(s).
   • Planned family engagement activities.
   • Meetings, such as IEP, 504, or SBLC meetings.
   • Telephone calls/conferences.
   • Scheduled appointments with parent or guardian.
   • Written responses such as letters, newsletters, or websites.
7. The LEA will provide each parent or guardian an individual student report about the performance of their child on the State assessment in at least math, language arts and reading by at least one of the following:
   • Mailing individual LEAP 2025 score sheets to a child’s home, sending them home, or making them available for pick up from school.
   • Reviewing results of LEAP 2025 at parent teacher conferences or other family meetings/conferences. Individual conferences can also be scheduled.
8. The LEA will provide assistance to parents or guardians of children served by the school, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as 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.