The Board of Education believes that positive parental involvement is essential to student achievement, and thus encourages such involvement in educational planning and operations. The term parent refers to a natural parent, legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare). Parental involvement may take place either in the classroom or during extra-curricular activities. However, the Board also encourages parental involvement at home (e.g., planned home reading time, informal learning activities, and/or homework "contracts" between parents and children).

The superintendent is directed to create an evolving plan of ideas and practices that encourages and facilitates parental involvement in the Hyde Park Central School District. The purpose of this plan is to provide assistance to parents in improving their child's academic achievement and in understanding national education goals, state content and performance standards, and state and local assessments. Parents are encouraged to form a partnership with educators to improve all aspects of the learning environment.

Consistent with the parent involvement goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the Board of Education directs the superintendent to develop and implement programs, activities and procedures that encourage and support the participation of parents of all students in all aspects of their child's education. The Board further directs the superintendent to ensure that all schools receiving funds, develop and implement school level parental involvement activities as further required by NCLB.

For purposes of this policy, parental involvement refers to the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication regarding student academic learning and other school activities. At a minimum, parental involvement programs, activities and procedures at both the district and individual school level must ensure that parents are:

• treated with respect;
• actively encouraged to play an integral role in assisting their child's learning;
• encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education at school;
• accommodated to a reasonable degree when they bring forth issues related to their child's education;
• 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; and
• made aware of the processes and resources available to them to participate in their child's education.

District and school level parental involvement programs, activities and procedures will provide full opportunities for the participation of all parents.

As further required by NCLB, parents of students eligible for services will be provided an opportunity to participate in the development of the district's plan, and to submit comments regarding any aspect of the plan that is not satisfactory to them. Their comments will be forwarded with the plan to the New York State Education Department.

When a school has been identified as a school in need of improvement and fails to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years, participation by parents of students of that school will be sought in the process of developing an improvement plan.

Parent participation in development of district-wide parental involvement plan

The Board directs the superintendent and other appropriate district staff to undertake the following actions to ensure parent involvement in the development of the district-wide parental involvement plan:

• Meetings are held in all schools and at different times of the day so as to be accessible to all communities and individuals.
• Notices of meetings are posted on the district website, announced in the local newspaper, and posted in the local libraries and town halls.
• Information regarding meetings is shared with the Parent Teacher (Student) Associations (PTAs and PTSAs), Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) and District Leadership Team (DLT).

Review of district-wide parental involvement plan

The Board, along with the superintendent and other appropriate staff will conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement plan in improving the academic quality of Title I schools. This evaluation will also identify barriers to greater participation by parents in activities under this policy and suggest revisions to this policy and its implementation necessary for more effective involvement. To facilitate this review the district will conduct the following activities:

• The assistant superintendent for pupil personnel services (ASPPS) or other administrator designated by the superintendent, district staff, parents and community members will review the plan annually at meetings held in varied locations across the district.
• Feedback on the policy and its implementation will be sought from all constituents via open forums, focus groups and/or surveys

Development of school level parental implementation plans

The Board of Education directs the superintendent to ensure that all buildings receiving federal financial assistance are provided technical assistance and all other support necessary to assist them in planning and implementing effective parental involvement programs and activities that improve student achievement and school performance. As appropriate to meet individual local needs, the superintendent will ensure:

• Meetings are held in all schools and at different times of the day so as to be accessible to all communities and individuals.
• Notices of meetings are posted on the district website, announced in the local newspaper, and posted in the local libraries and town halls.
• Information regarding meetings is shared with the Parent Teacher (Student) Associations (PTAs and PTSAs), Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) and District Leadership Team (DLT).
• Parental input will be sought via open forums, focus groups, and/or surveys.

Building capacity for parental involvement

To build capacity for strong parental involvement to improve their child's academic achievement, the district will, at a minimum:

1. Assist parents in understanding such topics as the state's academic content and student achievement standards, state and local academic assessments, Title I requirements, how to monitor their child's progress and how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their child. To achieve this objective :
   • The district will conduct information sessions and provide training materials, as long as funding and/or resources are available, to help parents understand the role they can play in helping their child.
2. Provide materials and training to help parents work with their child's academic achievement. To achieve this objective, the district will offer information on the following topics:
   • Understanding standardized testing and the school profile
   • What annual Yearly Progress (AYP) means for their child
   • Understanding Title I and NCLB and their parental rights related to these
   • How to help children with homework
   • How to deal with a difficult child as well as behavior modification techniques
3. Educate and evaluate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff in understanding the value and utility of a parent's contributions and on 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 schools.
   To achieve this objective, the district and its Title I schools:
   • as part of their activities in this area will try to involve parents in developing this training in order to improve its effectiveness
   • may offer reasonable transportation and/or child care to enable parents to participate in school related meetings and training sessions
   • will ensure that information related to school and parent-related programs, meetings and other activities is sent to the parents of children participating in Title I programs in an understandable and uniform format, including alternate formats upon request, and to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

Coordination of parental involvement strategies

The district will coordinate and integrate the strategies adopted to comply with the requirements of NCLB Title I Part A for parental involvement with other strategies adopted in connection with other state and federal programs, including those listed in NCLB Title I Part A. The district will participate in activities and meetings of children entering kindergarten from all such federally funded programs as requested.

Cross-reference

Reference

Adoption date

November 12, 1992

Revised

January 11, 2007

11 Boice Road
P. O. Box 2033
Hyde Park, NY 12538
(845) 229-4000
For Emergency Information (845) 229-4001
District Fax: 229-4056
Directions