Title I - District Parent Involvement Policy

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION 08.13451

Title I ‑ Parent Involvement Policy

This policy and the plan to implement it have been developed jointly and in agreement with, and will be distributed to, parents of students participating in the Title I program. Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language that parents can understand. This policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

Expectations for Parent Involvement

Contingent on confirmation of resources and other necessary information being provided by state and federal authorities, it is the intent of the Board that parents of participating students shall be provided with flexible opportunities for organized, on‑going, and timely participation in the planning, review, and improvement of the Title I program, including opportunities to suggest modifications, based on changing needs of parents and the schools.

All comments indicating parents' dissatisfaction with the Title I plan shall be collected and submitted along with the plan to the Department of Education.

The Title I program shall be designed to assist students to acquire the capacities and achieve the goals established by law, as well as the goals and standards established by the Board. These goals and standards shall be shared with parents in a manner that will give them: (1) timely information about programs; (2) a description and explanation of the school's curriculum, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, the proficiency levels students are expected to meet; the achievement level of their child on each of the state academic assessments; and (3) if requested, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate in decisions relating to the education of their children.

Support for Program

If the District's Title I allocation is $500,000 or more, the District shall reserve not less than one per cent (1%) of its allocation for the purpose of promoting parent involvement and shall distribute to Title I schools not less than ninety-five percent (95%) of the reserved funds. Parents of participating students shall be provided the opportunity to help decide how this portion of the Title I funds will be allotted for parental involvement activities.

The District will provide coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance. These measures may include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

•1. Designation of resources to assist in communicating with parents, transporting them to meeting sites and/or implementing home visits, providing child‑care for meetings, encouraging them to use available parent resource centers, and working with them to improve parenting skills, particularly those that will assist them in working with their child to improve his/her educational achievements. Resources may include individuals, agencies, materials, and services.

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION 08.13451

(Continued)

Title I ‑ Parent Involvement Policy

Support for Program (continued)

•2. Sharing options for coordinating and integrating Title I program strategies with services of other community programs, businesses, and agencies.

•3. Identification of ways in which parents can be involved in staff training activities to demonstrate the value of parent involvement and various techniques designed to successfully engage parents as equal partners in their child's education.

•4. Making a good faith effort to convene an annual meeting at a convenient time to which all parents of participating children shall be invited and encouraged to attend for informing parents of their school's participation in and requirements for Title I programs and of their rights to be involved.

•5. Designing and conducting an effective annual evaluation process whereby parents can share their ideas about the content and effectiveness of this policy in improving the academic quality of schools receiving Title I funds, and the plan designed to implement it. The process shall focus on the following questions:

Does this policy increase parent participation?

What barriers to parent participation still exist, and how can they be reduced or removed?

The findings produced by the annual evaluation shall be utilized to design strategies for school improvement and for revising this policy, if necessary.

•6. In the design of activities and materials for parents, particular attention shall be given to reaching and involving those who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background.

School Policy

Each school shall submit to the Superintendent and Board, for review and comment, its Title I school parent involvement policy, which must meet all legal requirements, including a school-parent compact developed in keeping with legal requirements. This policy shall be developed jointly with, and distributed by the school to, parents of participating students.

A copy of each school's parent involvement policy and accompanying checklist shall be kept on file in the Central Office.

References:

Section 1118 of Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994

P. L. 107-110 (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)

KRS 158.645, KRS 158.6451

Related Policies:

03.112, 08.1345, 09.11

District Procedures for Resolution of Complaints of Violations of Title I, Part A

Paducah Independent Schools

DISTRICT PROCEDURE FOR ENSURING PROMPT RESOLUTION OF COMPLAINTS OF VIOLATIONS OF TITLE I, PART A
NCLB Section 9304

Any complaints regarding violations of the Title I, Part A program must be submitted in writing and addressed to the district Title I Coordinator. The complaint must contain the following information:
· The name of the complainant and contact information;
· The nature of the complaint (the specific violation of the administration of the Title
I, Part A program).

Upon the written receipt of the complaint, the Title I Coordinator will enter the information into a complaint log with the following information.
· The name of the complainant;
· The receipt date of the complaint;
· The log-in number assigned to the complaint for tracking purposes;
· The name of the staff to whom the complaint will be referred (if applicable).
· The date of the response to the complaint.

The Title I Coordinator shall respond to the complaint within thirty (30) working days upon receipt of the complaint and maintain a copy of the complaint, log, and response on file in the district office.

After the complainant has received a response from the Title I Coordinator, the complainant has 30 days to appeal the local decision. This appeal must be filed in writing with the Kentucky Department of Education in compliance with (704 KAR 3:365).