Parent and Family Engagement

Galway Central School District
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

The Galway Central School District Board of Education believes that positive parental involvement is essential to student achievement, and thus encourages such involvement in school education planning and operations. As stipulated in Section 1188 (d) (Parental Involvement) of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Galway Central School District will ensure that;...Each school served under Title I, Part A shall jointly develop with parents for all children served...a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff and students will share responsibility for improved achievement and the means by which the school parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State's high standards.

Title I Parental Involvement -- District-level Policy
Consistent with the parent involvement goals of Title I, Part A of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the Board of Education will develop and implement programs, activities and procedures that encourage and support the participation of parents of students eligible for Title I services in all aspects of their child's education. The Board will also ensure that all of its schools receiving Title I, Part A funds develop and implement school level parental involvement policies, as further required by the NCLB. With oversight from the Board of Education of the Galway Central School District to ensure that all schools provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment to enable all students to achieve. Recognizing the importance of communication between teachers and parents, all schools will, at a minimum, conduct annually the option of two parent-teacher conferences during which their school's compact will be discussed in relation to the individual child's achievement, in addition to providing frequent reports, beyond the quarterly report card, to parents on their child's progress. This could take the form of phone calls home, interim reports and written correspondence. Parents will be afforded reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class and observation of classroom activities.

For the purposes of this policy, parental involvement refers to the participation of parents and teachers in regular, two-way and meaningful communication involving 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:
• play an integral role in assisting their child's learning;
• are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education at school; and
• 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

(The term parents refers to a natural parent, legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis such as grandparent or step-parent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare.)

District- and school-level Title I parental involvement programs, activities and procedures will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities and parents of migratory children.

Parents also will participate in the process for developing a school improvement plan when the school their child attends fails to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years and is identified as a school in need of improvement. The Galway Central School District will publicly report on the progress of the schools and will prioritize resources to assist schools in reaching the State's standards. Parents and community members will be welcomed and encouraged to actively engage with the district in developing and implementing initiatives that lead to the academic success for all students.

Parent participation in development of district-wide parental involvement plan

The board, along with its superintendent of schools and other appropriate district staff will undertake the following actions to ensure parent involvement in the development of the district wide parental involvement plan:
• Meetings at flexible times and/or in highly accessible places such as community settings or surveying parents by phone, mail or e-mail.

Review of district-wide parental involvement plan
The board, along with its superintendent of schools 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, including the identification of barriers to greater participation of parents in activities under this policy and the revision of parent involvement policies necessary for more effective involvement.

Development of school-level parental involvement plans
The superintendent of schools will ensure that all district schools receiving federal financial assistance under Title I, Part A 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.

Building capacity for parental involvement
To build parent 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.

2. Provide materials and training to help parents work with their child's academic achievement.

3. Educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff in understanding the value and utility of a parent's contributions and 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

Galway Central School District

The Galway Central School District does not discriminate in its programs and activities, including employment and admission as applicable, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, economic status, marital status, veterans' status, political affiliation, domestic victim status, use of a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog, disability, or other classifications protected under federal or state law, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The designated district compliance officer(s) will coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, and the New York State Human Rights Law. The BOCES Civil Rights Compliance Officer is: Jennifer Hall, Galway Central School District, 5317 Sacandaga Road, Galway, NY 12074. phone: (518) 882-1033, email: [email protected]. Complaints may also be filed with the Office for Civil Rights, New York Office, U.S. Department of Education, 32 Old Slip, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10005-2500, phone (646) 428-3800, fax (646) 428-3843, email: [email protected]