FILE:  KJJ

 

RELATIONS WITH PARENT/TEACHER SUPPORT GROUPS

 

 

The Monroe City School Board believes school support groups are an integral part of the district and encourages the participation of parents' organizations and booster organizations.

 

The Board directs the Superintendent or designee to establish regulations and procedures which will provide for an orderly and systematic operation of such groups.  The Board further directs the administration to evaluate the productivity and impact of the support groups annually.

 

The success of school support groups requires shared commitment between the district staff, individual schools, parents and the community.  The following guidelines are designed to help build these collaborative partnerships.

 

CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES

 

The district staff serves as the primary resource for information and training for professional educators and participating parents and citizens.  It acknowledges and addresses the need for trust between all parties based on honesty, dependability and character; it meets this need by providing these services:

 

  1. Addressing perceptions, myths and assumptions regarding parent/ community involvement in the affairs of the schools
     

  2. Making district-wide information easily accessible
     

  3. Providing channels of training to clarify appropriate roles and responsibilities for school personnel and support groups
     

  4. Helping school communities develop shared decision-making skills
     

  5. Helping educators work with parents
     

  6. Helping educators work with children from diverse backgrounds
     

  7. Helping parents learn to reinforce and support learning at school
     

  8. Developing, monitoring and adjusting district regulations that govern activities taking place on school property or under its sponsorship
     

  9. Facilitating an annual evaluation of the impact and productivity of the district's support groups for the Monroe City School Board

 

BUILDING LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES

 

It is the obligation of the principal and staff of each school to make clear the importance of parents and community members in the education of all children.  Activities that foster this attitude are built around these practices:

 

  1. Welcoming parents to school
     

  2. Articulating the school's vision
     

  3. Providing easy access to school information and school personnel
     

  4. Creating a variety of roles for parental involvement to improve schooling for children
     

  5. Reaching out to involve parents and the community
     

  6. Establishing and participating in on-site training opportunities for educators and support groups
     

  7. Maintaining frequent and meaningful communication with support group volunteers
     

  8. Serving as a depository for generally useful start-up and maintenance documents
     

  9. Bylaws, project development and evaluation instruments, for example
     

  10. Distributing and enforcing district regulations governing activities taking place on school property or under its sponsorship

 

SUPPORT GROUP RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Although support groups are diverse in both needs and culture, they share the school's commitment to the educational success of children.  Ways to support schools Monroe City vary widely from school to school and are most effective when shaped by the participants to match needs and talent.  Effective involvement includes:

       

  1. Emphasizing the importance of schooling to children
     

  2. Insisting all students meet minimum academic and behavioral standards
     

  3. Responding to the school's involvement opportunities to improve schooling for children according to skills, experience and interest
     

  4. Participating in appropriate training
     

  5. Seeking accurate information about school affairs
     

  6. Maintaining frequent and meaningful communication with school personnel
     

  7. Following district regulations

 

DISTRICT REGULATIONS

 

In all instances, schools shall be encouraged to promote effective citizen involvement in the education of children.  Approved regulations are intended to facilitate orderly and systematic operations of support groups involved in schools.  They are not punitive in nature and are subject to reasonable adult judgment.

 

  1. Support groups have no administrative authority in connection with the operation of the school.
     

  2. Support groups shall submit a statement of purpose and manner of conducting business to the principal of the school, who will keep the document on file.
     

  3. Approval of the principal is required for events, programs or operations that involve: 

 

    1. the participation of children
       

    2. operation of a school service
       

    3. charges to children
       

    4. solicitation of children
       

    5. communications sent home with all children in a school

 

  1. The principal and support group shall mutually agree on a means to account for money raised and spent by the group for school enhancement, subject to the approval of the Superintendent or designee.  Monies shall meet all state and federal financial regulations.
     

  2. Equipment donated to the school becomes the property of the district.
     

  3. Accurate records of support group involvement shall be the joint responsibility of the school and support group.

 

There may be other regulations adopted from time to time by schools and support groups to serve their particular community.  These additions will be on file in the district office and available to the public upon request to the Superintendent's office.

 

EVALUATION PROCESS

 

An evaluation process shall be conducted annually to assess the impact and productivity of the district's support groups in compliance with the policy of the Monroe City School Board.

 

The evaluation will be under the direction of the principal in each school and reviewed with the leadership of the support group. Random evaluations will be made by the Superintendent or designee. The evaluation will be structured to include these elements:

 

 

Monroe City School Board