Benton County Board of Education

The Board encourages the involvement of parents to participate in operation activities and procedures in all schools, both as individuals and as groups to act as advisors and resource people in the following ways:

• With specific talents to complement and extend the instructional services of the classroom teacher;
  
  
• To learn about the curriculum for their children for their children and have access to all learning materials;
  
  
• To express ideas and concerns by responding to surveys and other information-gathering devices;
  
  
• To be actively involved to improve parent-teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, attendance and discipline; and
  
  
• To serve on school advisory committees. A district Family/Community Advisory Council will annually assess the effectiveness of the Parent/Community Engagement Program to determine actions, if any, to increase parental and community participation.

To the extent practical, the school district and its schools shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in an understandable and uniform format and including alternative formats upon request, and to the extent practical in a language parents understand.

TITLE I INVOLVEMENT

Under the Federal Projects Director, the Benton County School System shall provide the coordination and technical assistance to ensure Title I schools are in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act, plan and implement the Title I Program according to the guidelines set forth in law which includes but is not limited to the following:^1,2

• Parent input into the planning, design and implementation of the Title I program;
  
  
• Meaningful consultation of parents of participating children in the planning, design and implementation of the Title I Program;

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3. Organized, systematic, ongoing, informed and timely consultation in

relation to decisions about the programs; and

4. The involvement of parents through activities and procedures which are sufficient to give reasonable promise of substantial progress toward achieving the required goals.¹

To ensure that parents of participating children have an adequate opportunity to participate in the planning, designing and implementing of the Title I Program, the Benton County School System shall:

•  
  • Convene an annual meeting to which all parents of participating children, including migrant students and limited English Proficiency students, must be invitedto explain the programs, activities and curriculum available under the

Title I Program;

2. Provide parents of participating children, including migrant students and limited English Proficiency students to the extent practical, with reports and explanations of their child's progress;

• To the extent practical, conduct a parent/teacher conference with the parents of each participating child to discuss the child's progress, placement, and training in methods the parents can use to complement the child's instruction;
  
  
• Permit parents of participating children to observe Title I instructional activities;
  
  
• Provide opportunities for regular meetings with parents to formulate parental input into the program;
  
  
• Provide parents of participating children with a copy of the parental involvement policy as well as timely information about the program;
  
  
• Make parents aware of parental involvement requirements and other relevant provisions of the program;
  
  
• Provide reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request; and
  
  
• Develop a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, school staff and students will share the responsibility for improved student achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve high standards.
  
  

Legal References:

¹ P.L. 107-110 § 118

² T.C.A. 49-6-7001-7003 Page 2 of 2