I. The School District and each school principal are encouraged to strengthen family involvement and family empowerment in the school. SCS believes that 1) parent and family engagement is a shared responsibility and that 2) parent and family engagement encourages high quality instruction for all learners. The District will coordinate and integrate evidence-based parent and family engagement strategies with school improvement, Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV, Title VI, Title IX, ESSER, Community Involvement Programs, Business Partnerships, and other community involvement activities.

II. The District will provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist schools in planning and implementing effective and comprehensive parent and family engagement practices based on the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, which include:

A. Welcoming All Families into the School Community: Families are active participants in the life of the school, and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what students are learning and doing in class.

B. Communicating Effectively: Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning.

C. Supporting Student Success: Families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.

D. Speaking Up for Every Child: Families are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.

E. Sharing Power: Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs.

F.Collaborating with Community: Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.

III. The District will communicate parental choices and responsibilities to parents and develop procedures for a parent to learn about parental involvement, rights and responsibilities. The district will provide accurate and timely information regarding parent and family opportunities, choices, rights, procedures, and responsibilities, including:

A. Opting the minor child from any portion of the school district’s comprehensive health education required under section 1003.42, F.S.;

B. Sharing information about school choice options, including controlled open enrollment;

C. Exemptions for immunization requirements;

D. Reviewing statewide, standardized assessment results;

E. Enrollment in gifted or special education programs;

F. Inspecting instructional materials and how to object to instructional materials based on their religious or moral beliefs that the material is harmful;

G. Accessing information about the district’s student progression plan, including policies for promotion, retention and graduation;

H. Receiving a school report card and being informed of attendance requirements;

I. Accessing information about the state education system, report card requirements, state standards, attendance requirements and instructional materials requirements;

J. Participating in parent-teacher associations and organizations;

K. Opting out of any district-level data collection effort not required by law;

L. To learn about the nature and purpose of clubs and activities offered at the minor child’s school.

M. To learn about the nature and purpose of clubs and activities offered at the minor child’s school.

IV. The District recognizes the fundamental right of parents, as defined by law, to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their minor children. Important information relating to a minor child should not be withheld, either inadvertently or purposefully, from the parent, including information relating to the minor child’s health, well-being, and education, while the minor child is in the custody of the school district. Parents have the right to access and review all school records related to the minor child including but not limited to the right to access school safety and discipline incidents as reported pursuant to section 1006.07(7) and (9), F.S.

V. Upon a parent’s direct written request to the Superintendent for any of the information required under section 1014.05, the Superintendent has ten (10) days to provide the information. The parent has the right to appeal directly to the school board if the Superintendent fails to respond or provide the information within ten(10) days. The School Board must hear the appeal at its next public meeting, in accordance with meeting notice requirements.

VI. The District shall develop and distribute a parent guide to successful student achievement. The guide shall contain information that parents need to know about their child’s educational progress and how parents can help their child’s success in school by improving parent and teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, school attendance and discipline.

VII. The District will provide professional development opportunities that focus on educating school personnel, with the assistance of families, in the value and utility of the contributions of families, strategies to increase family engagement, improve school-family communication, and build ties with parents and the community.

VIII. The district will conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this policy.

A. To determine the effectiveness in increasing parent and family engagement;

B. To identify barriers to greater parent participation; and

C. To report the findings to the State Board of Education.

IX. The District will use the findings of the evaluation to design strategies to improve effective family engagement, to remove possible barriers to parent participation, and to revise its parent and family engagement policies.