Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024
1.00
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
1.01 These rules shall be known as the
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Rules Governing Parental
Involvement Plans and Family and Community Engagement.
1.02 The State Board of Education enacts
these Rules pursuant to its authority as set forth in Ark. Code Ann.
§§
6-15-1005(f),
6-15-1701
et seq.,
6-15-2202, and Act 757 of
2019.
2.00
DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of these Rules:
2.01 "Division" means the Division of
Elementary and Secondary Education.
2.02 "Parent" means a natural parent, a legal
guardian, or other person standing in loco parentis (including
without limitation a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a
person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare).
2.03 "Parental Involvement" incorporates and
encompasses references to "Family and Community Engagement," as set forth in
the Every Student Succeeds Act.
2.04 "Public School" means those schools
created pursuant to Title 6 of the Arkansas Code and subject to the Arkansas
Educational Support and Accountability Act, specifically excluding those
schools or educational programs created by or receiving authority to exist
pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. §§
9-28-205,
12-29-301, et seq., or other
provisions of Arkansas law. Any reference to "Public School" in these Rules
includes open-enrollment public charter schools except to the extent these
Rules or the underlying statutes are specifically waived by the State Board of
Education.
2.05 "Public School
District" means those school districts created pursuant to Title 6 of the
Arkansas Code and subject to the Arkansas Educational Support and
Accountability Act, specifically excluding those schools or educational
programs created by or receiving authority to exist pursuant to Ark. Code Ann.
§§
9-28-205 and
12-29-301, et seq. Any reference
to "Public School District" in these Rules includes open-enrollment public
charter schools except to the extent these Rules or the underlying statutes are
specifically waived by the State Board of Education.
3.00
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
PLANS
3.01 Each public
school district, in collaboration with parents, shall establish a parental
involvement plan that establishes the district's expectations for parental
involvement, and that includes programs and practices that enhance parental
involvement and reflect the specific needs of students and their families.
3.01.1 Collaboration with parents may be
accomplished through the coalition of parents and representatives of agencies,
institutions, businesses and industries.
3.01.2 Annually by August 1, the public
school district's parental involvement plan shall be:
3.01.2.1 Developed, or reviewed and updated
by the public school district;
3.01.2.2 Posted to the website of the public
school district; and
3.01.2.3 Filed
with the Division's electronic filing process in electronic format,
specifically in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), or Rich
Text (.rtf) format.
3.01.2.4
Provided in a parent-friendly summary as a supplement to the student handbook.
3.01.2.4.1 The parent shall sign a form
acknowledging receipt of the summary and return the signed form to the school
where the student is enrolled.
3.02 Each public school, in collaboration
with parents, shall establish a parental involvement plan that reflects the
specific academic improvement needs of the school, and that includes programs
and practices that enhance parental involvement and address the specific parent
involvement needs of students and their families.
3.02.1 Collaboration with parents may be
accomplished through the coalition of parents and representatives of agencies,
institutions, businesses and industries required for development and
implementation of the school-level.
3.02.2 The parental involvement plan shall be
incorporated into the public school's improvement plan.
3.02.3 Annually by August 1, the public
school's parental involvement plan shall be developed, or reviewed and updated
by the public school.
3.02.4
Annually by August 1, the public school shall post to the website of the public
school or public school district:
3.02.4.1 The
public school's parental involvement plan;
3.02.4.2 A parent-friendly explanation of the
public school's and public school district's parental involvement
plans;
3.02.4.3 The informational
packet required by Section 5.01.1; and
3.02.4.4 Contact information for the parent
facilitator designated by the public school under Section 5.08 of these
Rules.
3.03 A
public school's parental involvement plan shall:
3.03.1 Involve parents of students at all
grade levels in a variety of roles, including without limitation:
3.03.1.1 Involvement in the education of
their children;
3.03.1.2 Volunteer
activities;
3.03.1.3 Learning
activities that support classroom instruction;
3.03.1.4 Participation in school
decisions;
3.03.1.5 Collaboration
with the community;
3.03.1.6
Development of school goals and priorities; and
3.03.1.7 Evaluating the effectiveness of the
school-level improvement plan;
3.03.2 Be comprehensive and coordinated in
nature;
3.03.3 Recognize that
communication between home and school should be regular, two-way, and
meaningful;
3.03.4 Promote and
support responsible parenting;
3.03.5 Acknowledge that parents play an
integral role in assisting student learning;
3.03.6 Welcome parents into the school and
seek parental support and assistance;
3.03.7 Recognize that a parent is a full
partner in the decisions that affect his or her child and family;
3.03.8 Recognize that community resources
strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning;
and
3.03.9 Support the development,
implementation, and regular evaluation of the program to involve parents in the
decisions and practices of the school district, using, to the degree possible,
the components listed in this section.
4.00
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
RESPONSIBILITIES
4.01 Each
public school district shall meet all the requirements for professional
development related to this rule as identified in the Division of Elementary
and Secondary Education Rules Governing Professional Development.
4.02 Each public school district shall
provide training at least annually for volunteers who assist in an
instructional program for parents.
4.03 Every public school district shall
annually review and approve the parental involvement plan for each public
school under the district's authority.
5.00
PUBLIC SCHOOL
RESPONSIBILITIES
5.01 To
encourage communication with parents, each public school shall:
5.01.1 Prepare an informational packet to be
distributed annually to the parent of each child in the school, appropriate for
the age and grade of the child, describing in a parent-friendly manner:
5.01.1.1 The school's parental involvement
program;
5.01.1.2 The recommended
role of the parent, student, teacher, and school;
5.01.1.3 Ways for the parent to become
involved in the school and his or her child's education;
5.01.1.4 A survey for the parent regarding
his or her interests concerning volunteering at the school;
5.01.1.5 Activities planned throughout the
school year to encourage parental involvement; and
5.01.1.6 A system to allow the parents and
teachers to communicate in a regular, two-way, and meaningful manner with the
child's teacher and the school principal; and
5.01.2 Schedule no fewer than two (2)
parent-teacher conferences per school year.
5.01.2.1 The school may plan and engage in
other activities determined by the school to be beneficial to encourage
communication with parents.
5.02 To promote and support responsible
parenting, each public school shall, as funds are available:
5.02.1 Purchase parenting books, magazines,
and other informative material regarding responsible parenting through the
school library, advertise the current selection, and give parents an
opportunity to borrow the materials for review;
5.02.2 Create parent centers; and
5.02.3 Plan and engage in other activities
determined by the school to be beneficial to promoting and supporting
responsible parenting.
5.03 To help parents in assisting students,
each public school shall:
5.03.1 Schedule
regular parent involvement meetings at which parents are given a report on the
state of the school and an overview of:
5.03.1.1 What students will be
learning;
5.03.1.2 How students
will be assessed;
5.03.1.3 What a
parent should expect for his or her child's education; and
5.03.1.4 How a parent can assist and make a
difference in his or her child's education;
5.03.2 Provide instruction to a parent on how
to incorporate developmentally appropriate learning activities in the home
environment, including without limitation:
5.03.2.1 Role play and demonstration by
trained volunteers;
5.03.2.2 The
use of and access to Division website tools for parents;
5.03.2.3 Assistance with nutritional meal
planning and preparation; and
5.03.2.4 Other strategies or curricula
developed or acquired by the school district for at-home parental instruction
approved by the Division; and
5.03.3 Engage in other activities determined
by the school to help a parent assist in his or her child's learning.
5.04 To welcome parents into the
school, each public school shall:
5.04.1 Not
have any school policies or procedures that would discourage a parent from
visiting the school or from visiting a child's classrooms;
5.04.2 Encourage school staff to use the
volunteer surveys to compile a volunteer resource book listing the interests
and availability of volunteers so that school staff may:
5.04.2.1 Determine how frequently a volunteer
would like to participate, including the option of just one (1) time per
year;
5.04.2.2 Include options for
those who are available to help at home; and
5.04.2.3 Help match school needs with
volunteer interests; and
5.04.3 Engage in other activities determined
by the school to welcome parents and families into the school.
5.05 To encourage a parent to
participate as a full partner in the decisions that affect his or her child and
family, each public school shall:
5.05.1
Include in the school's policy handbook the school's process for resolving
parental concerns, including how to define a problem, whom to approach first,
and how to develop solutions;
5.05.2 Sponsor seminars to inform the parents
of students in grades nine (9) through twelve (12) about how to be involved in
the decisions affecting course selection, career planning, and preparation for
postsecondary opportunities; and
5.05.3 Engage in other activities that the
school determines will encourage a parent to participate as a full partner in
the decisions that affect his or her child and family.
5.06 Each public school shall investigate
and, where feasible, utilize community resources in the instructional program
of the school.
5.07 To take
advantage of community resources, each public school shall:
5.07.1 Consider recruiting alumni from the
school to create an alumni advisory commission to provide advice and guidance
for school improvement;
5.07.2
Enable the formation of a Parent Teacher Association or organization that will
foster parental and community involvement within the school;
5.07.2.1 Leaders of this organization shall
be utilized in appropriate decisions affecting the children and families;
and
5.07.3 Engage in
other activities that the school determines will use community resources to
strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning.
5.08 The principal of each public
school shall designate one (1) licensed staff member who is willing to serve as
a parent facilitator to:
5.08.1 Help organize
meaningful training for staff and parents;
5.08.2 Promote and encourage a welcoming
atmosphere to foster parental involvement in the school; and
5.08.3 Undertake efforts to ensure that
parental participation is recognized as an asset to the school.
5.08.4 The certified staff member serving as
a parental facilitator shall receive supplemental pay for the assigned duties
as required by law.
6.00
MONITORING OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT PLANS
6.01 Annually, the Division shall:
6.01.1 Review the parental involvement plan
of each public school district; and
6.01.2 Determine whether the plan is in
compliance with law.
6.02. On each annual school performance
report published by the Division pursuant to
Ark. Code Ann. §
6-15-1402, the Division shall
indicate whether or not the public school district is in compliance with these
Rules and Ark. Code Ann. §
6-15-1701
et
seq.
6.03
Periodically on a rotating schedule, the Division shall monitor each public
school district's plan to:
6.03.1 Evaluate
whether the school district is implementing its plan and the implementation's
effectiveness; and
6.03.2 Assess
the areas in which a school district needs to revise its plan or its
implementation of the plan.
6.04 The Division shall place priority for
monitoring on public school districts that have been identified as being in
need of:
6.04.1 Level 4-Directed Support;
or
6.04.2 Level 5-Intensive
Support.
6.05 The
Division may monitor a public school distric's plan at other additional times
as determined necessary by the Commissioner of Education or the State Board of
Education.
6.06 By January 1 of
each year, the Division shall provide any recommendations in writing to a
school district:
6.06.1 Concerning areas of
noncompliance with these rules or Ark. Code Ann. §
6-15-1701
et seq.;
or
6.06.2 Arising from the
Division's review of public school district plans under section 6.01.2 of these
Rules.
6.07 The Division
shall allow a public school district opportunity to incorporate the Division's
recommendations into the district's parental involvement plan.
