Parent and Family Engagement

East Lawrence Elementary School

School Parent and Family Engagement Policy

2023-2024

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, East Lawrence Elementary School receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy, agreed on by such parents, that shall describe the means of carrying out the requirements of The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Section 1116.  Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand.  Such policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of the parents and the school.  The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parent and family engagement and describes how the school will implement a number of specific parental and family engagement activities.

East Lawrence Elementary School believes parents and families should be full partners in their children’s education and understands that parent and family engagement means the participation of parents and families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities.  East Lawrence Elementary School will use Title I funds to provide a Parental Involvement Coordinator to assist parents, promote parental involvement, and implement the requirements based on ESSA Section 1116. 

East Lawrence Elementary School agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by ESSA Section 1116:

• Annual Title I Meeting

  • East Lawrence Elementary School will convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school’s participation in this program.  Information will also be provided about the school parental involvement policy, schoolwide plan, and the school-parent compact.

• Flexibility of Meetings

  • East Lawrence Elementary School will provide a variety of opportunities at various times to provide information and seek input from parents.

• Joint Planning

  • East Lawrence Elementary will involve parents and other stakeholders in the planning, review, and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy during group meetings and conferences.

• Communication

  • East Lawrence Elementary will provide parents of participating children timely information programs under Title I including:

    • a description and explanation of the curriculum in use

    • forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress

    • achievement levels of the challenging State academic standards, and 

    • if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and respond to such suggestions as soon as practicable.

  • East Lawrence Elementary School will keep families and stakeholders informed in a timely manner and in a language they understand in the following ways:

    • Annual Title I meeting

    • Parent Teacher Conference Day

    • Home visits as needed

    • Additional parent teacher conferences as needed

    • Phone calls

    • Messages (emails, notes, Class Dojo, Remind, etc.)

    • Progress reports and report cards

    • Home Portal

    • School Parent Compact

    • Annual Improvement Plan available on school website or in print if requested

    • Information shared on FaceBook and the school website

    • Code of Conduct Booklet including Parents’ Right to Know, Attendance Policies, Dress Code, Anti-harassment policy, discipline guidelines, Acceptable Use Policy, and Parents’ Right to Know

    • Promotion Standards brochure

    • Newsletters

• Dissension

  • East Lawrence Elementary will submit any comments/concerns to Lawrence County Board of Education if the schoolwide plan and/or parent and family engagement policy is not satisfactory to parents.

  • Any comments or concerns may be delivered in writing to the principal, Mrs. Yulanda Hampton, emailed to yhampton@lawrenceal.org, or phone (256)905-2514.

• Shared Responsibilities for Student Achievement

  • East Lawrence Elementary utilizes a school-parent compact that outlines how families, school, staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State’s high standards.  This compact is given out at the beginning of each school year and signed by parents, students, and staff.  Parents are invited to give feedback on the compact.

• Building Capacity for Involvement

  • East Lawrence Elementary School will support a partnership among parents, community, and school to improve student academic achievement through the following:

    • Providing information to parents about academic standards, state assessments, requirements of the school’s Title I program, and the nature of the program during the annual Title I meeting;

    • Providing materials and training as needed for parents to work with their children;

    • Educate school personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in 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 school;

    • Coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs, meetings, and other activities with other Federal, State, and local programs, including public preschool programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents to fully participate in the education of their children. 

• Accessibility

  • East Lawrence Elementary School, in carrying out the parent and family engagement requirements of this part, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children), including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 in a format, and to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.