Procedures for Parents

2008-2009

The school district has established written procedures so that parents may learn about the course of study for their children and have access to all learning materials.

†

Written requests to learn about courses of study and learning materials should be addressed to the Principal of your child's school.

The school district has included written strategies to inform parents of the right to access their children's official records.

†

Parents may request access to their children's official records by submitting a written request to:

** Dr. Sharon Roberts, Director of Schools

** 701 Coles Ferry Pike

** Lebanon, TN 37087

The school district has provided parents a written description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.

†

The Lebanon Special School District follows the Tennessee Blueprint for Learning in all subjects at all grade levels. The TCAP is the State mandated assessment for grades three through eight in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. English Language Learners are given the ELDA (English Language Development Assessment) in addition to the TCAP test. Testing occurs in the spring. Additionally, grades five and eight are given a state writing assessment. Of the three proficiency levels (below proficient, proficient, and advanced), students are expected to be at least proficient. Additionally, students are expected to gain at least one year of academic growth as measured by and compared to the state.

†

The school district has established written procedures for parents to access the School District Parent Involvement Policy, the School District Parent Involvement Plan, and curriculum.

†

Links to the policy, plan, and curriculum are available at http://www.lssd.org

If the School District Parent Involvement Plan is not satisfactory to the parents, the school district will collect and submit parent comments to the State Department of Education.

†

Please send comments to Stan Blades, Federal Programs Coordinator, at:

Lebanon Special School District

701 Coles Ferry Pike

Lebanon, Tennessee 37087

615-449-6060 ext. 29

bladess@k12tn.net

615-449-5673 Fax

The school district and its schools provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, disabilities, and migrant to the extent practicable. The School District Parent Involvement Plan, information, and school reports have been written in an understandable format.

Information may be distributed in an alternative format upon request, including other languages, Braille, auditory tapes, etc.

The LEA has a written parent involvement policy developed jointly with parents and agreed on with parents.

The written parent involvement policy is distributed to parents.

The written parent involvement policy establishes the LEA's expectation for parent involvement and describes how the LEA will:

A. Involve parents in jointly developing the LEA's local plan, and in the process of school review and improvement;

B. Provide coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist participating schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance;

C. Build the schools and parents capacity for strong parental involvement;

D. Coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under Title I, Part A with other parent involvement strategies under other programs, such as Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Parents as Teachers, Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, State-run preschool programs, and Title III language instructional programs; and,

E. Conduct with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of the schools served with Title I, Part A funds, including:

- Identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in parental involvement activities, with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background;

-Using the findings of the evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement; and

-Revising, if necessary, the LEA's parental involvement policies.

F. Involve parents in the activities of schools served under Title I, Part A.

Parent involvement plans include strategies to include parents in professional development available to staff and parents under NCLB. If the LEA's Title I allocation is more than $500,000, parents of children receiving Title I services have been involved in the decisions regarding how the 1% is spent for parent involvement activities, including the promotion of family literacy and parenting skills.

The LEA's records and policies promote parental and community participation in programs for ELL students.

The LEA involves parents and community members in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Title I program.

The LEA involves parents and community members in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Title IV, Part A-Safe and Drug Free program.

In communicating with parents, the LEA uses an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, expressed in a language parents can understand.† Technology is used as applicable in this process.

Outreach to parents of ELL students includes information on assisting their children in attaining English proficiency and in achieving academic success.

The LEA informs parents and the community of student progress, including assessment results and overall LEA and building performance.

Parents are notified of their child's eligibility for service in Title I-Part A targeted assistance only (Byars Dowdy and Coles Ferry only)

Parents are notified of their child's eligibility for service in Migrant Title I Part C

Parents are notified of their child's eligibility for service in Homeless- Title X Part C

Parents are notified of their child's eligibility for service in Title III

Parents of students in Title I schools receive written notification that they may request information about the qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals who instruct their child.

Parents of students in Title I schools receive notification if the LEA employs a teacher for four or more consecutive weeks who does not meet the highly qualified requirement. ( The LSSD currently has 100% of their core academic teachers Highly Qualified.)

Parents of students in Title I targeted assistance schools with 40% or greater poverty have been informed of the school's eligibility for schoolwide status. All LSSD schools meet this threshold.

Parents receive written notification that they have the right to request that their child's name, address and telephone number not be released to a military recruiter without prior written consent.

Parents of students in schools identified as unsafe are notified in writing of their rights.

(Please note: Lebanon Special School District has no identified unsafe schools.)

Parents receive written notification that if their child should become the victim of a violent crime at school, he/she will have the right to transfer to another school within the LEA.