Skip To Main Content

District Parent and Family Engagement Plan

What is Family Engagement?

Family Engagement means the participation of parents and family members in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

  • (A) That parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning.
  • (B) That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education.
  • (C) That parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.
  • The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in Section 1116 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)  

Jointly Developed

During the annual Title I Input meeting held virtually this year in April, all parents were invited to participate and provide suggestions and ideas to improve this district parent and family engagement plan for the 2024-2025 school year. The district sent a Send It text message to all parents informing them about this opportunity and posted the announcement with presentation link on the school district Facebook page, which feeds into the school district website. During this presentation, parents were provided information on the Consolidated LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP), Federal Complaints Procedure, and McKinney-Vento, along with Title I Part A allocation and suggested budget plans. Additionally, each Title I school used its Leadership Teams to redeliver the district parent and family engagement plan and solicit feedback for revisions from all school staff.

Upon final revision, the district parent and family engagement plan was incorporated into the CLIP which was submitted to the state. Parents are welcome to submit comments and feedback regarding the policy at any time on the school district website or by submitting written comments to your child’s school. All feedback received by June 14, 2024 was considered for revisions to this policy. 

The district’s plan to distribute this policy is to post it on district and school websites and in parent resource centers, disseminate it during the annual Title I school meetings in the fall, and email the link to all parents in a format and language they can understand.

Strengthening Our School

This year, the district family engagement coordinator will provide assistance and support to all schools to ensure parental involvement requirements are being satisfied and that parent engagement strategies and activities are being implemented. Schools will receive notifications and resources from the district to help them improve and strengthen family engagement. Through frequent communication and school visits, the schools’ principals and the family engagement coordinator will review the family engagement plan and schedule school activities. Additionally, at a district leadership team in July, the family engagement coordinator will review parental involvement requirements and discuss planning opportunities for parental involvement activities and meetings for the remainder of the school year

Opportunities for Meaningful Parent Consultation 

Input and suggestions from parents are an essential component of the district and school improvement plans that are developed each year. All parents of students are invited to attend meeting opportunities described in this section to share their ideas and suggestions to help the district, schools, and students to reach our student academic achievement goals. Some meeting opportunities will be held at different locations and times to aid in the convenience of parents and increase participation.  Parents are also encourage to express their ideas, suggestions, and concerns to the appropriate school staff any time needed throughout the school year. Transportation assistance may be possible, if requested in advance.

Spring Input Meetings ~ April or May 2025

During this time, each school will host a forum for parents to participate in discussions to review the school wide plan, the school’s parental involvement policies as well as provide input on the parental involvement budget and parental involvement programs. Each Title I school will notify parents about the date and time of the forum. Information regarding the Parental Feedback Forum will also be made available on the school websites, social media, and/or Send It.

A review of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) will also take place annually during these Input Meetings in late spring or early summer. Using prior year data and needs assessment information the plan is reviewed and updated for the upcoming school year.  The Consolidated Local Improvement Plan (CLIP) serves as the plan detailing coordination of various federal programs and identification of needs and in-turn budgeting for such needs with federal funds.  It consists of a CNA, Parent and Family Engagement Policy, District Improvement Plan, Foster Care Transportation Plan, and Title I Part C ID&R Resource Plan.  System and building level leaders, teachers, support staff, as well as community and parent stakeholders are involved in the CNA process. All school staff were provided the opportunity and asked to participate in a CNA Survey.  Parents are sent information inviting them to participate via telephone, newspaper, social media, flyers, and the school website. The district conducts this annual meeting each year that allows parents to provide input on district policies and procedures. Parents are asked to submit written comments regarding various components of school programming. Parent input is examined and considered from these meetings.

Several subsequent meetings are arranged to garner input from all stakeholders. For example, input is solicited from system and school leaders at monthly Superintendent Cabinet meetings. Feedback from community stakeholders is also solicited at one or two monthly Family Connection Collaborative meetings and one or two Extension Leadership Team meetings. The Federal Programs Director gathers all input and updates the CLIP. The plan is submitted to the Superintendent for approval and then submitted to GaDOE specialists for review and approval.

Input on the use of Title I funds to support family engagement programs may also be provided through the annual district survey. The survey will contain questions related to the family engagement budget and school staff training for parents to provide their comments.

Annual Title I Meeting~ Oct. 2024

Early in the school year, all Title I schools will host a meeting to inform all parents of the Title I requirements and the school’s participation in and parent’s rights under Title I.

School-Parent Compacts

As part of this plan, all Title I schools, along with our families will jointly develop school-parent compacts in order to build and develop a partnership to help our students the challenging state academic standards. These compacts serve as agreements that parents, teachers, and students will work together to make sure all students reach grade level standards by following and accomplishing goals set forth by parents, teachers, and students. The compacts will be revised annually, distributed to all families, and reviewed at parent/teacher meetings.

Parent and Family Engagement Evaluation

Each year, the WCSS will conduct an evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parent and family engagement policy and the family engagement activities to improve the academic quality of the Title I schools through an annual parent survey and the School Improvement Forums.

During the last 9-weeks, a survey will be conducted for parents to provide valuable feedback regarding the parent and family engagement activities and programs. These surveys will also be posted on the district website and social media for parents to complete. In addition to the annual survey, each Title I school will also use the School Improvement Forum to facilitate group discussions to discuss the needs parents of children eligible to receive Title I services to design strategies for more effective family engagement.

The WCSS will use the findings from the school forums and the survey results to design strategies to improve effective family engagement, to remove possible barriers to parent participation, and to revise its parent and family engagement policies.

Adoption

This Parent and Family Engagement Plan has been developed jointly and agreed upon with parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs as evidenced by the collaboration of parents, school, and district personnel at the annual Spring Title I meeting.

This plan was adopted by the WCSS on June 18, 2024 and will be in effect for the 2024-2025 academic school year. The school district will make this policy available to parents of all students on or prior to November 01, 2024.

About the Parent and Family Engagement Policy

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, the Wilcox County School System (WCSS) has developed this parent and family engagement plan that establishes the district’s expectations and objectives for meaningful family engagement and guides the strategies and resources that strengthen school and parent partnerships in the district’s Title I schools. This plan will describe WCSS’s commitment to engage families in the education of their children and to build the capacity in its Title I schools to implement family engagement strategies and activities designed to achieve the district and student academic achievement goals.

When schools, families, and communities work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer and enjoy school more. Title I, Part A provides for substantive family engagement at every level of the program, such as in the development and implementation of this district plan, and in carrying out the district and school improvement provisions. Section 1116 of ESSA contains the primary Title I, Part A requirements for schools and school systems to involve parents and family members in their children’s education. The WCSS will work to ensure that the required parent and family engagement plan meets the requirements of federal law and includes, as a component, a school-parent compact.

Communications

WCSS will communicate with all families and the community on a regular basis regarding school wide events and activities, through phone and text messages, emails, social media, school newsletters, and flyers. The district and school will share information in English and other languages to the extent possible through written communications, meetings, conferences, and family engagement events in order for families to understand the school’s academic standards and assessments as well as ways parents can monitor their child’s progress.

Reservation of Funds

The WCSS will reserve not less than one percent from the total amount of Title I funds it receives in 2024-2025 to carry out the parental involvement requirements listed in the policy and as described in federal law. Furthermore, the WCSS will distribute 90 percent of the amount reserved to Title I schools to support their local-level family engagement programs and activities. The district will provide clear guidance and communication to assist the schools in developing an adequate parental involvement budget that addresses their needs assessment and parent recommendations.

The district will host an annual Spring Title I Meeting near the end of the school year for parents to provide suggestions on how these parental involvement funds will be used in the upcoming year. Comment cards and minutes from these meetings will be reviewed by the district to determine areas of need for the upcoming school year and consider changes to the parental involvement budget. If you have suggestions, please contact Matthew Hall at (229) 467-2141 Ext.224 or hallm@wilcoxcountyschools.org

Building School and Parent Capacity

The WCSS will build partnerships between its Title I Schools, families, and community with the goal of developing mutual support for student achievement. To develop capacity for this support, the WCSS will implement a variety of family and community engagement initiatives. 

The WCSS will build the schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong parental engagement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the schools, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement through the following districtwide activities and programs.

The WCSS will work through its schools to provide assistance to parents in understanding state and district academic information connected to their student’s learning and progress, as well as information regarding the Title I program. The WCSS will provide opportunities for parents to gain knowledge about the state-adopted standards and the achievement standards, as well as the required assessments for Georgia students including alternative forms of assessment. The dates and locations for these opportunities will be posted on the district website and shared through each school via newsletters/social media.

The WCSS will set up input stations at all events where all parents, community members, and business partners attending are provided an opportunity to request additional support or offer input on ways to improve the parent and family engagement programs. This information can be submitted anonymously or with contact information if desired.

The WCSS will also provide a page on the district Web site that will contain resources and materials, including parent guides, study guides, and practice assessments, to help parents work with their children at home. Copies of these materials, if requested, will be available at all schools for those families who may have limited internet access, including copies in Spanish. To assist parents with understanding the online student information system and other digital educational resources, the WCSS technology specialists will partner with schools to provide needed information to parents.

The WCSS shall coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with Head Start, EIP, Lottery Pre-K Program, and/or other programs, as available to the extent feasible and appropriate.  Information on child rearing issues and helping parents get involved in the education of their children will be provided through opportunities such as:

  • Family Connections
  • Faith-Based Organizations
  • Mental Health Counselors
  • Babies Can’t Wait
  • Parent Resources
  • HeadStart
  • Local Hospitals
  • Bright From the Start
  • Health Department Workshops
  • Civic & other Non-Profit Organizations

To ensure that information related to district, school, and parent programs, meetings, and activities is available to all parents in an understandable and uniform format, each school will utilize their social media page as well as the districts Send It text  messaging system. Parent notifications and resources will be sent home in parents’ native language, where applicable, and interpreters can be available at parent events and meetings, if requested. The district will also utilize the local newspaper and other school message systems to post information for parents. 

The WCSS parent engagement coordinator will meet with school-level teams during the school year to learn and discuss strategies to increase parent engagement, improve school-family communication, and build ties with parents and the community. The district parent engagement coordinator will also provide opportunities for visits to each school to review and discuss parental involvement requirements and initiatives.   

The WCSS will periodically partner community businesses or organizations to host community events on the 4th Thursday of select months to inform audiences of various services available in our area.  These events will also be times for school staff to inform community members and business partners of all matters related to parental involvement in the WCSS.  These events will encourage collaboration and participation with community partners. 
 

Accessibility

In carrying out the parent and family engagement requirements established by Section 1116 of the ESSA, the district family engagement coordinator will communicate and collaborate with the Office for Student Support Services to ensure full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children including providing information and school reports in a language parents can understand.

Mark Your Calendars

  • July 31, 2024 - Open House
  • October 2024 - Annual Title I Meetings
  • October 11, 2024 - Parent/Teacher Conference
  • November 1, 2024 - Parent/Teacher Conference
  • March 14, 2024 - Parent/Teacher Conference
  • April / May 2025 - Sprint Title I Input Meetings
  • First Tuesday of Each Odd Month, 1pm at Wilcox County Extension Office - Wilcox Family Connections Meetings