Federal Projects

Henry County Schools

Family and Community Involvement Plan

The Henry County Board of Education recognizes the value of having parents involved in schools and has made an effort to improve communication between school personnel and the people served within the boundaries of each service area. New emphasis and training inspired by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have caused educators to approach these issues in a different manner. Emphasis is now on how to engage families and the community in the comprehensive development of their school rather than simply providing a continuous flow of information that is well intended but not really open to meaningful participation from all parties involved.

The Family and Community Involvement Plan will be constantly changing and making necessary adjustments to better serve the community and students in the care of the Henry County School System. It is expected that more of our community will be actively engaged in a meaningful relationship with the school system. As a result, much of the following documentation of collaborative efforts will change the philosophy and scope of the future educational opportunities in Henry County.

General Expectations for All Schools at the District Level:

I. The school system has developed a policy governed by the statutory definition of parent involvement as cited in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and shall carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with the requirements prescribed by law. The Board shall implement the following procedures as a means of complying with all local, state and federal regulations.

• The school district will put into operation activities and procedures that facilitate meaningful involvement of parents by promoting consultation and active engagement of all parents.
• The school district will incorporate activities and strategies that are included into its Tennessee Comprehensive Systemwide Planning Process (TCSPP).
• The TCSPP shall include components that allow parents to access all materials related to learning.
• The TCSPP shall encourage cooperation between parents and teachers in such areas as homework, attendance and discipline.
• The school district will report any areas of the TCSPP that is not satisfactory to parents when the plan is submitted to the State Department of Education.
• To the extent practicable, the school system shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities and parents of migratory children. When possible, information will be provided in a language the parents understand.
• The school system shall appoint a Family and Community Advisory Council to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The council shall be composed of representatives of the parents from elementary, middle and high schools, community business leaders, a member of the school board, and school district personnel.

Evidence: Henry County Board Policy 4.502 (Parent/Family Involvement)

II. The School Parent Involvement Plan has established the expectations for parent involvement.

• Funds will be provided from the school system to support parent involvement activities at each school. At least one percent of the system’s Title I budget will be spent to promote activities at each school.
• School personnel will provide training to help parents attain skills necessary to help their children with homework.
• A Family/Community Survey will be administered each year to assess the level of approval from the community as a whole regarding the total school program.
• Each school will provide a compact establishing an agreement between parents, students, teachers and principal to assure maximum participation from every stakeholder in the education of each child.
• Parents and community members will be recruited to “buddy” with children and serve as a mentor and a volunteer reader.
• Volunteers will be approved by the Board to assist with helping in classrooms, sharing special skills or talents, assisting in the library, or with teacher support, tutoring students, and serving on school committees.
• Parents from all subgroups will be asked to serve on school and district committees including but not limited to budget issues and planning curriculum.

III. The plan describes how parents will be involved in the joint development of school review and improvement.

• PTO meetings are held at least on a monthly basis at K-8 schools.
• Parent Advisory Councils function at the secondary level in a similar capacity as the PTO.
• Response to surveys.
• Pre-K advisory councils involve parents.
• Curriculum planning meetings involve a public forum inviting comments from parents and community.
• Family Resource Center Advisory Committee.
• Vocational Education programs have advisory committees specific to the courses represented.
• School and district level advisory teams.

IV. The School District Parent Involvement Plan has described how the school district has provided coordination, technical assistance and other support to improve student academic achievement and school performance.

• The system has sponsored curriculum mapping in an attempt to increase scores in reading, math and science.
• Each school has a budget with which to address staff development that is sustained and directed toward preparing the staff to meet AYP challenges.
• All educational assistants are highly qualified – including those employed at non-Title I schools.
• All certified teaching staff are highly qualified.
• The system encourages the best certified staff to accept employment in Henry County by offering employment bonuses.
• Full inclusion is offered for special education students at each K-8 school in K-1 and 6-8. Full inclusion is offered in grade 9 and limited inclusion in grades 10-12.
• A leadership program is sponsored through the local Chamber of Commerce to help build future leaders in the community.
• State of the art technology equipment is provided in each school including computers, Smart Boards, In Focus Projectors, and Elmo Projectors.

V. The district’s plan has described how to build the schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong parent involvement.

• The system provides a full-time position to direct a Coordinated School Health program for school personnel, students and the community.
• The Family Resource Center provides support for families struggling financially, for at risk students, and assists in making a connection between families and the services the school system has to offer.
• The Adult Education Center offers help for community members who want to learn how to help their children with their school work or, possibly, just want to improve their own lives through education.
• The system develops and posts the system’s calendar on the Web Site in two year cycles in order to make parents aware of activities offered in their schools and allow for planning future events.
• Teachers have the option of making e-mail contacts with parents.
• School personnel make contact with parents by phone.
• High school seniors are allowed to visit a college or university to begin preparation for post-graduate work after finishing high school.

VI. The district plan has coordinated and integrated parent involvement strategies and programs.

• Head Start is offered for students in Henry County.
• Pre-schools are available in all three K-8 schools.

VII. The district plan described how the school system has annually evaluated the content and effectiveness of its plan.

• Web sites have been posted for each school, the school system, and the federal programs.
• Annual surveys such as Family Friendly Schools, TSIP, and Special Education provide feedback from parents, faculty, students and the community.
• Each school has survey information specific to their own community and school.

VIII. The district plan describes how the district has identified barriers that might prevent economically disadvantaged, disabled, limited English proficient and other sub-groups from participating in activities.

• A Life Skills program is provided for middle school age children to help identify and overcome barriers that might present a problem for sub-group students.
• Tutoring is available through extended contract funds provided by the system.
• A class is offered through Henry County High School to help reduce the language barrier between native Spanish speaking community members and traditional English speaking citizens.
• Information is provided as much as possible in the language with which parents are familiar. When necessary, an interpreter is consulted to help with communication.

IX. The district’s plan describes how the school district has used evaluation findings to design more effective strategies.

• The Director and the principals of the secondary schools schedule home visits with students who are in danger of failing a course in math or English.
• Kids Korner is available in each school to provide child care and after school opportunities designed especially for students who have working parents.
• The technology department provides distance learning opportunities through a partnership with the University of Tennessee at Martin.

X. The district plan describes how the district has involved parents in the activities of the schools.

• Special events are planned for community members including but not limited to Muffins for Moms, Grandparent’s Day, Donuts for Dads and Fall Festivals.
• Project Graduation is sponsored by parents through cooperation with the school to provide an all night drug and alcohol free party for graduating seniors.

XI. The school district, parents, and teachers have designed improvement strategies such as homework, attendance and discipline.

• A hotline service (731-642-4374) is available to keep parents, students and the community informed of pertinent school information.
• The school system utilizes Commercial Bank’s Time & Temperature service (731-642-7171) to provide school information for students, parents and the community.
• A call-out service is available to maintain contact between teachers, principals and the parents.

XII. The plan establishes written procedures so that parents may learn about the courses of study for their children and have access to all learning materials.

• Pre-school has an advisory committee and offers training/information meetings for parents.
• DIBELS is a diagnostic tool available to identify potential learning problems in the early elementary grades.
• Monthly newsletters are provided by the Title I program for parents and families.
• A public hearing is sponsored once each year to discuss all federal programs available in Henry County, the benefits they can offer to students, and how to access those programs if needed.
• Middle School counselors meet with every child and at least one parent during the eighth grade year to plan the curriculum they will pursue during high school and beyond.
• High school administrators meet with each family having age appropriate children to explain the program, identify curriculum opportunities, and plan future goals for each student.

XIII. The system has presented to parents the parent involvement policy and information related to achievement, programs, etc.

• TCAP assessment results are presented to parents along with information regarding writing assessments for grades 5,8, and 11.
• End of course testing is a secondary assessment exam provided by the state to accurately reflect student proficiency in designated high school courses.
• Policies, rules and regulations are given to each student and sent home to parents at the beginning of the school year.
• Parent teacher conferences are held each year with staggered times allowing parents with children in multiple age groups to attend visitation for each child.
• The Explorer assessment is given to each eighth grade student to help determine interest areas and potential vocational areas in which a student may find meaningful employment in the future.
• AYP information is published in the local newspaper and each school is featured as well as compared to how schools performed in other areas.
• Report card results are reviewed by the Director of Schools at an official Board Meeting – open to the public and reported in the news media.
• The report card is available on the state web site.

XIV. The district has worked with schools to ensure that school level parent involvement plans are developed.

• Administrator and teacher training is held to acquaint school officials with requirements and expectations of NCLB.
• Bi-monthly principals’ meetings are held to keep personnel informed about the rules and requirements of NCLB.
• Educational publications and explanations about parental involvement are provided for the staff.

XV. The district will notify parents regarding professional qualifications of staff who work with their child.

• Parents will receive written notification that they may request information about the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teacher.
• Parents will 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 will receive notification if the district employs a teacher for over four weeks who does not meet the highly qualified requirements.

XVI. The district will notify parents of their rights under the Unsafe School Choice Policy.

• Under the Tennessee State Board of Education’s Unsafe School Choice Policy, any public school student who is the victim of a violent crime as defined under Tennessee Code Annotated 40-38-111(g), or the attempt to commit one of these offenses as defined under Tennessee Code Annotated 30-12-101, shall be provided an opportunity to transfer to another grade-level appropriate school within the district. Additional information regarding this option may be obtained by contacting: Dr. Susan Burton, Federal Programs Director at 731-642-3101.

XVII. The district will follow state and national guidelines by incorporating the six standards adopted by the State Board of Education on July 30, 2010, in all schools in the system.

• Standard 1 - Welcoming All Families:  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 and school.

1. Families are greeted by friendly front-office staff who give them correct information and help them connect with appropriate faculty members.
2. Family activities are held at various times and days of the week to respect parents’ work schedules.
3. Family and student activities and events are free.  The school and PTO/parent groups collaborate to cover the costs through the school budget, PTO/parent group fundraisers, and contributions from community businesses and organizations.
4. The school building is easy for visitors to navigate, and the community knows what is going on at the school.
5. The school is a welcoming place where families can drop in and connect with school staff and other families.

• Standard 2 - Communicating Effectively:  Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning.

1. Families will be informed of upcoming events in a variety of ways, including regular print and electronic notices, in the languages spoken in the community.
2. Parent survey results are reflected in the School Improvement Plan.
3. The principal is accessible for scheduled meetings with groups of parents or individually at different times of the day.
4. The principal keeps the PTO/parent group president informed of current school issues and concerns.
5. The school and parent group  jointly develop programs to help parents connect with each other.

• Standard 3 – 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.

1. Parents can contact teachers through e-mail, notes, or phone messages and receive a timely response.  Teachers make contact with all families at the start of the year to establish positive relationships.
2. Parents are informed about standardized tests and families have opportunities to learn how to interpret testing data.
3. The principal presents the school’s academic goals at the beginning of the school year and reports on progress made the previous year.
4. The school and the Family Resource Center work together to provide families tools to support student learning at home.
5. The school informs parents of after-school opportunities.

• Standard 4 – 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.

1. The school and parent group collaborate to inform the school community about how the school and school district operate and the role of parent involvement in the school.
2. Meetings at school and in the community help families better understand students’ options for extra academic support or enrichment.
3. The school and parent group invites district staff to talk about parent rights and responsibilities under state and federal laws.
4. The school has a clear, written procedure for resolving concerns or problems.  The school and the Family Resource Center offer parents opportunities to learn advocacy strategies and techniques.
5. The school offers opportunities, through Career Day, for students to explore careers.
6. Spring orientation programs help prepare students for the next grade level or school.

• Standard 5 – 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.

1. The school informs families about issues or proposed changes, and gives them an opportunity to respond.
2. The school and parent groups identify barriers to working with school staff on issues such as low attendance that affect student achievement.
3. The school and parent group leaders reach out to parents with diverse backgrounds and invite them to become involved.
4. The principal and parent leaders personally invite public officials to meetings to discuss ideas, issues, and problems in the community.

• Standard 6 – 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.

1. School staff and the Family Resource Center work with the parent group to determine and describe community resources for students and families.
2. Community groups use school facilities for events and activities during the school year.
3. School staff and the PTO/parent group partner with local community event organizers to sponsor resource fairs (FBLA - Future Business Leaders of America, HCHS Patriot Bank, Reality Store).
4. School, community and business representatives work with school and parent leaders to assess needs and develop programs to support student success and find creative ways to provide funding and staff (PLUS Endowment, Service Learning, Patriot Bank).