ANTP: Parent Engagement & School Accountability - English - Page 2

Parent Engagement and School Accountability

• LCFF and LCAP

The LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) changes the way the State provides money to school districts. Under this new system, school districts receive a uniform base grant for every student, adjusted by grade level. Plus they receive adjustments for the number of students living in poverty, English learners, and foster youth. Then there are further adjustments for concentration of these groups if they are above 55% of the district’s enrollment. More information about the LCFF is available at www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/.

The LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) is a critical part of the LCFF. Each school district is required to engage parents, students, educators, employees, and the community to establish their plan. Anyone can comment to the school board regarding LCAP proposals or expenditures either by submitting comments in writing or at a public hearing held by the school board for that purpose. The plan must describe the overall vision for students, annual goals including language acquisition, and specific action to achieve these goals. The LCAP must focus on eight areas identified as State priorities. The plan will demonstrate how the district’s budget will help achieve the goals, and annually assess how well the strategies improved outcomes. Complaints regarding LCAP may be filed anonymously. [EC 305, 52060, 52062, 52066]

• School Accountability Report Card

The School Accountability Report Card is available on request, and is available annually by February 1st on the Internet at www.ausd.net. It contains information about the district and schools regarding the quality of programs and its progress toward achieving stated goals. A copy will be provided upon request. [EC 33126, 32286, 35256, 35258, 51101]

• Comprehensive School Safety Plan

Each school site has a Comprehensive School Safety Plan, which includes a disaster preparedness plan and emergency procedures. Copies are available to read at each school office. Fire and emergency drills are held periodically at each school.

Every year, each school shall review and update its plan by March 1. Each school shall make its plan public and shall share the plan with numerous community leaders, school site personnel, and parent groups. Plans should, among other things, provide guidance for the response to and/or the prevention of bullying, child abuse, and disasters. Key elements are to be described in the School Accountability Report Card. Planned responses to criminal incidents need not be disclosed. The Uniform Complaint Procedure can be used regarding School Safety Plan compliance. [EC32280, 32281, 32282.1, 32286, 32288, 32289, 51101]

Natural and human-caused disasters affect everyone which is why it is important to be prepared at home, at school, at work, and in the community. Parents and guardians are encouraged to review the safety educational materials provided on the California Department of Education Web page at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/cp/pupilsafetyeducmat.asp.

The materials are available in multiple languages and can be used to help families prepare for different types of emergencies and crisis.

• Parent Involvement

To volunteer for school committees such as School Site Council, English Learner Advisory Committee, or Title I Parent Committee please contact your school for more information. To volunteer for district committees such as Parent Advisory Committee, Stakeholder Groups, or the District English Learner Committee and/or to participate in district offerings of parent education and to provide parental input to the local training programs for parents, please contact Educational Services at (626) 821-6613 for more information on how you may contribute. [EC 11500, 11501, 11502, 11503]

 

• District Advisory Committees

Parents and community members are invited to participate on Arcadia Unified School District Advisory Committees.  The purpose of these committees is to serve in an advisory capacity to the Superintendent or her designee regarding school problems, needs, and issues.  For further information, please contact the Deputy Superintendent’s office, (626) 821-6634.

 

• Civility on School Grounds

The Governing Board is committed to a learning environment that fosters mutual respect among district teachers, parents, and students. Essential to this learning environment is consistent and appropriate communication and interaction between all parties. Whenever it reasonably appears to a site administrator, the principal or to his/her designee that a person, other than a student enrolled at that school and persons required by their employment to be on the premises, is committing an act likely to interfere with the peaceful conduct of activities on campus or has entered the campus for the purpose of committing such an act, the site administrator, principal or his or her designee may direct the person to leave the campus. Specific actions may be taken in case of disruption at school. The actions will be progressive in nature if the disruptive behavior continues. Written notification will be provided to the parent/guardian regarding specific incidents of disruptive behavior and will include the consequences should the behavior continue.

 

Any person who willfully disturbs any public school or any public school meeting is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500).  It is unlawful for any person, except a parent/guardian acting toward his/her minor child, to intentionally or to attempt to injure, intimidate, interfere by force, threat of force, physical obstruction, or nonviolent physical obstruction with any person attempting to enter or exit any public or private school grounds. [PC 626.8, CC 1708.9; EC 32210, BP 1313]

 

 Custody Issues

Custody disputes must be handled by the courts. The school has no legal jurisdiction to refuse a biological parent access to his/her child and/or school records. The only exception is when signed restraining orders or proper divorce papers, specifically stating visitation limitations, are on file in the school office. Any student release situation which leaves the student’s welfare in question will be handled at the discretion of the school administrator or designee. Should any such situation become a disruption to the school, law enforcement will be contacted and an officer requested to intervene. Parents are asked to make every attempt not to involve school sites in custody matters.  The school will make every attempt to reach the custodial parent when a parent or any other person not listed on the emergency card attempts to pick up a child.

 

• Regulations Regarding Pupil Achievement

The Board of Education believes good communication between parents and teachers is important in the educational process. All appropriate forms of communication should be used. The progress report should reflect student progress in classwork and proficiency levels and indicate educational growth in relation to the student’s ability, citizenship and effort. [EC 49067]

• Parent Participation in School Meetings and Conferences

If the parent’s employer has 25 or more employees, the parent must be allowed to attend school meetings and events for your children, up to a maximum of 40 hours each year without discrimination or fear of job loss. Purposes to attend child-related activities include:  enrollment in grades 1-12, to address child care or school emergency, behavior or discipline problem that requires immediate parent attention, sudden school closure, or natural disaster. (Parent” means a parent, guardian, stepparent, foster parent, or grandparent of, or a person who stands in.) If an employer discharges, threatens to discharge, demotes, suspends or otherwise discriminates against the parent, the employee may be entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost income or benefits.  See Labor Code 230.8 for more details. [LC230.8]

• Teacher Qualifications

A provision of federal Title I requires all districts to notify parents of children in Title I schools that they have the right to request and receive timely information on the professional qualifications of classroom teachers and paraprofessionals including state qualifications, licensing for the grade level or subject taught, any waivers for qualifications, emergency provisions, college major, graduate degrees and subject, and if paraprofessionals or aides are in the classroom and what their qualifications are. 

• Ralph M. Brown Act: Required Notices and Agendas for Open Public Meetings

Ralph M. Brown Act requires that postings are specified to notify the public of open meetings being held, discussions or decisions are made, when closed sessions are needed, protecting student identification and/or confidential, medical, or personally identifiable information. [GC 54954.2, 54956, 54956.5, 54954.2, 54954.5, 54957.1, 54957.7, and 54954.2(b)]

 

REGULAR MEETINGS: Agenda in 20 words or less, posted within 72 hours of meeting.

 

SPECIAL MEETINGS: Twenty-four hour notice must be provided to members of the legislative body and media outlets including brief general description of matters to be considered or discussed.

 

EMERGENCY MEETINGS: One hour notice in case of work stoppage or crippling activity, except in the case of a dire emergency.

 

CLOSED SESSION AGENDAS: All items to be considered in closed session must be described in the notice or agenda for the meeting. The body must orally announce the subject matter of the closed session. If final action is taken in closed session, the body generally must report the action at the conclusion of the closed session.

 

AGENDA EXCEPTION: Special procedures permit a body to proceed without an agenda in the case of emergency circumstances, or where a need for immediate action came to the attention of the body after posting of the agenda. 

 

• Open Meetings: Public Comments: Translation

As a parent, you have a right to participate in open meetings with the school district or charter school.  If you require a translator, one will be provided to you with the time allotment doubled to allow for both English and primary language translation.