Adopted: 12/16/24
Revised: 3/14/25
All Local Education Agencies (LEA) receiving Title I funds are required under Section 1116 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to develop a written Parent and Family Engagement Policy for the LEA. The ESSA states that the LEA Parent and Family Engagement Policy must be jointly developed with parents and family members, incorporated into the LEA plan (Consolidated Application), and distributed to parents of participating children in a format and language that parents can understand. Such programs, activities, and procedures shall be planned and implemented with meaningful consultation with parents and family members of participating children.
The policy states how the LEA involves parents and family members in the joint development of the Title I Plan (Title I Application) (ESSA, Section 1116(a)(2)(A)).
- How does your LEA involve parents and family members in the development of the Consolidated Application? The policy states how the LEA involves parents and family members in the process of school review and improvement (ESSA, Section 1116(a)(2)(A)).
-Response: Fell Charter School conducts several meetings each year that are dedicated to discussion for Title funds and programs. These meetings are for parents and other stakeholders in the community. Meetings were held on March 24th and April 16th 2025. During these meetings, the school discussed with parents/stakeholders: 1) What Title I-IV funds are, 2) How they are used at Fell Charter, 3) How parents/stakeholders would like to see the funds used, 4) community needs that the funds could be used to address, 5) other parent concerns.
• How does your LEA involve parents and family members in school review and improvement?
-Response: Fell Charter School actively engages parents and families in dialogue. We host back to school night, parent engagement meetings to discuss Title funding, and Warrior Nights each month. Warrior Nights are thematic performances by the students that focus on what they are learning in World Cultures Class. Students will present an aspect of the culture that they are studying in a skit form. Warrior Nights offer many opportunity for students/parents/families to engage with teachers and administrators while understanding what the students are learning.
The policy states how the LEA provides technical assistance and support to schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family engagement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance (ESSA, Section 1116(a)(2)(B)).
- How does your LEA provide technical assistance to schools? The policy states how the LEA will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies with other federal, State, and local laws and programs (ESSA, Section 1116(a)(2)(C)).
Response: The previous response above addressed some of the questions listed. We are a charter school consisting of one building only. We have hosted programs with the PA State Police on cyberbullying to better inform students and keep them safe. We also coordinate with legislators and local magistrates to advocate for fair school funding. We coordinate with local law enforcement, head starts, and emergency responders to provide students with a safe school environment.
- How does your LEA coordinate with other federal, State and local laws and programs? The policy states how the LEA conducts, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and the effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all schools, including identifying – – barriers to greater participation by parents and family members, 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; the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and strategies to support successful school and family interactions. (ESSA. Section 1116(a)(2)(D)(i-iii).
Response: We are a charter school consisting of one building only. We have hosted programs with the PA State Police on cyberbullying to better inform students and keep them safe. We also coordinate with legislators and local magistrates to advocate for fair school funding. We coordinate with local law enforcement, head starts, and emergency responders to provide students with a safe school environment.
Fell Charter includes a parent survey distributed each year that offers parents and families a mode of communicating their concerns or ideas about school improvement. As a title 1 school, many families are economically disadvantaged. The school also runs a food pantry that is attached to the school. We organize monthly food drives which foster a deeper sense of community. This initiative came from families and parents who articulated the need for food access in an impoverished rural community. The biggest barrier to parental participation is transportation. No public transportation is available in this region and many families do not have reliable access to transportation. This has been a major challenge for parent engagement.
- How does your LEA evaluate the effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy? The policy states how the LEA will use the findings of the annual evaluation to design evidence based strategies for more effective parent and family involvement, and revise, if necessary, the Parent and Family Engagement Policy (ESSA, Section 1116(a)(2)(E)).
Response: As previously stated, the school uses the results of the parent surveys as data for future improvement. The food bank came as the result of parents articulating this need. The tutoring program (running from January- April, 3:30-4:30, Mon-Thurs.) also came to exist as the result of feedback from parents about academic needs and additional supports for students. Warrior Nights are designed intentionally to promote family engagement and attendance for student performances.
- Once the evaluation is complete, how will your LEA use the findings to design evidence based strategies? The policy states how the LEA involves parents and family members in the activities of the school, which may include establishing a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents or family members to adequately represent the needs to the population; revising; and reviewing the Parent and Family Engagement Policy (ESSA, Section 1116(a)(2)(F)).
Response: The school will continue to use the results of the parent surveys for data collection and as a way to promote school improvement, as it has done in the past. As a charter school, we are governed by our specific charter which may need revision or further consideration in order to develop a formal mechanism for parents to engage in a more meaningful manner.
- Are there any additional ways the LEA involves parents and family members, like a Parent Advisory Council (PAC)?
Response: At the moment, we do not have a PAC. As a charter school, we are governed by the rules in our charter that do not allow for a PAC at this time.