An Act To Encourage Parental Involvement in Education
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1770
Committee Amendment CA_A_S448 (Senate)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §254

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " A" to S.P. 609, L.D. 1770, Bill, "An Act To 
Encourage Parental Involvement in Education" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §254, sub-§16 is enacted to read: 
16. Parental involvement initiatives. The commissioner shall strongly encourage 
each school board to adopt local procedures for implementing a districtwide parental 
involvement initiative as school board policy in accordance with section 255, subsection 
6. 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRS A §255, sub-§6 is enacted to read: 
6. Parental involvement initiatives; post. Beginning with the 2013-2014 school 
year, a school administrative unit that adopts a parental involvement initiative may 
submit a copy of that initiative to the department, and the commissioner shall post that 
initiative on the department's publicly accessible website. The commissioner also shall 
post on the department's publicly accessible website links to the publicly accessible 
websites of those school administrative units that have chosen to adopt districtwide 
parental involvement initiatives as school board policy and that have submitted those 
initiatives to the department. 
Sec. 3. Parental involvement initiative. In collaboration with organizations 
representing school boards, school administrators, teachers, parents, students and other 
community members, the Commissioner of Education shall review parental involvement 
initiatives developed in this State and other jurisdictions that promote improvement in 
student learning and academic achievement. The commissioner shall select exemplary 
parental involvement initiatives and shall post prominently, or include links to, the 
selected initiatives on the Department of Education's publicly accessible website. The 
commissioner shall disseminate information in writing to school administrative units on 
the selected initiatives no later than December 31, 2012 and shall strongly encourage each 
school board to adopt local procedures for implementing a districtwide parental 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A." to S.P. 609, L.D. 1770 
involvement initiative as school board policy. 
The exemplary parental involvement 
initiatives selected by the commissioner must include: 
1. Provisions that promote parental involvement in ways that result in improvement 
in student learning and academic achievement and that provide opportunities for 
continuous engagement and ongoing partnerships between school boards, administrators, 
teachers, parents, students and other community members; 
2. Procedures that may be used by those school administrative units that choose to 
develop local districtwide parental involvement initiatives for adoption as school board 
policy; and 
3. Procedures for school administrative units to designate a contact person or persons 
who provide guidance and relevant information to parents regarding their child's 
education, opportunities to participate in particular school-based programs or specific 
information pertaining to particular school policies or programs. The procedures may 
include protocols for providing parents with contact information for the designated 
contact person or persons, including posting the contact information on the school 
administrative unit's publicly accessible website.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment strikes and replaces the bill. It directs the Commissioner of 
Education, in collaboration with school boards, school administrators, teachers, parents, 
students and other community members, to review parental involvement initiatives 
developed in this State and other jurisdictions that promote improvement in student 
learning and academic achievement. The commissioner is required to select exemplary 
parental involvement initiatives and post infonnation on the selected initiatives on the 
Department of Education's publicly accessible website. 
The commissioner is also 
required to disseminate information in writing to school administrative units on the 
exemplary parental involvement initiatives posted on the department's publicly accessible 
website no later than December 31, 2012 and directed to strongly encourage school 
boards to adopt local procedures for implementing a districtwide parental involvement 
initiative as school board policy. The amendment provides that, beginning with the 2013-
2014 school year, a school administrative unit that adopts a parental involvement 
initiative may submit a copy of that initiative to the department, which the commissioner 
is required to post on the department's publicly accessible website along with links to the 
publicly accessible web sites of those school administrative units that have adopted 
districtwide parental involvement initiatives as school board policy. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Approved: 02/28112 Mac.. 
125th MAINE LF~GISLA TURE 
LD 1770 
LR 2607(02) 
An Act To Encourage Parental Involvement in Education 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment" AI S - J.f.1f~ 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Additional costs to the Department of Education to conduct the required review and post the required information on 
its publicly accessible website can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR2607(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1