Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 005 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › Division 28 - Division of Elementary and Secondary Education › Rule 005.28.20-020 - DESE Rules Governing Parental Involvement Plans and Family and Community Engagement

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
1.00
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
1.01 These rules shall be known as the
			 Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Rules Governing Parental
			 Involvement Plans and Family and Community Engagement.
1.02 The State Board of Education enacts
			 these Rules pursuant to its authority as set forth in Ark. Code Ann.
			 §§
								6-15-1005(f),
			 6-15-1701
et seq.
,
			 6-15-2202, and Act 757 of
			 2019.
2.00
DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of these Rules:
2.01 "Division" means the Division of
			 Elementary and Secondary Education.
2.02 "Parent" means a natural parent, a legal
			 guardian, or other person standing
in loco parentis
(including
			 without limitation a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a
			 person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare).
2.03 "Parental Involvement" incorporates and
			 encompasses references to "Family and Community Engagement," as set forth in
			 the Every Student Succeeds Act.
2.04 "Public School" means those schools
			 created pursuant to Title 6 of the Arkansas Code and subject to the Arkansas
			 Educational Support and Accountability Act, specifically excluding those
			 schools or educational programs created by or receiving authority to exist
			 pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. §§
								9-28-205,
			 12-29-301, et seq., or other
			 provisions of Arkansas law. Any reference to "Public School" in these Rules
			 includes open-enrollment public charter schools except to the extent these
			 Rules or the underlying statutes are specifically waived by the State Board of
			 Education.
2.05 "Public School
			 District" means those school districts created pursuant to Title 6 of the
			 Arkansas Code and subject to the Arkansas Educational Support and
			 Accountability Act, specifically excluding those schools or educational
			 programs created by or receiving authority to exist pursuant to Ark. Code Ann.
			 §§
								9-28-205 and
			 12-29-301, et seq. Any reference
			 to "Public School District" in these Rules includes open-enrollment public
			 charter schools except to the extent these Rules or the underlying statutes are
			 specifically waived by the State Board of Education.
3.00
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
			 PLANS
3.01 Each public
			 school district, in collaboration with parents, shall establish a parental
			 involvement plan that establishes the district's expectations for parental
			 involvement, and that includes programs and practices that enhance parental
			 involvement and reflect the specific needs of students and their families.
3.01.1 Collaboration with parents may be
			 accomplished through the coalition of parents and representatives of agencies,
			 institutions, businesses and industries.
3.01.2 Annually by August 1, the public
			 school district's parental involvement plan shall be:
3.01.2.1 Developed, or reviewed and updated
			 by the public school district;
3.01.2.2 Posted to the website of the public
			 school district; and
3.01.2.3 Filed
			 with the Division's electronic filing process in electronic format,
			 specifically in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), or Rich
			 Text (.rtf) format.
3.01.2.4
			 Provided in a parent-friendly summary as a supplement to the student handbook.
3.01.2.4.1 The parent shall sign a form
			 acknowledging receipt of the summary and return the signed form to the school
			 where the student is enrolled.