1.10 - Parental Involvement and Responsibility

According to Part I, Section (d) I. B. of Liberty Common School’s Charter submitted to the Poudre School District on October 1, 1996:

The School will be characterized as a School of Choice. This means that parents will have an option to select the School's educational philosophy for their children. The School believes that its design will result in parents wanting to play a strong role in their children's education. When parents have the opportunity to choose the kind of education they prefer, they will find the necessary energy, time, and resources to devote to their children's education. The School anticipates that parents will be directly engaged in tutoring, coaching, classroom instruction, and providing other necessary and invaluable assistance.

The family naturally provides the most influential and effective context for basic lifelong learning and teaching. The School's governance will be structured to recognize the primacy of the family's necessary influence over their children.

The segment of any community that can be most trusted to make good educational decisions for children to the betterment of both student and the greater society are the parents. Regardless of educational level, income, or lack of support, parents of all backgrounds (particularly those who, because of limited finances, can't choose which neighborhood to live in or which private school to attend) as a group come forward when given a real option and choose successful programs.

For this reason, and at the discretion of the classroom teacher, parents will be invited to teach or assist with lesson plans or learning projects in all subjects, depending on their interests and expertise. Parents will also be encouraged to spend time reading aloud to children at school and/or in the home, coaching them in skill development, and otherwise contributing time and talents in a variety of ways.

The School will encourage every adult--parents, step-parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles--to take a special interest in the lives of the School's students, to act as mentors and tutors, and to instill in every student a love of learning.

Parents will work in conjunction with the staff to ensure the most effective education possible for their children. To this end, parents will be responsible for knowing and understanding the contents of the School's Charter, and be encouraged, but not required, to participate on school committees and provide other volunteer services as they are able. Parents will respect the authority of the teacher in the classroom. Parental involvement will be actively encouraged, but parents will need to understand their limits when recommending specific actions or changes in the classroom. Parents will be encouraged to understand from their child's teacher the rationale behind the way things are done. However, concerns regarding issues such as curriculum, values, or philosophy will be directed centrally to the Headmaster, where they can be handled in a single united effort. Concerns not adequately addressed by the Headmaster may be brought to the BOD. The opportunity of parents to choose the School and its well defined educational program will not include the right to demand individual preferences within the classroom.

Adopted: 03-04-2004