6.1 - Parental Involvement and Volunteering

SERIES 6 - PARENTS

Liberty is a school of choice. This means that parents have the option to choose, for their child, the philosophy of this school as articulated in the Charter. Liberty believes that the school’s 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 find the necessary energy, time, and resources to devote to their children’s education. Liberty anticipates that parents will be directly engaged in tutoring, coaching, classroom instruction, preparing resource materials, and providing other necessary and invaluable assistance.

The family naturally provides the most influential and effective context for basic lifelong learning and teaching. For this reason, and at the discretion of the classroom teacher or headmaster, parents are invited to teach or assist with learning projects in all subjects, depending on their interests and expertise. Parents are also 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. Parents with children in a specific grade level will have opportunity to volunteer in that grade at the teacher’s discretion.

Parent Involvement, Observation, and Volunteering

Liberty Common School is a charter school. As such, there are many new ideas being implemented. The classroom itself is the context for several of these innovations. There is great emphasis on parent volunteers in this school. There is also a need to establish a learning environment that best serves the students. At Liberty Common School we have defined the general parameters for parents volunteering in Liberty School classrooms.

1. Parent volunteers are an integral part of the Liberty Common School. Parents are not only welcome, but also crucial if we are to have high quality teaching of the entire curriculum each year. Primary and Intermediate parent volunteer activities are coordinated by Liberty’s Classroom Volunteer Coordinators. Volunteers in school must have a signed and current volunteer form on file with the school Classroom Volunteer Coordinator.
    
2. The teacher’s “individual teaching style” sets the tone for the classroom. This includes everything from delivery of the educational program to classroom management. The teacher has primary responsibility for the classroom and student learning within the classroom.
    
3. Parents who wish to be volunteering in the classroom need to learn the teaching style of the teacher they wish to assist. If the teaching style conflicts with the parent’s volunteering style, the parent will need to either adjust their style or find a more compatible setting within Liberty to volunteer.
    
4. There will be a classroom volunteer coordinator (CVC) for each primary and intermediate classroom. This parent will be responsible for organizing and delegating the volunteer needs both of the teacher/classroom and the parents.
    
5. Any grievance or concern a parent has with a classroom or a teacher will be handled by the procedures defined in this handbook.
    
6. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCE is it ever acceptable for a parent/volunteer to confront a teacher about an issue “in the classroom, or any other part of the school, when students are present.”

Liberty encourages every adult—parents, stepparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—to take a special interest in the lives of Liberty’s students, to act as mentors and tutors, and to instill in every student a love of learning.

Parents work in conjunction with the staff to ensure the most effective education possible for their children. To this end, parents are responsible for knowing and understanding the contents of Liberty’s Charter, and are encouraged, but not required, to participate on school committees and provide other volunteer services, as they are able.

Parents are a welcome and encouraged to participate in the school, to reasonably observe and/or assist the teacher. However, any parent whose presence or actions are deemed by the teacher and headmaster to be a distraction, to exhibit hostility, or to interfere with the instruction or learning of the students, will be barred from the school.

In order to create a consistent school atmosphere for learning, parents wishing to observe a class must arrive before class begins. Each class will have two teacher-provided chairs for observers. Observing parents do not participate in classroom activities unless invited to do so by the teachers, and observers must not interrupt teachers and/or students. Observers may take a few notes; however computers, tape recording, etc. may be a distraction to students and are not permitted. Primary and Intermediate Parents wishing to be active in Liberty Common School and volunteer in various ways must go through procedures given by the Classroom Volunteer Coordinators. Parents will receive specific training in areas of interest to them so that they may be the most efficient helpers.

Adopted: 06-28-2001