9110 - Parental Access to Educational Practices
Last Updated Date: 07/10/2025
Adoption Date: 08/14/1995
Revision History: 08/14/1995, 05/12/2005, 06/14/2007, 06/11/2013, 05/14/2015, 05/12/2016, 05/11/2017, 06/13/2019, 07/09/2020, 06/09/2022, 06/08/2023, 01/11/2024, 07/10/2025
Grand Island Public Schools, after having conducted a public hearing concerning parental involvement and participation, declares that it shall be the policy of the District:
1. In the event any parent, guardian, or educational decision maker of a student has a complaint or objection to textbooks, tests, curriculum materials, activities, digital materials, websites or applications used for learning, training materials for teachers, administrators, or staff, and any other instructional materials, the parent, guardian, or educational decision maker may request a personal conference with appropriate school personnel to discuss such concerns. The Superintendent or designee shall prepare a complaint form which may be used by a parent, guardian, or educational decision maker to express objections to any such instructional material. Such complaint forms shall seek information including, but not limited to, the specific instructional material complained of, the reason for the complaint, and a proposed resolution of the complaint by the parent, guardian, or educational decision maker.
2. Upon reasonable advance request, a parent, guardian, or educational decision maker will be permitted to attend and monitor courses, assemblies, counseling sessions, and other instructional activities unless the school determines that such attendance would substantially interfere with a legitimate school interest, which includes the interests of the parent’s child, other students, and the educational staff.
3. Parents, guardians, and educational decision makers are encouraged to communicate to school staff when the parent, guardian, or educational decision maker believes it to be appropriate for their child to be excused from testing, classroom instruction, learning materials, activities, guest speaker events, and other school experiences that the parent, guardian, or educational decision maker finds objectionable. The Superintendent or designee shall make a provision on the complaint form hereinabove referenced for receiving information from a parent, guardian, or educational decision maker concerning what specific testing, classroom instruction, or other school experience the parent finds objectionable, the basis for the parent’s objection, and a proposed solution for dealing with the objection that would be satisfactory to the parent, guardian, or educational decision maker and consistent with the mission of the District and legitimate school interests. Parents, guardians, and educational decision makers are encouraged to contact the building principal with any questions about any test, curriculum, or surveys.
4. Upon request of a parent, guardian, or educational decision maker the District will provide access to the education records of their child consistent with applicable law. Access will be provided during regular business hours of the school.
5. The District will notify parents, guardians, and educational decision makers when their child may be subjected to a standard norm referenced or criterion referenced test or standardized tests. When reasonable to do so or required by law, the parents, guardians, or educational decision makers will be notified of where a sample of such test might be observed and the date upon which such test will be administered. As to all testing by the District, experimental evaluation methodologies, experimental testing instruments and any testing instrument which would tend to inquire into the values, beliefs, or privacy rights of any student, or parent, or guardian, or educational decision maker of such student shall be prohibited unless a parent, guardian, or educational decision maker requests in writing that such tests be administered to their child.
6. Parents, guardians, and educational decision makers will be notified in advance of any school-sponsored survey administered to students of the District when the survey concerns one or more of the following areas:
· Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent, guardian, or educational decision maker;
· Mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s family;
· Sex behavior or attitudes;
· Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;
· Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships;
· Legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;
· Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or student’s parent, guardian, or educational decision maker; or
· Income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such program).
Any survey administered by the District that asks a student to disclose any of the aforementioned topics, including any non-anonymous survey requesting a student provide information relating to drug, vape, alcohol, or tobacco use, then the District will, at least fifteen days prior to the administration of the survey, notify parents, guardians, and educational decision makers that their students will receive the survey. This notice must describe the nature and types of questions included in the survey, the purposes and age-appropriateness of the survey, how information collected by the survey will be used, who will have access to such information, the steps that will be taken to protect student privacy, and whether and how any findings or results of such survey will be disclosed. After receiving such notice, parents, guardians, and educational decision makers may request a copy of the survey, review the survey, and/or exempt their student from participating in the survey.
No survey requesting sexual information of a student shall be administered to any student in kindergarten through grade six.
No personally identifiable information of any student survey shall be disclosed unless permitted or required by state and federal law.
7. As a general matter substantive decision-making processes will be left to the judgment of the professional staff, administration and the Board of Education, subject to an effort to receive information from parents, guardians, or educational decision makers as to any concerns, objections, or other information such parents, guardians, or educational decision makers would wish to provide to the school district concerning a parent’s, guardian’s, or educational decisionmaker’s access, involvement, and participation in activities of the school.
9110.1 Title I Parent and Family Member Engagement
Title I, Part A, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires that local educational agencies (LEAs), conduct outreach to all parents and family members and implement programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents and family members. Such programs, activities, and procedures shall be planned and implemented with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children (ESSA Section 1116[a][1]). For the purpose of this policy “parents and family members” means “parents and persons in a parental relation to the student.” This Policy will be distributed to all parents annually, in a language that parents can understand. The Grand Island Public School District recognizes the unique needs of students who are being served through the Title I Program and stresses the importance of parent and family member involvement in the academic success of their children. Opportunities will be provided for parent and family member involvement in their child's education in the following manner:
1. Parents and family members will be involved in the planning, review, development and approval of the Parent and Family Member Engagement Policy through at least one annual meeting held at a convenient time during the first semester.
2. The District will strive to build the capacity for strong engagement of the school, parents and family members by developing School/Parent Compacts to strengthen communication between the home and school:
By providing annual meetings in Title I buildings to explain Title I to parents and family members;
By training parents and family members in how to help their children at home;
By sharing district standards, benchmarks, and assessments to parents and family members and explaining to them how to help monitor the progress of their children; and
By providing parent and family member resources at each site.
3. Parents and family members will be provided timely information regarding the District’s curriculum, academic assessments used, and proficiency levels expected of all students through the student handbook, parent/teacher conferences, report cards and progress reports along with other communications opportunities.
4. Parents and family members will be provided opportunities to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children regarding such matters as curriculum, assessments and student performance standards through the School Improvement Plan, Title I reviews and plans, and other means as available.
5. The District will coordinate and integrate parent and family member engagement programs and activities with other community programs such as Head Start, Title III and Migrant programs, public libraries, public preschools, instructional support services and other federal, state and local programs.
6. Parents and family members will be provided assistance, opportunities, and/or materials to build their capacity for strong parent and family member engagement and help them understand the topics relating to their child's academic achievement. This will be done in a language they can understand including participation of parents and family members with limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children.
7. The District will conduct an annual evaluation by written survey, telephone survey, or in person, of the content and effectiveness of the Title I Parent and Family Member Engagement Policy and its procedural elements. The survey will be used by the District to guide implementation of the Title I program, to determine if needs are being met, and reduce barriers to participation.
9110.1 Titulo I PARTICIPACIÓN DE PADRES Y MIEMBROS DE LA FAMILIA
Título I, Parte A, de la Ley de Educación Primaria y Secundaria (ESEA), según lo reautorizado por la Ley Cada Estudiante Triunfa (ESSA), requiere que las agencias educativas locales (LEA) lleven a cabo actividades de extensión a todos los padres y miembros de la familia e implementen programas, actividades y procedimientos para la participación de padres y familiares. Dichos programas, actividades y procedimientos se planificarán e implementarán consultando significativamente con los padres de los niños participantes. (ESSA Sección 1116[a][1]). A los efectos de esta política, "padres y familiares" significa "padres y personas en una relación parental con el estudiante". Esta Política se distribuirá a todos los padres anualmente, en un idioma que los padres puedan entender. El Distrito de Escuelas Públicas de Grand Island reconoce las necesidades únicas de los estudiantes que reciben servicios a través del Programa Título I y enfatiza la importancia de la participación de los padres y familiares en el éxito académico de sus hijos. Se brindarán oportunidades para que los padres y miembros de la familia participen en la educación de sus hijos de la siguiente manera:
1. Los padres y familiares participarán en la planificación, revisión, desarrollo y aprobación de la Política de participación de padres y familiares a través de al menos una reunión anual que se llevará a cabo en un momento conveniente durante el primer semestre.
2. El Distrito se esforzará por desarrollar la capacidad para una fuerte participación de la escuela, los padres y los miembros de la familia mediante el desarrollo de Pactos entre la escuela y los padres para fortalecer la comunicación entre el hogar y la escuela:
Proporcionando reuniones anuales en edificios de Título I para explicar el Título I a los padres y miembros de la familia;
Capacitando a los padres y familiares sobre cómo ayudar a sus hijos en el hogar;
Compartiendo los estándares, puntos de referencia y evaluaciones del distrito con los padres y miembros de la familia y explicándoles cómo ayudar a monitorear el progreso de sus hijos; y
Proporcionando centros de recursos para padres y familiares en cada sitio.
3. Los padres y miembros de la familia recibirán información oportuna sobre el plan de estudios del Distrito, las evaluaciones académicas utilizadas y los niveles de competencia esperados de todos los estudiantes a través del manual del estudiante, conferencias de padres y maestros, boletas de calificaciones e informes de progreso junto con otras oportunidades de comunicación.
4. A los padres y miembros de la familia se les brindarán oportunidades para participar, según corresponda, en decisiones relacionadas con la educación de sus hijos con respecto a asuntos tales como currículo, evaluaciones y estándares de desempeño estudiantil a través del Plan de Mejoramiento Escolar, revisiones y planes del Título I, y otros medios disponibles.
5. El Distrito coordinará e integrará programas y actividades de participación de padres y miembros de la familia con otros programas comunitarios como Head Start, Título III y programas para migrantes, bibliotecas públicas, pre-escuelas públicas, servicios de apoyo educativo y otros programas federales, estatales y locales.
6. Los padres y familiares recibirán asistencia, oportunidades y/o materiales para desarrollar su capacidad para una fuerte participación de padres y familiares y ayudarlos a comprender los temas relacionados con el rendimiento académico de sus hijos. Esto se hará en un idioma que puedan entender, incluida la participación de padres y familiares con dominio limitado del inglés, padres y familiares con discapacidades y padres y familiares de niños migratorios.
7. El Distrito llevará a cabo una evaluación anual mediante encuesta escrita, encuesta telefónica o en persona, del contenido y la efectividad de la Política de participación de padres y familiares del Título I y sus elementos de procedimiento. El Distrito utilizará la encuesta para guiar la implementación del programa Título (I), para determinar si se están satisfaciendo las necesidades y reducir las barreras a la participación.
Legal Reference: Neb.Statute 79-530 to 533
(esto es para SE)
Ley Cada Estudiante Triunfa (ESSA) Sección 1116[a-f]
Guía de NDE– Revisado: 01/11/2024
9110.2 Request for Exception/Exclusion Form
Grand Island Public Schools
Request for Exception/Exclusion from Activities or Curriculum
Student
School
What do you object to regarding instruction, materials, testing, curriculum, textbooks, surveys or other school experiences and activities? Please be specific.
Why do you find this objectionable?
What suggestions do you have to resolve the issue that might be satisfactory to you and the school district?
Parent/Guardian Signature Date
9110.2 Formulario de Solicitud de Excepción/Exclusión
Escuelas Públicas de Grand Island
Solicitud de Excepción/Exclusión de Actividades o Currículo
Estudiante
Escuela
¿A qué se opone con respecto a la instrucción, los materiales, las pruebas, el plan de estudios, los libros de texto, las encuestas u otras experiencias y actividades escolares? Por favor sea especifico.
¿Por qué lo encuentra desagradable?
¿Qué sugerencias tiene para resolver el problema que podrían ser satisfactorias para usted y el distrito escolar?
Firma del Padre/Tutor Fecha
Legal and Policy References:
Neb. Rev. Stat. Sections 79-530 to 79-533
Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, P.L. 114-95 § (20 U.S.C. 6301)
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232g
Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C. 1232h
Title 92, NAC, Chapter 10
9110.1 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Section 1116[a-f]
9110.2 Request for Exception/Exclusion Form – attached to this policy