Ernest Ward Middle

Parent and Family Engagement Plan 2025-2026

Involvement of Parents

Describe how the school will involve parents and families in an organized and ongoing manner in the planning, reviewing, and improvement of Title I programs including involvement in the decision-making of how funds for Title I will be used. (ESEA Sections 1116)

Focus Area	Evidence	X	Tentative dates/timelines
Parent and family engagement in the planning, reviewing, and improvement of Title I programs (including the decision-making process of how funds are used).	Title I Annual Parent Meeting	X	August/September/October
	Title I Annual Parent Meeting	X	August/September/October
	School Advisory Council Meeting (SAC)	X	4 meetings
	Other (specify)

Barriers

Describe the barriers that hinder participation by parents during the previous school year in parental involvement activities. Include the steps the school will take during the upcoming school year to overcome the barriers (with particular attention to parents who are disabled, have limited English proficiency, and parents/families of migratory children) {ESEA Section 1116}.

Barrier(s): Including the Specific Subgroup	X	Plan of Action (Steps to overcome)
Language
Disabilities	x	Deaf and hard of hearing interpreters can be requested on campus. Surround sound microphones are located in each classroom and cafeteria. Parents with mobility issues/wheelchairs are able to utilize the elevator to maneuver around campus, if necessary. Our halls, conference rooms, and classrooms are wheelchair accessible.
Transportation	x	Google Meets allow EWMS faculty and staff to meet virtually with parents/families with limited/no transportation. If the internet is not available to the family, we can provide phone meetings/conferences as well.
Child Care
Schedule	x	Flexible meeting times (before school, during school, after school) and virtual meetings available
Homelessness	x	Partner with the Homeless office to gather resources for homeless students and families. Navigator on campus to assist as well.
Communication	x	Communication in a variety of modalities is utilized in an effort to meet the diverse needs of our families. EWMS uses the school signage and website, Facebook, call-outs, handouts, and North Escambia to communicate with families and the community. Continue to advertise well ahead of time.
No WiFi Availability	x	Call outs and paper handouts are provided to students/families. This year, we are also offering parent resource centers which can be utilized for those who need internet access. Parents can utilize the internet for virtual meetings or to meet a variety of other needs. Teachers will teach students (and parents) how to access classwork on their coursework on Chromebooks without being online.
Other–lack of attendance	x	Include clubs, sports, and organizations in other events to reach more families. Have student work on display during events.

Flexible Parent Meetings

Describe how the school will offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening.

How will the school provide, with Title I funds, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services related to parental engagement {ESEA Section 1116}.

Flexible Meetings	Description of Meetings/Activity	X
Morning meetings	Meetings will be offered before school	x
Afternoon meetings	Meetings will be offered during/after school	x
Evening meetings	Meetings will be offered in the evenings
Transportation	Title I funds budgeted for transportation
Child care	Title I funds budgeted for child care
Home Visits	Title I funds budgeted for home visits
Other	Parental/Family Involvement Nights	x

Building Capacity of Parents

Describe how the school will implement activities that will build the capacity for meaningful parent/family involvement, and building relationships with the community to improve student academic achievement. Describe the actions the school will take to provide materials and training to help parents assist parents/families to work with their child. Include information on how the school will provide other reasonable support for parent/family engagement activities under {ESEA Section 1116}.

Parent Engagement Budget: $TBD

Parent Engagement Activities

Topic

Title of Activity

Person Responsible

Materials/Training

Provided to Parents/Families

Tentative Date/Time

(is it flexible?)

Documentation

Evidence

(announcement, agenda, sign in sheet, evaluation, etc.)

Family Research Night

Courntey Barrow

Student data, information shared about Science Fair requirements and History Fair requirements

October 2025

Advertisement, Sign in sheet, Agenda, Evaluation

Spring Break Packets

Tyvanna Boulanger/ Courtney Barrow

Materials to be sent home with students over Spring Break to encourage and promote literacy, STEM, and family engagement

March 2025

Callout, Advertisement, handouts

Other Activities

Describe the other activities, such as parent resource centers, the school will conduct to encourage and support parents and families in more meaningful engagement in the education of their children {ESEA Section 1116}.

Parent resource center in the lobby with imperative materials and resources for families to learn and understand a variety of ways to assist their child at home.

Parent teacher conferences throughout the year as needed.

Staff Development

Describe the professional development activities the school will provide to educate the teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, other school leaders and other staff leaders and other staff with the assistance of parents/families and the school. How to value and utilize the contributions of parents/families. How to reach out to, communicate with and work with parents/families as equal partners. How to implement and coordinate parent/family programs, and build ties between parents/families and the school. {ESEA Section 1116}.

Focus Areas for Staff Development

A	Value and utility of contributions of parents and families.
B	How to reach out to, communicate with and work with parents/families as equal partners.
C	Implementing and coordinating parent/family programs.
D	Building ties between parents/families and the school.

#	Topic - Title of Activity	Person Responsible	Anticipated Parent Engagement Focus Area (list the focus area/s)	Tentative Date	Documentation Evidence (agenda, sign in sheet, etc.)
1	School-based contact PD	District Title I staff	A, B, C, D	July/August	Agenda, sign in sheet, and evaluation
2	A Playbook for Communication tips	Admin	A, B, D	August Teacher pre-planning	Sign-in and reflection (Google Form)
3	Family Engagement	Admin/Title I Staff/ Barrow/ Teachers	C, D	Throughout the year	Agenda, sign in, materials

Communication

Describe how the school will provide parents of participating children the following:

Timely information about the Title I programs;
Description and explanation of the curriculum at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels students are expected to obtain;
If requested by parents, the school provides opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and
If the school-wide program plan is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school will submit the parents’ comments with the plan that will be made available to the local education agency {ESEA Section 1116}.

Communication Focus Areas	Type of Activity	X	Evidence of activity
How does the school communicate timely information about the Title I program?	Title I Annual Parent Meeting	X	Google Slides/Screenshot; Advertisement, Agenda, Minutes, Sign in Sheet
	SAC	X	Advertisement, Agenda, Minutes, Sign in Sheet
	Electronic Communication	x	Facebook, website, Focus Messenger
	Mail Out to Parents
	Family Nights	x	Announcement, agenda, sign in survey, call out log, pictures
	School Website	X	Screenshot
	School Messenger	x	Screenshot of report
	Flyers	x	Title I Family Engagement
	Other	X	Facebook
How does the school communicate timely information about curriculum, assessment, and achievement?	Title I Annual Parent Meeting	X	Google Slides/Screenshot; Advertisement, Agenda, Minutes, Sign in Sheet
	Family Nights	x	Announcement, sign in, agenda, survey, resources packets, slides for presentation
	Newsletters
	Open House (elementary)
	SAC	X	Advertisement, Agenda, Minutes, Sign in Sheet
	Website/Facebook	X	Screenshot
	FOCUS	X	Teacher use of Messenger and Gradebook
	RTI Parent Meetings	X	Invitation, conference sheets/notes, tracking sheets
	Conferences	x	Conference forms
	Canvas	x	Teacher use of messaging to parents
How does the school offer opportunities for regular meetings for families to participate in making decisions and give feedback?	SAC Meetings	X	Advertisement, Agenda, Minutes, Sign in Sheet
	PTA Meetings	x	Minutes, Agenda
	Conferences	x	Sign in sheet with notes
	Family Nights and Parent Input Survey	x	Evaluation forms/ survey information

Accessibility

Describe how the school will provide full opportunities for participation in parental involvement activities for all parents. Include how the school plans to share information related to school and parent programs, meetings, school reports, and other activities in an understandable, uniform format and in a language that parents/families can understand.

Describe the opportunities that families have to fully participate in their child’s education.

Ernest Ward provides many opportunities for parental involvement. We do not have any ESOL students/families, however, we have many families with disabilities and/or limited transportation. 1.) Parent conferences--all parents are invited and encouraged to set up conferences to discuss their students with the teachers as well as allow teachers to address the needs as communicated by parents. If parents have a special needs request, we are able to accommodate those needs (ex: halls and conference rooms accessible to parents in wheelchairs) and we are now able to meet with parents virtually. 2.) SAC--all parents and community members are invited to participate in an effort to gain information pertinent to the school and in an effort to provide input. Participants with limited/no access to transportation can attend virtually (if possible). 3.) Family Nights--all families are invited to participate in the family engagement nights. Virtual links to all Family Night presentations and resources. Hallways and classrooms are accessible by wheelchair. 4.) PTE–all parents/guardians are invited to participate in PTE in order to engage in the school community

Describe how the school will share information to families in an understandable, uniform format, and in different languages as needed.

EWMS does have several Spanish-speaking families. We incorporate images as needed. We also present Title I information in Spanish (provided by Title I). EWMS maintains an accurate calendar of all upcoming events. We do have a portion of our families who do not have internet access so we provide call-outs and handouts for all of our events. We all provide call-outs containing important information as it needs to be presented.

Annual Parent Meeting

Describe the specific steps the school will take to conduct an annual meeting designed to inform parents and families of participating children about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program (schoolwide or targeted assistance), Adequate Yearly Progress, school choice, and the rights of parents are covered at the annual meeting.

Phase 1: Hold at least one live, in-person* meeting

Held by mid October (by Friday of the second full week of the month)
Conducted before or after a school event or as a stand-alone event
Publicized in a timely manner utilizing a coordinated combination of at least two of the following (or similar) invitation formats to best reach all families in the weeks preceding the event(s):
- School Messenger automated phone service
- School Calendar
- Newsletter/Flyer
- email/FOCUS messenger
- Marquee/a-frame signs
- Website/Social Media
Documented evidence families are informed of the school’s participation as a Title I school, the requirements of the Title I, Part A program, and the right of parents to be involved by maintaining evidence of
- Invitations (copies, screenshots, scripts, messenger reports, etc)
- Agenda
- Sign-in sheets (or other attendance records from virtual participants)
- Minutes/notes/presentation slides customized for the school
- Summary of survey results

*in-person meetings may be supplemented with simultaneous virtual broadcasts or wholly virtual if in-person events are restricted.

Phase 2: Post “Missed Meeting” informational slide to the school’s website after the live meeting.

Presented using district-created Slides template
Posted for a minimum of two weeks following the live annual meeting; or the last two weeks of October at the latest
Posted in a prominent location of school’s website
Customized with school’s updated information and documents

Coordination and Integration with Other Federal Programs

Describe how the school will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement programs and activities that teach parents how to help their children at home {ESEA Section 1116}.

Program	Coordination	X
Head Start	LEA cofunds Head Start for 200 children. These services are provided in schools with our highest poverty. Family events provide guidance and modeling of emergent literacy development activities.
Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten	Title I Part A co-funds VPK services, by extending full day services in schools with our highest poverty. Family events provide guidance and modeling of emergent literacy development activities.
Title I, Part C	Migrant families participate in a LEA Advisory Council for English Language Learners. Translators are available for teacher conferences as well as to assist with translation of documents to be provided for families. Family events provide guidance and modeling of emergent literacy development activities.	X
Title I, Part D	Resources are provided for parents whose children are enrolled in Neglected & Delinquent programs.	X
ESOL-Title III	Provides supplemental resources for English Language Learners (ELL) such as services and paraprofessionals.	X
Title IV, Part A	Provides students with a well-rounded education, supports safe and healthy students, and supports the effective use of technology. Schools benefit through Capturing Kids’ Hearts training and the services of the secondary schools guidance TSA.	X
Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Act	Provides funds to increase the quality of career and technical education.	X
Title IX, Part A	Provides hygiene items, school supplies, enrollment assistance, social work, and advocacy. Assistance for housing, food, clothing, and other emergency support are available for families referred under Title IX.	X
IDEA	Provides students with disabilities a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs including an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), placement in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), appropriate evaluation, parent and teacher participation, and procedural safeguards.	X

Assurances about the Parent and Family Engagement Plan

I, Tyvanna Boulanger , do hereby certify that all facts, figures, and representations made in this application are true, correct, and consistent with the statement of assurances for these waivers. Furthermore, all applicable statutes, regulations, and procedures; administrative and programmatic requirements; and procedures for fiscal control and maintenance of records will be implemented to ensure proper accountability for the expenditure of funds on this project. All records necessary to substantiate these requirements will be available for review by appropriate district, state and federal staff for a minimum of five (5) years. I further certify that all expenditures will be obligated on or after the effective date and prior to the termination date of the project. Disbursements will be reported only as appropriate to this project, and will not be used for matching funds on this or any special project, where prohibited.

Assurances

The school will be governed by the statutory definition of parent and family engagement, and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with the definition outlined in ESEA Section 8101;

Involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A in decisions about how Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement are spent {Section 1116 (a)(3)(b);
Plan was jointly developed/revised with parents and distributed to our families and the local community {Section 1116 (b)(1);
Engage parents and families, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under this part, including the planning review, and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the school wide program plan under Section 1116 (c)(3);
Use the findings of the Parent and Family Engagement Plan review to design strategies for more effective parent and family engagement, and to review, if necessary, the school’s Parent and Family Engagement Plan {Section 1116 (a)(E);
If the plan for Title I, Part A, developed under Section 1112, is not satisfactory to the parents and family of participating children, the school will submit parent and family comments with the plan when the school submits the plan to the local educational agency [Section 1116(b)(4)];
Provide to each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the state assessment {Section 1112 (e)(1)(B)(i);
Provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned or has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned {Section 1112 (e)(1)(B)(ii)}; and
Provide each parent timely notice information regarding their right to request information on the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers and paraprofessionals {Section 1112 (e)(1)(A).

Escambia County Public Schools

Title I

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