Federal and State Regulations/Notifications

Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) Notification Statement

Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires educational agencies to inform employees, parents and students regarding certain asbestos-related activities. These include the availability of management plans, re-inspections, periodic surveillance and response actions. The AHERA Management Plan is available for public inspection at each school office, the central administrative office and the maintenance department. Total re-inspections are conducted every three years and a periodic surveillance is conducted every six months. All response actions needed to maintain or control asbestos-containing materials are carried out by state-accredited personnel or properly trained maintenance personnel.

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

Parents have the right to inspect and review education records and to seek to amend inaccurate education records. Parents must provide written consent before the disclosure of personally identifiable information from student education records, except as otherwise provided by law. Directory information can be displayed by the school unless parents request it not be made public. Parents should submit all requests in writing to the principal. Parents will be notified and will have the right to opt out prior to the participation of a student in a protected information survey. Parents have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Reference Board Policy 4700 Student Records and NC General Statute 115C-402.15

Statement of Non-Discrimination

In compliance with federal laws, Wilkes County Schools administrators all locally operated educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, marital status, pregnancy, military service, disability, or gender, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law. Questions or concerns should be directed to:

Dr. Westley Wood, Asst. Superintendent, Personnel/Human Resources, Title II

Chris Skabo, Title IX Coordinator

Jennifer Blankenship, Director of Exceptional Children, ADA

Dr. Joe Bullis, Title 1, ESL/Tittle III

Wayne Shepherd, CTE Director, Vocational Programs

Jeffery Johnson, 504 Coordinator

Healthful Living Notification

All students must participate in Healthful Living Education classes in grades Kindergarten through 9th grade (G.S.115C-81[e]). The nature of Health Education often includes the discussion of sensitive topics. In these situations, health teachers, school nurses and school counselors are trained for appropriate and accurate content as well as proper teaching methods. A parent may request that his/her child be excluded from certain health topics due to religious/personal beliefs by contacting the school principal in writing. These students will be given an alternative health assignment during that time.

The School Children's Health Act

The School Children’s Health Act requires all North Carolina school districts to notify parents and guardians of pesticides that they expect will be applied during the upcoming year. We want to notify you that the following pesticides will be used at your child’s school this year.

Name of Pesticide	Product Active Ingredient(s)
DuPont Advion Ant Gel	Indoxacarb (S-Enantiomer)
Prescrip. Treatment Cy-Kick CS	Cyfluthrin
Talstar Professional Insecticide	Bifenthrin
MaxForce Roach Bait Gel	Fipronil
Contrac All Weather Blox	Bromadiolone

Wilkes County Schools has implemented an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. This can help reduce or even eliminate the risks of pesticides by using simple, low-cost methods. With proper training, planning and effective communication among affected parties, IPM can prevent pest problems, reduce the need for pesticide application and greatly improve quality of the school environment. If you have any questions, please contact Bergie Speaks, Maintenance Director, at (336) 667-2021

Title 1 Notice to All Parents

As a parent of a student at Wilkesboro Elementary School, you have the right to know the professional qualifications of the classroom teachers who instruct your child. Federal law allows you to ask for certain information about your child’s classroom teachers and requires us to give you this information in a timely manner if you ask for it. Specifically, you have the right to ask for the following information about each of your child’s classroom teachers:

Whether the North Carolina Department of Public Education has licensed or qualified the teacher for the grades and subjects he or she teaches.
Whether the North Carolina Department of Public Education has decided that the teacher can teach in a classroom without being licensed or qualified under state regulations because of special circumstances.
The teacher’s college major; whether the teacher has any advanced degrees and, if so, the subject of the degrees.
Whether any teachers’ assistants or similar paraprofessionals provide services to your child and, if they do, their qualifications.

If you would like to receive any of this information, please call our school at 336-838-4261.

Title 1 Parental Involvement Policy

Wilkes County Schools

Wilkesboro Elementary School

General Policy Statement

Wilkesboro Elementary School recognizes that parental involvement in their children’s education increases student success and strengthens parent-school communications. The Every Student Succeeds Act requires the involvement of parents in Title I, Migrant and ESL programs.

Parental Involvement Goals

Wilkesboro Elementary School will, in coordination with parents of participating PreK-5 children, develop programs, activities and procedures, which have the following goals:

To inform parents in a timely manner about program(s) for which their children qualify to be served and instructional objectives of the program(s). Information sessions for parents may include Back-to-School Night, Parenting meetings, PTO Open House, Fun Times, etc.
To improve the effectiveness of communication with parents as equal partners and build ties between parents and the school. Consultation with parents may include use of a consultant, input from Parent Advisory meetings throughout the year, Parent-Teacher conferences, etc.
To implement a variety of approaches to improving parental involvement. These approaches may include parenting meetings, advisory meetings, field trips, conferences, lunch with their child, newsletters, calendars, volunteering, etc.
To establish a partnership between the school and parents by providing assistance in understanding program standards and student achievement standards. Assistance in understanding standards may include Gateway information, grading scale information, etc.
To offer encouragement and opportunity for literacy training for parents throughout the year based on assessed needs or parental requests. Determining parental needs may include parent survey information to determine needs, etc.
To involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of programs, including the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of the school-wide program(s). This involvement may include:

1. Participation in the School Improvement Plan:
2. Review of curriculum in use at the school;
3. Review of academic assessments and proficiency levels;
4. Opportunities for parents to participate in decisions relating to the education of their children;
5. Opportunities for parents of participating children to comment on the plan and/or any program if they believe it is not satisfactory;
6. Hold a minimum of four (4) parenting meetings with topics of meetings based on needs assessments, discipline, achievement, AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress), quarterly assessments, motivation, study habits, curriculum, etc.; and

G. To notify parents in writing at the beginning of each school year that they may receive information about teachers’ qualifications. Parents may ask for and receive the following:

1. The School Report Card from the Department of Public Instruction;
2. Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject matter he or she teaches;
3. Whether qualification and licensing criteria have been waived to permit the teacher to teach on an emergency or other provisional basis;
4. The teacher’s college major, any graduate certification or degrees the teacher has, and the field of discipline of those certificates or degrees; and
5. Whether teacher assistants or similar paraprofessionals provide services to the parents’ children and, if they do, their qualifications.

Mechanisms, Procedures, Activities and Use of Funds

Wilkesboro Elementary School will implement parental involvement programs and distribute a written parental involvement policy to parents of all children PreK-5 who participate in Title I programs. Parents may be involved in reviewing and planning by working on Parental Involvement Policy, returning acknowledgment that they received the Parental Involvement Policy, utilizing quarterly meetings to provide parental input, etc.
Wilkesboro Elementary School will convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children PreK-5 shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school’s Title I participation, requirements and parental rights. The school will offer a flexible number of meetings to meet the schedules of parents. Meeting opportunities may include PTO meeting, grade level meetings with parents, Back-to-School Night(s), Open House, scheduling both AM and PM meetings, Fun Times, individual conferences, etc.
Wilkesboro Elementary School will schedule meetings and conferences at a variety of times and may conduct in-home conferences to maximize parental involvement and participation for PreK-5. Meeting and conference information may include schedules of both AM and PM meetings and/or conferences, meeting sign-in sheets, conference documentation, home visits documentation, etc.
Wilkesboro Elementary School will jointly develop with parents a school-parent compact; will coordinate parent involvement programs and activities with other county programs including community-based organizations and businesses; will utilize the Parent Advisory Committee to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement; will inform parents of the Parent Resource Center, its purpose and contents; and will provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request. These programs, activities and procedures may include:

1. School-Parent Compacts;
2. Working with Smart Start, Social Services, Health Department, RESA, Wilkes Community College, Child Care Centers, Head Start, Kiwanis, and other agencies and organizations to strengthen communication and collaboration;
3. Parent Advisory minutes;
4. Resource centers and training programs;
5. Use of parents as classroom volunteers; and etc.

E. Wilkesboro Elementary School will furnish materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve student achievement. Parental involvement PreK-5 may be fostered by providing materials and training during quarterly parenting meetings, offering Make and Take Parenting Night, Fun Times, etc.

F. Wilkesboro Elementary School will pay reasonable expenses associated with parental involvement activities and training. These expenses may include refreshments/meals for parents, purchasing needed materials for parenting sessions, etc.

Accessibility Requirement

Wilkesboro Elementary School will communicate with parents, to the extent possible, in a language they understand and provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children. Communication may include translating needed information, utilizing an interpreter during parenting sessions, etc.

Individual School Implementation

Wilkesboro Elementary School will give all parents the school’s Parental Involvement Policy and Pre-K will also receive the Operational and Personnel Handbook. Distributing this policy and handbook will help parents to better understand how they can contribute to their children’s education. Methods to distribute the policy and handbook may include:

Send policy home with students and have parents acknowledge receipt;
Give policy to teachers to distribute during Parent-Teacher Conferences;
Distribute policy at school registration and Fun Times;
Keep sign-in sheets for school meetings involving parents when distributing policy;
Provide copies of policy for parents at PTO meetings; and etc.

Annual Evaluation

The LEA and NCDPI shall review Wilkesboro Elementary School’s parental involvement policy and practices to determine if the policies and practices meet the requirements of NCLB.

*Parent – The definition of a parent includes a legal guardian or a person such as a grandparent or stepparent who lives with the child or someone “who is legally responsible for the child’s welfare.”

**Parent Advisory – Parents on this committee must be representative of your student population, specifically including parents of Title I students not employed by the school system