15-102. Parental involvement in the school; definition

A. The governing board, in consultation with parents, teachers and administrators, shall develop and adopt a policy to promote the involvement of parents and guardians of children enrolled in the schools within the school district, including:

1. A plan for parent participation in the schools which is designed to improve parent and teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, attendance and discipline.

2. Procedures by which parents may learn about the course of study for their children and review learning materials.

3. Procedures by which parents who object to any learning material or activity on the basis that it is harmful may withdraw their children from the activity or from the class or program in which the material is used. Objection to a learning material or activity on the basis that it is harmful includes objection to a material or activity because it questions beliefs or practices in sex, morality or religion.

B. The policy adopted by the governing board pursuant to this section may also include the following components:

1. A plan by which parents will be made aware of the district's parental involvement policy and this section, including:

(a) Rights under the family educational rights and privacy act of 1974 (20 United States Code section 1232g) relating to access to children's official records.

(b) The parent's right to inspect the school district policies and curriculum.

2. Efforts to encourage the development of parenting skills.

3. The communication to parents of techniques designed to assist the child's learning experience in the home.

4. Efforts to encourage access to community and support services for children and families.

5. The promotion of communication between the school and parents concerning school programs and the academic progress of the parents' children.

6. Identifying opportunities for parents to participate in and support classroom instruction at the school.

7. Efforts to, with appropriate training, support parents as shared decision makers and to encourage membership on school councils.

8. The recognition of the diversity of parents and the development of guidelines that promote widespread parental participation and involvement in the school at various levels.

9. The development of preparation programs and specialized courses for certificated employees and administrators that promote parental involvement.

10. The development of strategies and programmatic structures at schools to encourage and enable parents to participate actively in their children's education.

C. A parent shall submit a written request for information pursuant to this section during regular business hours to either the school principal at the school site or the superintendent of the school district at the office of the school district. Within ten days of receiving the request for information, the school principal or the superintendent of the school district shall either deliver the requested information to the parent or submit to the parent a written explanation of the reasons for the denial of the requested information. If the request for information is denied or the parent does not receive the requested information within fifteen days after submitting the request for information, the parent may submit a written request for the information to the school district governing board, which shall formally consider the request at the next scheduled public meeting of the governing board that the request can be properly noticed on the agenda.

D. For the purposes of this section, "parent" means the parent or person who has custody of the child.