Parent/Guardian Roles & Responsibilities
For learning at home, parents/guardians (along with other family members/appropriate others) have become partners in learning with BSD teachers, principals and staff.
The primary learning space has shifted from the classroom to student homes, along with the cloud. The adult(s) spending the day in person with students and shaping the flow of each day are parents/guardians.
In addition to providing love and care as always, and supporting your child's well-being, especially in this challenging time, parents/guardians are being asked to take on the role of learning coach, with greater involvement in and responsibility for your child's successful learning at home.
Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
To ensure that learning at home occurs in a way that respects all BSD students and families, their rights and privacy, it's important that parents/guardians both support their children to participate appropriately in learning at home interactions and comply with policies and regulations governing participation in the education program provided by BSD.
Parent/guardian responsibilities include:
Monitoring student behavior using technology
Ensuring your child abides by the Student Use of Technology Agreement they (and one of their parents/guardians) signed at the beginning of the school year. This is especially important given the expanded use of technology platforms and tools supporting home learning.
Reviewing and responding to teacher, site and district communications
Supporting your child's use of technology and helping them navigate online platforms, content and interactions
Monitoring your child's engagement with and completion of work
Reaching out to your child's teacher as needed for support
Guidelines for Effective Home Learning
The "pop-out" Google Doc below contains guidelines and tips for supporting a successful home learning experience. Home learning is a collaborative effort, supported by BSD teachers, staff and principals, and guided and supported by parents and family members at home.
Topics include creating a conducive space for learning, creating schedules and consistency that work for your household's particular context, and more.
Digital Citizenship Information and Resources
BSD developed this collection of digital citizenship info and resources for both parents and students. You can access and view our Digital Citizenship Information and Resources on BSD's district website.
Recording or Otherwise Participating in Your Child's Online Interactions
Families are reminded that all of the same expectations of student and family behavior in a classroom apply in the use of online platforms for learning at home. In addition, all of the same Education Code laws continue to apply when your child is engaged with teachers in online learning environments.
We must all do our part to protect the privacy rights of students and teachers. For example, Education Code section 51512 prohibits any person, including a pupil, from using any electronic listening device or recording device in the classroom without prior consent of the teacher and school principal. A student who violates that provision can be subject to discipline, and for any other person, including a parent or guardian, violation is a misdemeanor and could be referred to law enforcement.
As another example, while people generally have a right to take photos in public settings, we do not allow photos in a classroom without permission and this would be the same in online learning environments. We ask that students and their families refrain from taking any photos of virtual/video meetings and do not share any images captured on social media or in any other way circulate them to the public.
Lastly, just as you would not expect to attend a class session on campus without principal and teacher consent, parents/guardians should not join their students in online class meetings. While your child may initially need support to engage the technology, we ask that you then allow your student to continue the session with their teacher and/or any classmates. Please do not use the “chat” functionality to engage the teacher or otherwise disrupt the flow of learning for the students. Instead please use email or your customary method of contacting the teacher directly with any questions or concerns.
These are challenging times and we’re all in this together. Everyone is working hard to ensure that learning continues in an environment of trust. Please do your part to respect the privacy of each member of our community.