We Advise ACPS

Family Council is a quasi-Advisory Committee to the Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent. Why "quasi"? Simply that we operate under a family-only set of Officers leaders and set our own agendas. We collaborate and receive support from ACPS leaders, but are not ACPS-controlled. 

Advisory Examples

See our Meetings page for current school year efforts.

Leaders of the school division value the diverse and deeply-informed perspectives represented within Family Council. We advise ACPS in multiple ways:

• By Request: Meetings -- We sometimes add agenda items to our monthly meetings focused on providing feedback to ACPS leaders. For example, in fall 2023, changing the high school schedule was under consideration. We educated our members on the history & issues, and then received a brief presentation from ACPS & provided feedback during the meeting (Nov 2023 Minutes). Afterwards, we shared written comments (Advisory Letter) before a broader family survey was distributed. 

• By Request: Feedback -- We receive requests to provide input on specific ACPS projects in writing between meetings. For example, the Office of Community Engagement asked Family Council to provide input on the draft versions of the "On-Track Albemarle" publications. (See advocacy effort that prompted these guides below.)

• Budget Priorities -- Family Council is asked to participate in the annual budget prioritization process along with other ACPS advisory groups. We encourage all families to send input, and also capture our group's priorities both verbally and in writing. See Dec 2023 Budget Priorities letter.

• Urgent Issues -- Family Council Officers hold monthly meetings with ACPS leaders, and often share urgent family concerns. For example, in early August 2023 we urged ACPS to communicate much more actively to families about the bus driver shortage, and shared information about national Safe Routes to Schools programs for pedestrian and bike safety.

• Meeting Topics -- At our monthly meetings, we often host an ACPS leader to share information on the issue we'd selected. We offer live feedback via conversation in the room, plus additional comments on Sticky Notes. For example, see our Feb 2024 meeting on Pathways to Algebra.

• Unsolicited -- Family Council often follows up with ACPS leaders on their promises to engage families, and when important information is missing. For example, see our on-going request to update the Middle School Program Guide and High School Program of Studies (see Letter), following their appearance as an undiscussed consent agenda item on a school board agenda. Also see ELA Adoption Requests, many of which were implemented, and the companion Resources for Family & Community Reviewers that we created & distributed.

We Advocate for Change

Family Council has always included advocacy as part of its mission and goals, and during the 2023-24 school year, we recommitted to making positive change happen in our public school system. 

Our advocacy aligns with the Virginia PTA explanation:

Advocacy is sharing a story or experience that your child, school or community is dealing with and turning it into an action item, or a request, for a new policy, protocol or process, change in staffing or funding, improved training opportunity, enhanced communication, or modification to state or federal legislation and regulations.

Our approach to advocacy:

• ACPS Family Council serves as a collective representative voice for families whose students attend public schools in Albemarle County, Virginia. In addition to advising ACPS leaders, we advocate on behalf of families to the ACPS School Board, ACPS Superintendent and leadership, and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.

• We research issues and educate the Representatives within ACPS Family Council, who come from every school in ACPS. And, we serve as a resource so families across the county can be effective advocates for their respective school communities.

• We engage our School and At-Large Representatives and encourage participation by the broader community so that the ACPS Family Council voice is strong and representative of the county as a whole.

• We encourage our members to raise issues with potential relevance to the greater Albemarle school community so they can be discussed, amplified and elevated to a county-wide voice.

ACPS Family Council is an independent nonprofit organization and is not controlled by, nor does it work for, ACPS or any other entity. Each ACPS PTO/PTSO/PTA is equally independent from its associated school, and operates independently of ACPS Family Council.

Advocacy Efforts

For current school year efforts, see our Meetings page. In the 2023-24 school year, Family Council advocated for the following changes. Responses and results are included... remember that changing a complex system like a school division is slow! Our commitment to continuing is noted below in "Status".

• Reading for All -- Immediately improve Tier One elementary reading instruction (Nov 2023 Letter) & secondary reading intervention (Nov 2023 Letter). 

Response / Results -- We received written responses with commitments to continued improvements.

Status -- Implementation of new elementary curriculum begins Fall 2024. We will continue to monitor reading outcomes.

• Communicate Academics  -- Work with us to create "Family Guides" to reading and math, starting in the elementary grades. Nov 2023 Letter.

Response / Results -- ACPS decided to create elementary grade-level guides & videos ("On-Track Albemarle"), which were reviewed in draft form by Family Council.

Status -- ACPS says they are expanding these guides in summer 2024. We will continue to monitor reading outcomes & communication.

• Reading Intervention -- Make a commitment that every student who needs reading intervention will receive support. Nov 2023 Letter and Budget Public Comment.

Response / Results -- We received written responses from ACPS leaders, and followed up with multiple conversations. ACPS will maintain the existing reading specialist staffing for the 2024-25 school year & has been more openly sharing data at school board meetings.

Status -- Continue to monitor reading outcomes & selection of intervention programs.

• Middle School Program -- Conduct evaluation of the post-pandemic changes made to middle school, including: grading, homework, unleveled English Language Arts, every-other-day schedule, and recess. Dec 2023 Letter.

Response / Results -- We received a brief written response, but no commitment to a Program Evaluation. We have also followed up to request communication on these secondary issues (see letter), and repeated request for program evaluation (see letter).

Status -- We continue to press individual school board members, who are taking issues up with ACPS central office.

• Middle School Recess -- Bring back a dedicated middle school recess & enforce existing policies. Jan 2024 Letter and public Sign-On Letter.

Response / Results -- The Family Council Rep leading this effort met with the principal appointed as group representative. The principals' response was to explain that no change will be made. Our understanding based on conversation is that the principals have decided that maximizing instructional time continues to be the top priority.

Status -- The state-mandated School Health Advisory Board committee also recommended increasing physical activity and enforcing the existing policy (see SHAB Annual Report).

• School Safety -- Provide opportunity for authentic community engagement on reintroduction of school resource officers (SROs), with clarification of responsibilities at minimum. Feb 2024 Letter.

Response / Results -- Dr. Haas written response, which we followed up on with reiteration of request for authentic broad engagement process & specific offers of support.

Status -- Pending update from Office of Community Engagement.

• Algebra I Pathways -- Provide access to Algebra I for every middle school student. March 2024.

Response / Results -- We received a written response, and then saw  ACPS announcement that the Math 7 course will be updated providing all middle school students access to taking Algebra.

Status -- Watching for school board updates on math outcomes.

• Teen Mental Health -- Make teen Mental Health First Aid available to every high school. May 2024.

Response / Results -- Will be implemented in all high schools in 2nd semester of 2024/25! See response.