(In accordance with Ohio Revised Code ORC 3313.472)

Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA) agrees to implement all of the following statutory requirements contained within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which are applicable to it:

• • OHVA will put into operation programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents consistent with section 1118 of the ESEA. Those programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

  • Consistent with Section 1118, OHVA will work to ensure that the required parental involvement policies meet the requirements of Section 1118(b) of the ESEA, and each include, as a component, a school parent compact consistent with Section 1118(d) of the ESEA.

  • In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, OHVA will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, parents of migratory children, and foster care givers, (ORC 313.472 including providing information and school reports required under Section 1111 of the ESEA in an understandable and uniform format and, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

If the Local Education Agency (LEA) plan for Title I, Part A, developed under Section 1112 of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, OHVA will submit any parent comments with the plan when it submits the plan to the State Department of Education.

OHVA will involve parents of children served in Title I, Part A in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement is spent, and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the one percent reserved goes directly to the school.

OHVA will be governed by the statutory definition of parental involvement as participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring –

• that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;

•  that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;

• that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;

• the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in Section 1118 of the ESEA.

Ohio Virtual Academy will take the following actions to involve parents/families in the joint development of its district wide parental involvement plan under Section 1112 and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):

• Involve Parent Advisory Council parents in the plan’s development

• Communicate the plan to parents

• Consider improvements to the plan on an ongoing basis based on parent feedback

Ohio Virtual Academy will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under Section 1116 of the ESEA:

• Conduct formal surveys regarding parent/student satisfaction with the school’s operations and academic and instructional programs

• Parents Mentoring Parents

• Ongoing Parent Advisory Council (PAC) meetings for parent feedback on programs and practices

• Conduct ongoing communication at each academic level using print and digital communication formats: face-to-face and virtual meetings, newsletters, Annual Report, progress reports, email, and other means available

• Request parental input from Parent Advisory Council members and OHVA families

• Provide user-friendly communication tools or apps that promote easy parental access for family engagement.

Ohio Virtual Academy will provide the following necessary coordination and technical assistance to support and implement effective parental/family engagement  activities in order to improve student academic achievement and school performance:

• Conduct annual Title I information online meeting in the fall of each academic year (Family Forum)

• Message via email to keep parents informed of academic support opportunities

• Communicate the importance of parent and family engagement

• Conduct parent orientations

• Conduct formal surveys regarding parent/student satisfaction with the school’s operations, academic, and instructional programs

• Review parent/family engagement policies yearly            

 Ohio Virtual Academy will take the following actions to conduct, with the involvement of parents/families, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parental/family engagement policy in improving the quality of OHVA. The evaluation will seek to identify barriers to parental involvement. Attention will be given to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, are foster care givers, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background. Attention will also be given to the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and strategies to support successful school and family interactions. OHVA will use the findings of the evaluation about its family engagement policy and activities to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental/family engagement and to revise (if necessary and with the involvement of parents) its parental/family engagement policies.

•  Conduct annual Title I online information meeting 

• Provide support and information to help students/families succeed

• Conduct formal online surveys regarding parent/student satisfaction with the school’s operations and academic and instructional programs and the parent/family engagement policies and programs

• Provide Parent Involvement information using school communication tools and at various school activities when appropriate

• Conduct virtual meetings to review program improvements

•  Ensure that communication for English Learners (EL) families is appropriate and accessible.

The Ohio Virtual Academy will strive to ensure parental involvement and support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities:

The Ohio Virtual Academy will provide opportunities for parents to learn about topics such as:

• • Ohio’s Learning Standards

  • State and local academic assessment, including alternate assessments

  • The requirements of Part A

  • How to monitor their child’s progress

  • How to work with educators

 Ohio Virtual Academy will provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement by:

• • Conducting parent workshops, and training sessions for new and returning parents, and providing the OHVA Learning Coach Academy ongoing opportunities for parent growth and development

  • Promoting parent networking and mentoring through parent-moderated online support forums and other social networking tools

 The Ohio Virtual Academy will educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff in how to: 1) reach out to, communicate with and work with parents as equal partners, 2) to recognize the value of parent contributions, and 3) implement parent programs and build ties between parents and school by:

• Providing meaningful, ongoing professional development for all staff. 

• Conducting parent support sessions around pertinent educational/parenting topics for student achievement/development

• Facilitating a parent advisory group (Parent Advisory Council - PAC)

• Promoting Parent Workshops – Learning Coach Academy sessions

• Conducting face-to-face parent training/discussions at events and virtual parent orientations

• Promoting parent social networking through online support groups that are moderated by OHVA Learning Coaches

• Providing live web conferencing for parent support, instruction, and mentoring.