Creating family involvement in your distance learning plans

The executive order closing schools for the remainder of the school year requires schools to address “communication pathways with student families, community input on student and family needs, and other outreach opportunities.” Thankfully, schools accepting Title I funds already have a policy that covers family engagement and outreach. As you revise your distance learning plans to reflect enhanced engagement and outreach, you may find opportunities to update family engagement policies and plans to be inclusive of distance learning needs. These lessons learned under stress can provide important feedback on engagement and instruction applicable under routine conditions. Updating and integrating policies is the best way to capture that learning for the future. For additional tools, we assembled our favorite resources in public participation, executing effective engagement, and improving educational outcomes.

Last week, we suggested that schools could contact MnSSC for safety audits. Connie Forster, the Safe School Assessment Coordinator, provided us with some additional details. Currently, MnSSC has a limited ability to do facility assessments due to work in the Emergency Operation Center as well as honoring the Governor’s “Stay at Home” orders. However, as schools prepare for the future, MnSSC will work with schools to schedule an appointment once some restrictions are lifted and can give them some guidance prior to a site visit.

Connie also said, “These facility assessments/safety audits are free. We are non-regulatory so we do not issue a report nor do we report our findings to any governing body. The average visit lasts 2 hours and is a combined with an emergency operation/crisis plan review. We meet schools where they are in the planning process. We identify areas of vulnerability and try to offer low or no cost solutions based on current best practices.”

Thank you, Connie, for the clarification! You may click here for her contact information.