1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing for a pilot project 
  1.3             for the independent review of parental involvement 
  1.4             policies and strategies. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [PILOT PROJECT TO EVALUATE PARENT INVOLVEMENT 
  1.7   POLICIES AND STRATEGIES.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [DISTRICT AND SCHOOL SITE POLICY 
  1.9   EVALUATION.] A school board may elect to participate in a 
  1.10  two-year pilot project to evaluate parent involvement policies 
  1.11  and strategies in the district and in school sites, with the 
  1.12  goal of improving the academic achievement of all students 
  1.13  within the district, including at-risk students.  Participating 
  1.14  districts and school sites must establish parent involvement 
  1.15  review committees consistent with subdivision 2, and may adapt 
  1.16  the parent involvement policy and process described in United 
  1.17  States Code, title 20, section 6319, for purposes consistent 
  1.18  with this project. 
  1.19     Subd. 2.  [PARENT INVOLVEMENT REVIEW COMMITTEES.] A school 
  1.20  board electing to participate and interested school sites within 
  1.21  that district must establish a parent involvement review 
  1.22  committee or expand the purview of an existing committee 
  1.23  composed of a majority of parents.  The committees must evaluate 
  1.24  the effectiveness of district and school site programs and 
  1.25  strategies intended to provide all parents with meaningful 
  2.1   opportunities to participate in the process of educating 
  2.2   students.  The committees, among other things, may evaluate the 
  2.3   operation of the instruction and curriculum advisory committee 
  2.4   or building team under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.11, or 
  2.5   parent involvement programs developed under Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.6   section 124D.895.  A majority of committee members must be 
  2.7   parents of students enrolled in the district or school site, if 
  2.8   applicable.  The committee also must include teachers employed 
  2.9   by the district and who teach at a school site, if applicable.  
  2.10  A district must assist participating school sites at the request 
  2.11  of the school site. 
  2.12     Subd. 3.  [NOTICE OF PARTICIPATION; NOTICE TO PARENTS.] (a) 
  2.13  A school board electing to participate under this section must 
  2.14  notify the commissioner of children, families, and learning of 
  2.15  its participation and the participation of interested school 
  2.16  sites on a form supplied by the commissioner.  The commissioner 
  2.17  may assist participating districts and school sites at the 
  2.18  request of the district or school site. 
  2.19     (b) Participating school districts must transmit timely 
  2.20  effective notice of this project to parent organizations 
  2.21  throughout the district and to parents of children enrolled in 
  2.22  district schools.  
  2.23     Subd. 4.  [REPORT.] Participating districts and school 
  2.24  sites must report the findings of the evaluation and related 
  2.25  recommendations annually by March 1 to the school board, which 
  2.26  shall transmit a summary of the findings and recommendations to 
  2.27  the commissioner.  Information the commissioner receives under 
  2.28  this subdivision may be used to modify guidelines and model 
  2.29  plans for parent involvement programs under Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.30  section 124D.895.  
  2.31     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  2.32  following final enactment and applies to the 2003-2004 and 
  2.33  2004-2005 school years.