Parent Observation Policy
Basic Perspective
From time to time, parents express interest in observing their child’s classes at work. UME Preparatory Academy welcomes parent classroom observations and applauds the commitment to parental involvement in education that the desire to observe represents. However, because our model has fewer instructional hours per week and because we wish to provide all our students with the best instruction we can, we want to do such observations in a way that will not detract from the quality of instruction taking place in our classrooms. While we recognize and wish to honor the desire of parents to have first-hand knowledge of their child’s experiences in the classroom, we also feel keenly the responsibility to provide all of our students, the overwhelming majority of which will not be the children of any one parent or set of parents, a classroom environment that is as free as we can make it from whatever might distract from their learning experiences.
From time to time, parents express interest in observing their child’s classes at work. UME Preparatory Academy welcomes parent classroom observations and applauds the commitment to parental involvement in education that the desire to observe represents. However, because our model has fewer instructional hours per week and because we wish to provide all our students with the best instruction we can, we want to do such observations in a way that will not detract from the quality of instruction taking place in our classrooms. While we recognize and wish to honor the desire of parents to have first-hand knowledge of their child’s experiences in the classroom, we also feel keenly the responsibility to provide all of our students, the overwhelming majority of which will not be the children of any one parent or set of parents, a classroom environment that is as free as we can make it from whatever might distract from their learning experiences.
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide an avenue for which parents may request parent observations of a particular classroom while safeguarding the instructional environment at UME Preparatory Academy.
Procedures and Protocols
In order to protect all of our students, (and, in some cases, to comply with legal requirements) parents will be required to undergo a criminal background check and/or sex offender registry search before being allowed to spend time in classrooms while the school is in session.
Procedures and Protocols
In order to protect all of our students, (and, in some cases, to comply with legal requirements) parents will be required to undergo a criminal background check and/or sex offender registry search before being allowed to spend time in classrooms while the school is in session.
The academy’s administration, in consultation with the relevant classroom teacher(s), retains both the responsibility and the authority to determine when and how often a parent may visit his or her child’s classroom(s). Requests to visit classrooms other than those occupied by the child(ren) of the requesting parent will not be approved, nor may parents visit a class during STAAR or other major accountability or achievement testing days.
When visiting campus to meet with teaching staff, visitors must have a pre-arranged time set up with the teacher(s) in question or the campus administrator. Times are best arranged via email. An email directory is located on our website. With few exceptions, conferences are scheduled during teacher/team planning time, and/or immediately before or after school. Under no circumstances can a teacher be interrupted while providing instruction before, during, or after the school day to meet with a parent. Please note that we request parents and other visitors to a classroom, both virtual and in person, to only record video or audio, or take photographs of classroom activities, after receiving permission from the teacher or a campus administrator.