Partnerships with families, neighbors and other community members strengthen a school’s climate and culture.  These adults can provide resources and support that can help individual students and their families.

Families are busy and have many responsibilities that demand their time.  A challenge for education is to provide opportunities to engage parents and other family members in the schools mission. For their children.  Families who are connected to a school can have a voice support creating a safe and supportive school climate.

As schools become more ethnically and racially diverse, engaging with families can provide a crucial understanding of the strengths each family has to support their students and the school – an important step in the road to social justice.

To increase engagement, leaders can take action to streamline communication and build relationships.

To hear Principal Tonya Strozier talk about engaging and honoring community members, click play below.

To hear Principal Thad Dugan talk about creating opportunities for parents, click play below.

Discussion/reflection in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class:

• What can families provide that can make our school safer?
• In what ways are families currently involved with this school?

Community members can provide links to valuable resources in the community such as counseling, curriculum opportunities, and career support.  Community partnerships are essential in a Comprehensive School Safety Plan.  In a crisis, educators must rely on the expertise of law enforcement, first responders, neighboring establishments, and religious leaders.  Getting to know these key actors BEFORE a crisis can facilitate the response and recovery process. 

Some organizations may need to have a Memorandum of Understanding on file.  Initiating that process before there is a crisis can facilitate more rapid action.

Discussion/reflection in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class:

• Who are the community members who interact with the school?
• What community members need to be involved with the Comprehensive School Safety Plan?
• How can leaders connect with community members?
• What do we need from the community members?
• What do community members need from educators?

Enhancing family and community engagement may be one of the goals you will want to tackle for your school safety initiative once you have formed your Leadership Action Team. Each community has different resources and needs. So starting with an assessment of what are the needs and challenges can form the foundation for strengthening those relationships.

What’s Next: To share information with staff and other stakeholders using the handout or PowerPoint. For more information, check out our additional resources. Now, move on to learn about creating a School Safety Plan.