Parents Right to Know

You may ask for information about:

• Your child’s teachers and paraprofessionals
• Required state and local tests
• Your child’s test results and academic growth, when available
• English learner identification and language instruction services

Need help or want to request information? Contact the GCS Title I Office at 336-370-2368.

You may ask about the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teachers. This includes whether a teacher:

• Meets North Carolina certification and licensing requirements for the grade level and subject taught
• Is teaching with an emergency, temporary, or provisional license
• Is teaching in the field in which the teacher is certified

You may also ask:

• Whether your child receives services from a paraprofessional
• About the paraprofessional’s qualifications, if applicable
• About your child’s achievement and academic growth on required state tests, when available

GCS will notify you if your child is taught for four or more weeks in a row by a teacher who does not meet state certification or licensing requirements for the assigned grade level or subject.

You may ask for information about required state or local tests, including:

• Policies about student participation in required tests
• Testing procedures
• Whether parents have the right to opt their child out of a test, when allowed by law or policy

GCS will make information about required state and local tests available to the public. When available and practical to report, information may include:

• The subject being tested
• The purpose of the test
• Why the test is required
• How much time students are expected to spend taking the test
• The testing schedule
• When and how results will be shared

You may also request information about your child’s achievement and academic growth on state tests, when available.

If your child is identified as an English learner and placed in a language instruction program, GCS will notify you within 30 days after the start of the school year.

The notice will explain:

• Why your child was identified as an English learner
• Why your child was recommended for a language instruction program
• Your child’s level of English proficiency and how it was measured
• Your child’s academic achievement, when available
• How the program teaches English
• How the program compares with other available programs
• How the program will support your child’s strengths and needs
• How the program will help your child learn English and meet academic standards for grade promotion and graduation
• The requirements for leaving the program
• The expected transition into classrooms not designed specifically for English learners
• Expected high school graduation rates, when applicable
• For a child with a disability, how the program supports the goals in the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP)

You will receive written information about your rights. You may:

• Request that your child be removed from the language instruction program
• Decline to enroll your child in the program
• Choose another available program or method of instruction
• Receive help comparing options when more than one program or method is available

If your child is identified as an English learner during the school year, GCS will notify you within the first two weeks after your child is placed in a language instruction program.

GCS will provide opportunities for parents and caregivers of English learners to be involved in their children’s education. Families will receive information and opportunities to:

• Support their child in learning English
• Help their child succeed in a well-rounded education
• Help their child meet North Carolina academic standards
• Attend regular meetings
• Share recommendations about services for English learners