54444.2
. (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall take
the steps necessary to ensure effective parental involvement
throughout the state migrant education program, which shall include,
but need not be limited to, the following:
(1) The Superintendent shall adopt rules and regulations requiring
each operating agency receiving migrant education funds or services
to actively solicit parental involvement in the planning, operation,
and evaluation of its programs through the establishment of, and
consultation with, a parent advisory council.
(A) The membership of each parent advisory council shall be
comprised of members who are knowledgeable of the needs of migrant
children and shall be elected by the parents of migrant children
enrolled in the operating agency's programs. The composition of the
council shall be determined by the parents at a general meeting to
which all parents of pupils enrolled in the migrant program shall be
invited. Parents shall be informed, in a language they understand,
that the parents have the sole authority to decide on the composition
of the council. All parent candidates for the council shall be
nominated by parents; nonparent candidates shall be nominated by the
groups they represent: teachers by teachers, administrators by
administrators, other school personnel by other school personnel, and
pupils by pupils. All other community candidates shall be nominated
by the parents. Each parent advisory council shall hold meetings on a
regular basis during the operation of the regular program, but not
less than six times during the year.
(B) At least two-thirds of the members of each parent advisory
council shall be the parents of migrant children. Each parent
advisory council shall have the responsibilities listed in
subdivision (a) of Section 54444.4.
(2) The Superintendent shall establish a statewide parent advisory
council that shall participate in the planning, operation, and
evaluation of the state migrant education program. The membership of
the statewide parent advisory council shall be comprised of members
who are knowledgeable of the needs of migrant children and shall be
nominated and elected by the parents of migrant children enrolled in
the operating agencies. At least two-thirds of the members of the
State Parent Advisory Council shall be the parents of migrant
children. The state council shall meet a minimum of six times a
calendar year to provide input on issues relating to the operation of
the program. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the
state director.
(3) (A) The Superintendent also shall sponsor an annual State
Parent Advisory Council Conference. The conference shall be scheduled
during the spring of every year.
(B) The State Parent Advisory Council shall prepare and submit a
report to the Legislature, state board, the Superintendent, and the
Governor regarding the status of the migrant education program. The
report shall be submitted within 120 days from the conclusion of a
training program on preparing the report provided by the
Superintendent in accordance with paragraph (5).
(C) The report shall include an evaluation of the migrant
education program, as required pursuant to paragraph (2) of
subdivision (a), a review of annual needs and a year-end assessment,
as required pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section
54444.4, and policy recommendations.
(4) The Superintendent and each operating agency shall furnish,
without charge, to the statewide and operating agency parent advisory
councils and, upon request, to each member, a copy of all applicable
state and federal migrant education statutes, rules and regulations,
and guidelines. In addition, the Superintendent and each operating
agency shall furnish, without charge, to the statewide and operating
agency parent advisory councils and, upon request, to each member,
copies of all applicable state and federal audits, monitoring
reports, and evaluations.
(5) The Superintendent and each operating agency shall establish
and implement training programs for members of the statewide and
operating agency parent advisory councils to enable them to carry out
their responsibilities. Each training program shall be developed in
consultation with the parent advisory councils and shall include
appropriate training materials in a language understandable to each
member. Costs incurred in providing training under this paragraph,
including federally authorized expenses associated with the
attendance of members at training sessions, shall be funded, to the
extent that funds are available, by federal funds allocated to the
state, based upon the educational and related health needs of
migratory children defined in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section
54441, and may be supported by funds from the state migrant education
program.
(b) Each operating agency that provides services on a statewide
basis shall be exempt from the requirement that it create its own
parent advisory council, but shall consult the statewide parent
advisory council in the planning, operation, and evaluation of its
programs.