Lee County schools open doors to volunteers
Lee County schools are looking to increase parental involvement as the doors are open for volunteers again.
Lee County School Board Member Sam Fisher said last week now that parents are allowed back into the buildings to volunteer, he wanted to see what the board could further do to help. The goal is to make sure they are good partners with the parents of the district.
“I want to see what we can do to further help our community get back in the school and understand how important it is to get into the school,” he said in the Aug. 22 meeting, asking if there is “something we as a board can help try to promote.”
Board Member Jada Langford-Fleming believes that when they talk about the district’s mission of being a world-class system, that also means outside the four walls of a classroom by bringing in families to make sure they feel welcome in the schools.
“I would love to see that more unified across the district in every zone. Some schools have great programs,” she said.
One of those programs is called the Watchdog Program, which brings fathers into the school to volunteer doing such tasks as opening car doors in the morning at parent pickup lines or having lunch in the cafeteria, Langford-Fleming said.
“Programs like that aren’t spread throughout the county as much as in some of the schools with strong PTO/PTA groups,” she said, adding that conversations with staff should happen to brainstorm some ways they can partner with parents in all of the schools.
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said both PTA and PTO groups form in particular ways. He said the PTA is very different, as it has to be adopted by the Florida PTA. He said the PTO lacks the necessary step of being certified as the PTA.
Bernier said the strategic plan includes school improvement plans, which need to have a strategy for parental involvement.
Langford-Fleming said there are several businesses willing to partner with the schools to provide assistance and develop relationships.
“It is important we as a district make sure local businesses here in town are made aware of these needs. People want to help, but don’t know how,” she said.
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