Family Relations Statement

There are two important principles on which the Irvington Community School rests.

First, the school is part of the effort to truly reform education in our city. The school has to bring something into the educational marketplace that was not there before.

Second, parents have a meaningful stake in the school. Given the high level of involvement in the school leadership by parents, the importance of listening to and respecting parents’ viewpoints was recognized from the beginning. Academics are crucial, but how families are treated was equally important.

In reality, there is no first and second goal. Each is as important as the other. And, in the end, there will be no reform of the education system until schools not only respect parental rights and involvement but welcome them.

This is not simply opinion. Research and experience prove that schools with involved parents are successful schools. In The Educated Child, William J. Bennett, Chester E. Finn, Jr., and John T. Cribb, Jr. show that when parents become active and informed partners in their child’s education, test scores rise, drop-out rates fall, and the active pursuit of learning becomes a compelling focus for each family. The historical American education system, however, has resisted this premise, which is one of the many reasons it is in crisis.

The Irvington Community School, located in an area with a distinct identity and founded by a long-time resident and ICS parent, is a perfect vehicle for this kind of family friendly, open philosophy.

Initial meetings with the parents and families reinforced the desire and wisdom of this approach, as parents chose a dress code and school colors. They expressed a strong wish to have a vehicle in which their opinions could be heard and respected.

These meetings led to the formation of the ICS’s School Advisory Committee (SAC), as outlined in our charter proposal to Ball State University.

As a charter sponsor, BSU insisted that their approved charter schools demonstrate a willingness to construct democratic processes that include families in a meaningful way. That was demonstrated by the SAC’s undertaking of developing a high-level disciplinary model and a willingness to continue consulting with the school on modifications to its discipline code.

What came out of this conversation was the overriding desire to have a respectful, positive attitude in the Irvington Community School.

This cooperation between the school and the SAC has continued with monthly meetings over the last five years. Each meeting is attended by the school’s president, with a time reserved for an update from him and a question-and-answer session. Despite occasional bumps in the road, an overall feeling of openness and trust has continued between the president and the SAC.

In that spirit, the following guiding principles will be followed:

Our families own the Irvington Community School. The school was founded for them and exists only because of their participation.
Parents’ primary role in raising their children is recognized and respected.
Parents’ role as a partner in their children’s education is recognized and respected.
Parents are an asset to our school, not an inconvenience or a threat.
Parents are welcomed into the building in a friendly and open manner. (Parents going beyond the office area are required to sign in and wear a visitor’s badge.)
Parents are welcome in a classroom at any time, with the exception of testing times, after checking in at the office.
After the 3 o’clock and 3:20 p.m. releases and before 4 p.m. is a time open for parents to visit with their child’s teachers in their classrooms. Parents are expected to defer to the teachers’ responsibilities, such as tutoring and club supervision.
The school will consult and communicate with parents for policy changes, including, but not limited to, curriculum, scheduling, and discipline.
School management will attend meetings and communicate with the SAC.
School management will seek opportunities to interact with families in less formal settings, including special events, athletics, and the parking lot during drop-off and pick-up.
Conferences are to be at the beginning of the school year and then quarterly with each family.
Teachers will communicate with each student’s family at least every two weeks.

This is the vision of the Irvington Community School: To welcome families to a school that honors their stake in the school, respects their children, and listens to their viewpoint, all in an environment with high expectations, well-defined consequences, and a focus on the Golden Rule.