If Parents Sign a Form at the Start of the Year to be in Pictures and Videos, does that include larger PR Videos?

 I appreciate these forums on Facebook for local school communities (such as one discussing Region One CT school issues) since back in the day in the 1990s and 2000s, I had many concerns even at the grade school level..and felt I was running into brick walls with administration.

Likely every grade level and age group needs a set of volunteer responsible adults and parents to monitor how the children are doing to help them meet minimal learning requirements in addition to whatever is formally taught and required...
Falling behind is not an option for passing onto the next grade level and who wants to be left behind if they are the right age and ability? A hot-topic in many schools is how to Grade the work students do, assess what they are learning, in meaningful ways rather than to require set standards which is not met result in an "F" or D or otherwise Unsatisfactory or NYP, Not Yet Proficient grade.

There is a whole lot to learn about the modern grading options and ways to implement them over time for students and teachers as well as parents and other 'share holders' can understand as being reasonable and effective. Various states and school districts, likely public and private, have ways to explore options and try them out. Sometimes there is a disconnect in terms of what teachers and parents feel is appropriate compared to what an administration needs or desires.

There is a lot of number crunching in schools to show if and how students are progressing on many metrics, test scores for their grade level and in their state, for instance. Then there are those budget numbers that represents dollars required to fund the school building and operation, the administration and teaching staff, and special education needs (some of which are met outside of the local resources but are paid for from the local tax dollars based on a student's legal residency.)

The more citizens and adovates that can work together to help the wider public and of course the parents and students understand the nitty-gritty as well as the overall game plan, the better. This kind of input and even oversight is important to maintain over many years and decades, not with only members of a Board of Education for a local school or regional area but with links to the actual student body and other programs and resources that could be tapped to help the student's realize their potential on many fronts. Programs to enhance parenting, communication and conflict management, community networking and more could be done online (with written material, audios and resources though time and funds are often in short supply.)

Having resource people for each grade level and 'group of grades from PreK-Grade 1, Grades 2-4, Grades 5-6 and Grades 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12 could help parents create buddy systems (mainly with Moms  and Women helping other Moms and Dads and Guys helping other Dads and family members and friends who want to show support for the scholastic success of each student.

 In the last decade even I was having trouble reaching agreements with teachers or administrators (even after our teen son's untimely passing at age 16 on the last day of school after leaving the regional high school with a group of friends, supposedly going to a friend's house on bicycles but detouring to dangerous waters so I was hoping to clarify that was not sufficient 'oversight by the school). There's more on that on Remembering Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton who passed saving his friends from dangerous waters and thankfully they made it out okay.

 But back to the grade school days...I don't think they meant to be as difficult as they were and some took the time to try to hear what I was saying (even about options for homeschooling children and then putting them into a grade level that seemed a reasonable match, as in putting a 5 year old into Kindergarten rather than 1st grade..)

.Aside from that issue (which went to a few board of ed meetings and had some input from the Superintendent that a 'one-time' situation could be allowed since no one had ever made that request before "for their child to repeat a year of kindergarten, rather than go into 1st grade even if the teacher had said the child would likely do well enough..." there were concerns about how parents could get more involved with the classroom learning.

One school seemed more open than the next but it was continual guess work. Eventually realizing there were many rules the administration had to follow and that many parents would not follow through all became clear.

Likely the main problem was one of liability for reporting someone for yelling (teachers) or for parents not following rules (not using seatbelts or for letting their child use the playground during school hours after the child was dismissed early for the day, and  for parents being too nosy about what was going on in a classsroom..not of which could be observed directly as was allowed in some schools locally..)

This was all back in 2003. I had indicated Before the child was in kindergarten that was my plan. I had been told by the prior Principal that CT state law said 'parents had decision-making power' until children were 7 years old at the time.

For the record, all of Southern Berkshire County requires their 4 year old kindergarteners to do a second year of that grade level. More parents of 5 year olds wanted that option but they couldn't afford to extend that. The topic is one I see as critical to helping all students do better in grade school and beyond. Experienced teachers and principals have concurred with this yet many parents need or want childcare. 

Ideally more parents could be networking Outside the school forum to help each other from the earliest years with a positive way of supporting each other and garnering community support and advocacy for basics.

I started the Acorns to Oaks Parenting Network as well as the Friends United Network and Team Outreach. Creating a culture of cooperation and shared learning and advocacy is key to making an area 'user-friendly and functional.' Every town and even neighboring state can be part of a wider success story. The politics and legal boundary lines do not have to define people socially and otherwise. 

Getting people to care is important, which this forum is doing...yet having a wider scope and ways for people to be in meaningful groups could create more of the programs people need and want. This kind of advocacy could include points I cover on www.livfully.org about Crafting Safety PLANS (People and places Learning and Living with Agreements and Networking through Schools and Society...)

Everyone having a Voluntary Parenting or Care Plan for Minors and Elders in need or others with special needs and even a standard one for anyone to agree to use would raise the bar of 'mishaps and accidents'. No parents should allow their minors or others in their care to do dangerous outings such as going to rivers, on hikes or places adults are not aware or and supervising (with community guidelines not just what a few parents allow...)

Those kinds of guidelines would have prevented the dozen or more students, males and females, from going to the Falls (even if that has been a tradition over many decades...) particularly when they were going over rather than as a set of rocks with a place to swim.

The jumping and possible drinking or drugging or rough housing makes that a dangerous place any way. Likely more regulations need to be put in place from Towns with clear postings and more community members and leaders chiming in to clarify limits of what can be done where so parents and even individuals can use more common sense. Putting rescue people and others in danger should not be so acceptable.

Many adults and youth do not understand the power of a river, currents or the dynamics of peer pressure or addictions to danger or even confusion over schedules or family dynamics changing (during conflict, custody or divorce matters among others such as drug use, job stress, and relationship issues.)

There is plenty to ponder and hardly enough time in a month or year to do so, but over time with key messages promoted and a lot of accountability, more people can play by reasonable rules and create a culture of teamwork and success, even if there are set backs along the way.

Thanks for letting me chime in. Overall, this batch of students likely realize many adults do care and that the spotlight is on them to make the most of their schooling and life opportunities.

Networking with people from a larger area...maybe even Brooklyn NY( which the Fort Greene Park could serve as a nice meeting ground and is having a fundraiser May 19th called Monumental 2018 should anyone want to get there pronto after a March against Monsanto in NYC I think...).

Much of NYC doesn't have any free, readily accessible, organized recreation programs for their citizens but have tons of people there, parks and playgrounds and libraries (which offer some that do fill up but are for tiny tots mostly.

There too the little ones could use a ton of help as many people have to hire help at 10-20 an hour and nannies may not really offer much more than basic care for feeding and being the park. The differences in young children going to kindergarten from various neighborhoods is clear and concerning when we all agree every child deserves good language and learning experiences.

These bigger initiatives could be a nice way to bridge realities and resources. Why wouldn't we want to help city folks learn about nature and enjoy spending time outdoors, gardening and even camping (which would be a practical way to bring up a thousand or two people over the summer in groups of a hundred...

Finding ways to recruit families to the area to seed a new generation of workers, volunteers and more could be a full time job for many people... not necessarily paid work but perhaps some could take it up as a shared goal, providing housing, some support and stipends. Permaculture and Transition Town ideas would be helpful to implement. Great Barrington MA has a lot going on in these areas.

Every group of parents of a current set of students is usually maxed out with concerns for how their child or their child's class is doing academically, program-wise (sports, music, theatre, extras), clubs and faith group activities (youth groups some of which can be community-based such as happened in Cornwall for years almost as a recreational program, thanks David S.) Most of the towns are doing a ton for youth in the northwest corner with funds from the Berkshire Taconic Foundation and many other supportive efforts.

Let's see what other good things can happen for the community with more conversation and teamwork...and clarify the goals and ways for the schools to work together with others... 'Playing Well With Others" is one of those early school metrics remember...