Red Clay workshop highlights growth in parent councils, community partnerships and plans to make family engagement a district priority

Red Clay Consolidated School District administrators and community partners used a board workshop on April 9 to outline how the district is strengthening family engagement through the Red Clay Parent Advisory Committee (RC PAC), community partnerships and targeted outreach events.

The presentation centered on efforts to increase parent capacity and trust, and on measurable strategies the district will use next year. “Sure. So, our Red Clay Parent Advisory Committee Council, that’s a program that we have monthly, pretty much here at the district office,” April Anderson, the district’s McKinney‑Vento liaison, told the board. Valerie Brown, founder of the Skills Connection, described an annual back‑to‑school block party the district now organizes at Stanton Middle School and said attendance rose from roughly 3,000 in the early years to more than 6,000 last year.

District officials said the RC PAC meets monthly and that principals identify one to two parent representatives per school to shape programming. Anderson said the council’s meetings are planned around parent requests and that sessions offer…