Clayton County Public Schools’ engagement department on Tuesday described an expansion of programs aimed at students, families and staff and asked the board to track participation and outcomes.

The presentation, led by Shakira Rice of the district’s engagement team, outlined student, family, community and employee engagement frameworks “presented to our principals during our student support services leadership retreat,” Rice said. She recommended standardizing outreach, reducing jargon in communications and collecting metrics to show which activities most affect student outcomes.

Rice described several district initiatives. Passport to Success is a new family engagement incentive in which families collect “stamps” for attending school or district events; local businesses will provide rewards when a family completes a passport. Rice said the district will run four first‑generation college trips a year; the first trip will be Nov. 14 to Paine College and will take up to 100 students and 100 parents. The district also plans a district‑wide student government association to increase student voice.

On volunteer programs, Rice described Village on Patrol (VOP), where community volunteers assist at schools, and SAFE Grama (Sitting At the Feet of our Elders), a volunteer grandparent program that places older community members in elementary schools; she noted that SAFE volunteers wear a distinctive blue shirt designed by a student. Rice said the engagement office is partnering with faith groups, business clusters and community organizations such as Calvary Refuge to support families in need.

Rice also described employee engagement efforts, including the “Suit Yourself” closet providing donated professional attire and monthly experiences for Teachers of the Year. She said the department aims to expand teacher wellness rooms and run periodic pop‑up wellness events.

Board members asked how the department measures impact. Vice Chair Mary Baker and other members urged inclusion of event attendance, Infinite Campus parent portal logins and metrics that link engagement to attendance and missing assignments. Rice said the department uses surveys — for example, about 1,300 parent surveys at the back‑to‑school event — and will share frameworks with the board. She told the board the department will supply calendars and metrics to help with budget planning.

Rice also said the engagement team is small and collaborates with other divisions and community partners to run activities. Board members asked staff to provide counts for participants, breakdowns by school, and the cost and outcomes of signature programs.

The board and staff agreed to work on a dashboard that can show attendance, parent portal access, number of events, and other measures Rice said would help the board evaluate program impact when it considers budget priorities.