Varnett Superintendent Dr. M. Annette Cluff completed her last stop Thursday night at East Campus where she reviewed with parents key policies that govern the district.
Using the 2013 Parent Handbook as a reference, Dr. Cluff talked about everything from criminal background checks for school visitors to policies against bullying.
In between, she emphasized the importance of students coming to school on time, bus transportation, restrictions on on-campus birthday celebrations, the dress code, field trips, Title I Parent Involvement and the school-teacher-parent-student compact. Under the compact, parents are responsible for monitoring their children's attendance, homework assignments and television watching. Teachers are responsible for sending frequent reports to parents concerning their child’s progress and “offering reasonable opportunities for parents to volunteer, observe and participate in classroom activities and..conferences.”
The parents listened attentively as Dr. Cluff laid out the policies and emphasized a strong school-parent relationship in providing all students with the skills necessary to be academically and socially successful.
The superintendent also emphasized safety, saying the campus is equipped with security cameras and that visitors must show the relevant ID to visit the campus. The school has access to criminal background information once the ID process is started and completed.
“We all have the same mission to keep our children safe,” she said. She concluded by thanking the parents for choosing Varnett.
Dr. Cluff completed her round of meetings with parents Thursday, addressing Northeast parents last week and Southwest parents on Wednesday. Those who do not have a Parent Handbook, written in both English and Spanish, may pick one up at East Campus.