Board reviews Parent Cafe and community partner MOUs including truancy‑prevention and family workshops

Trustees discussed a package of renewals and memoranda of understanding for community partners who provide parent workshops, truancy‑prevention support, family life skills and teen referrals. The agenda items included the Indiana Parenting Institute, Project Rebuild (a truancy‑prevention partner), gymnast/community‑based family assistance providers, and a United Way MOU tied to youth workforce readiness and Day of Service activities.

Administrators explained the Indiana Parenting Institute runs parent workshops (topics include informed parenting, co‑parenting and healthy family relationships) and can offer both on‑site sessions and optional fee‑based workshops hosted at the Keri Gosh Shirley Learning Center; staff said most fees, when charged, would be paid by families or billed through sliding scales and not charged to the district. Project Rebuild was described as a partner that engages parents of students identified as truant through Parent Cafe conferences; trustees asked whether Project Rebuild staff work in schools or perform home visits and asked staff to return with clarifying logistics and any Title funding ties. United Way’s MOU includes identifying high‑school students who may benefit from workforce training (including OSHA certification) and the district said it would refer students to United Way or its contractors for training and coordinate oversight with the CTE director and superintendent’s office.

Board members asked for additional detail on who will be the school contact for each partner and requested prior activity reports (how many students served) and MOU language clarifying visit locations, confidentiality and any fee responsibilities. Trustees also asked that staff provide names of on‑site contacts for programs so the board can track who is delivering services in district buildings. No formal approvals were completed during the work session; administrators said final MOUs and supporting documents would be provided for the August regular meeting.