​MEDIA CONTACT: Meghan Frick, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 463-4246, mfrick@doe.k12.ga.org;

Interested Parents: Jason Clay, Office of Federal Programs, (404) 656-2633, jclay@doe.k12.ga.us

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October 19, 2017 -- State School Superintendent Richard Woods today named fifteen new parents as members of his Parent Advisory Council (PAC). 

A total of thirty-one members of the Superintendent’s PAC are parents who were nominated by their local school systems, including independent charter schools. New members are selected each year by representatives of the Georgia Department of Education based on the applicants’ responses to questions on how to engage parents and family members to ensure the academic success of the whole child. Once selected, members serve a two-year term on the PAC.

As members of the council, parents will meet two times during the school year with Superintendent Woods to give input on family and community engagement activities and policies under consideration at the state level, and to share feedback on the implementation of Georgia's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan."  

"A parent is a child's first teacher, and it is absolutely essential to have them at the table when we're making decisions at the Georgia Department of Education," Superintendent Woods said. "The Parent Advisory Council is an essential part of my decision-making process -- meetings of the PAC are a chance to partner with parents to ensure we're providing the best possible education for every child." 

In addition to the thirty-one PAC members, six parent representatives who are the 2017 recipients of the Georgia Parent Leadership Awards are invited to serve as honorary, one-year members on the PAC in recognition of their contributions to Georgia’s public schools. The council also includes members from various educational organizations across the state. Those organizations are: Georgia PTA, Communities In Schools of Georgia, Georgia Family Connection Partnership, Parent to Parent of Georgia, United Way of Greater Atlanta, and Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

The first meeting will be held November 6, 2017. The Superintendent’s PAC will have the opportunity to speak with Superintendent Woods about the latest educational topics.

For more information about the PAC, visit the Georgia Department of Education Superintendent’s PAC Webpage at http://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Partnerships/Pages/Parent-Advisory-Council.aspx