Advocacy Strategies for Parents

Parents and guardians play an important role throughout their child's education. Parents can understand and communicate the needs of their child(ren) to support educational growth and success. APS encourages parents and guardians to develop relationships with teachers, principals, and administrators to articulate the unique needs of your student(s).

How to Advocate for Your Student 

Suggested strategies for communicating and advocating on behalf of your child include:

Engage With Your Student’s School

• Introduce yourself to your student’s teacher(s), school principal, and front office staff.
• Volunteer at your student’s school or in the classroom.
• Join the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for your child’s school.
• Stay up to date on school communication tools (newsletters; email notifications, and social media announcements).

Ask Questions and Ask for Help

• Know your rights and responsibilities as an APS Parent.
• Report any concerns that your child has regarding mental health or Special Education needs.
• Ask questions to seek clarity and gain additional information as needed.
• Ask for help if you or your child need assistance.
• If your student is being bullied, document the facts, and contact your child’s teacher or school administrators to ask for help.

Maintain Communication

• Sign-up for all electronic portals and communication channels assigned to your child’s school.
• Provide up-to-date contact information to your child’s school to ensure that you, or a designated contact, can be reached in case of an emergency.
• Keep in touch with your child’s teacher(s) throughout the year.
• Save a list of important telephone numbers and email addresses for contacting teachers, school, and district personnel.