Parent and Student Resources

Parents/guardians of students in grades K-12 have access to class schedules, attendance records and grades through Parent Portal which is an easy-to-use, secure communications tool. Parent Portal enables parents/guardians to verify household information, including their email address, home address and telephone numbers. To request a Parent Portal Activation Key visit the Parent Portal Activation Lookup page.

Pursuant to Policy LEBA, The Atlanta Board of Education believes that attentive, engaged, and empowered families are a key to the success of our students and our system. In order to achieve our mission, Atlanta Public Schools must foster an authentic and transparent environment in which parents and other caregivers have the opportunity to be active participants in the life of our schools, and family engagement should be an integral part of the work of every district staff member.

To achieve this goal, the Superintendent shall recruit, engage, develop, and retain employees who believe that all families want what is best for students and are responsive to their needs:

• Cultivate a safe and caring environment that welcomes the diversity of all families;
• Demonstrate an attitude of inclusiveness and equity through regular, two-way communication with families that is respectful, accessible, and culturally relevant;
• Support and collaborate with families in understanding the strengths and needs of students while fostering their lifelong relationship with learning; and,
• Empower families and all stakeholders as partners by valuing their voices in decision-making about students and schools.

For more information on the Office of Family Engagement, contact Crystal Serracin at 404-802-2868.

Most schools have a parent-teacher organization — either a PTA (which is part of the National Parent Teacher Association) or a PTO (which is an independent parent-teacher organization). Through initiatives and activities sponsored by these groups, parents/guardians work with faculty to enhance the school environment and improve student achievement. At most schools, elections are held in the spring, membership drives begin at the start of the new school year, and activities are scheduled throughout the year. Contact your child’s school for information on who to contact about elections, membership, meetings, dues, and upcoming activities.

GO Teams work with school leadership and the community to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to increase student achievement, and serve as school ambassadors to the local community. GO Teams operate under the control and management of the Atlanta Board of Education and will follow Board policies and procedures unless a waiver is granted. GO Teams include nine to 11 voting members and the school principal. Each team consists of three elected parents/guardians, three elected non-supervisory instructional staff, two appointed community members, one appointed swing seat, and two appointed students (high schools only). For more information about GO Teams, please visit apsstrongschools.com.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act ensures educational rights for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The primary goal is educational stability. The Act defines students experiencing homelessness as those who:

• Lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
• Share the housing of other persons (doubled-up) due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; live in emergency or transitional shelters;
• Have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• Live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;
• Are migratory and live in the conditions set forth above.

Students experiencing homelessness have certain educational rights and can:

• Enroll without delay in school (zoned or school of origin) without proof of residency or permanent address, immunization, school records, or other documents or while documentation is being obtained;
• Choose between the local school where they are living or the school last attended before becoming homeless, when requested by the parent/guardian and determined by the district to be feasible and in the student’s best interest;
• Attend school and participate in school programs with children who are not homeless; and
• Receive all the school services available to other students including transportation services, special educational services where applicable, and other supportive services (food, housing, clothing, etc.).

To be considered eligible, to enroll, and for more information regarding homeless education services, contact the school social worker or the Homeless Liaison - Shantel Tate at 404-802-1937. For additional guidance, please refer to Policy JBC (1) and Administrative Regulation JBC (1)-R (1).

Parents/guardians wishing to establish or continue utilizing the home school program must complete and submit a declaration of intent form to the Georgia Department of Education. It is the responsibility of the Parent/guardian to obtain and file a new declaration of intent each year. To submit an online declaration of intent form or for more information regarding home school programs, contact the GaDOE at 404-463-7891.

Hospital Homebound (HHB) instruction is designed to provide continuity of educational services between the classroom and home or health care facility for students enrolled in Atlanta Public Schools whose medical needs, either physical and/or psychiatric, do not allow school attendance for a limited period of time. HHB instruction may be used to supplement the classroom program for students with health impairments whose conditions may interfere with regular school attendance (e.g., pregnancy, students receiving dialysis or radiation/chemotherapy; or students with other serious health conditions). Students must be enrolled in an APS institution in order to receive HHB instruction. For additional information, contact the counselor or Exceptional Education Lead Teacher at the local school.

My Backpack is the APS Student Portal. The Department of Instructional Technology offers a 21st century learning space for every enrolled student. My Backpack is accessible from any device and provides students with access to digital learning tools, e-books, secure email, cloud storage, and the complete Microsoft Office Suite. Parents and students can access MyBackPack at https://mybackpack.apsk12.org. Students should enter their APS student computer login.