MEP Parent Advisory Council & Family Engagement
Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
The PAC is a vital component of the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Migrant Education Program (PA-MEP). Through the PAC, parents are involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the services provided by the migrant program.
Purpose
PAC meetings are designed to achieve two objectives: (1) to develop leadership among migrant parents; and (2) to educate parents about topics they express interest in or topics that the Pennsylvania Migrant Education office feels are important for migrant parents to be informed about.
Structure
The PAC exists at both the state and local levels. Each year, local sites elect a minimum of three officers (president, vice-president, and secretary) to their local PAC board. The local board can be larger depending on the size of the local project area and parent involvement. All eligible parents are notified about the meetings and are eligible to be elected to a position.
Local PAC boards are responsible for electing two representatives from their area to attend the state PAC meeting. At the state PAC meeting representatives from the local areas elect the state PAC officers, which include president, vice-president, secretary, delegate one and delegate two. The president is required to remain for one year beyond his/her term to assist the new president with his/her duties.
Local PAC meetings occur at least three times per year in more active sites, however meetings may occur more frequently. In some cases, they are conducted in conjunction with local community organizations to give non-migrant parents the opportunity to attend. The state PAC meets two times each year.
Services
The PAC seeks to provide parents with a variety of educational resources and knowledge about other resources in their communities. In addition to developing parents into leaders, the PAC teaches parents how to be more involved in their child’s education, what their child’s educational rights are, and how to access community resources that can support the special needs of families.