Pike County Schools

Community

Parent, Partners & Pike County Schools (P3) Academy

In fall 2023, Pike County Schools welcomed its first P3 Cohort. P3 Academy is a program designed to bring families, schools, and the community together to strengthen student success. Participants get a “behind the scenes” look at the many facets of the day-to-day processes that are part of the school system operations, including school finance and budgeting. Additionally, participants are exposed to school law, legislative processes, and business/industry partners. When schools, parents, families, and communities work together, students earn higher grades, attend school more regularly, stay in school, are more motivated, and graduate on schedule.

Three boys are standing outside. They are smiling and laughing.

Parent Expo

Pike County Schools views parent and family engagement as essential to the success of students because it fosters a supportive learning environment that extends beyond the classroom. Engaged families are more likely to reinforce academic expectations, provide additional support at home, and collaborate with teachers to address students' needs. By actively involving parents and guardians, Pike County Schools ensures that educational goals are aligned with family values and expectations, creating a more cohesive approach to student development. This partnership enhances communication, builds trust, and contributes to higher student achievement and well-being. We invite and welcome all parents and guardians to partner with us through active involvement at your child’s school. We also host our Parent Expo each year in October.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)

Pike County Schools uses Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), a systematic framework designed to connect academics, foundational (physical, mental health, and wellness), and behavioral needs to support the whole child through a tiered infrastructure. Tier one provides universal support with research-based high-quality instruction and provides prevention and early intervention in all settings. Students are prepared for college or careers. Behaviorally, students have opportunities to build self-confidence, skills, and mechanisms to self-regulate. The climate and culture of facilities promote and support healthy lifestyles and physical and mental wellness. Tier two is targeted group interventions for some students that include rapid response and frequent progress monitoring. Students move in and out of this tier based on the attainment of grade-level objectives. Tier three is intensive interventions for individual students based on diagnostic assessments given through high-quality, intensive, research-based materials and personnel.

The Positive Support Team (PST) consists of stakeholders who collaborate monthly using data to review at-risk students and develop RTI, behavioral, and foundational plans. Response to Intervention (RTI) is an instructional framework combining core instruction, assessments, and intervention to increase achievement and reduce behavior problems. Weekly grade-level meetings check for progress or adjustment of instruction based on data.

MTSS ALABAMA Logo

School Safety

The Pike County Schools (PCS) was recently awarded approximately $750,000 in grant money to improve safety initiatives throughout the school system. Some of the initiatives provided via the grant funding include:

Upgrade to the intercom system at each of the PCS campuses.
Upgrade to the two-way radio system throughout the PCS, including support services.
Introduction of the OpenGate weapons detection system.
Introduction of bathroom vape sensors/detectors to help school administration monitor and enforce smoking and vaping policies on campuses.
Introduction of the Rhithm - mental/physical wellness and social-emotional check-in or pulse app that monitors school climate and assigns brief instructional lessons to support better adjustment and well-being.
Introduction of the Emergent 3 (E3) crisis response and notification system – allow PCS staff to quickly and efficiently alert school administration and support personnel to crises and other developing situations.
Continued partnership with Thriveway to offer the P.A.T.H. (Prevention & Awareness for Total Health) and Peer Helpers programs offer a K-12th grade, comprehensive prevention and support package that promotes education and intervention in the areas of abuse (all types), mental health and suicide awareness, bully awareness and prevention, and the dangers of drug (including fentanyl), alcohol, and tobacco usage.
Continued partnership with Crisis and Prevention Systems to offer the HELP – Human Empowerment and Leadership Principles safety management and crisis response continuum to promote safer de-escalation and prevention techniques. The Pike County School System maintains a full complement of HELP trainers to work with faculty and staff to improve de-escalation techniques and practices.
Pike County Schools partners with local law enforcement to provide safety and security for our students. Because of this, Pike County Schools has 2 school resource officers who visit each school from the Pike County Sheriff Department.

The Pike County Schools – Prevention and Support Departments continue to explore funding opportunities to introduce new measures and improve existing measures to help ensure the safety of the staff, students, and visitors on our campuses.

Building Assets, Reducing Risks Program (BARR)

The Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) program is an innovative educational strategy designed to improve student outcomes by focusing on building relationships and addressing the social and emotional needs of students. The BARR program integrates the Developmental Assets framework and focuses on risk and protective factors to create a supportive educational environment. It was developed by Angela Jerabek in 1999 and has shown significant success in transforming high schools, particularly in reducing failure rates among students.

Key Components of the BARR Model:
Strengths-Based Approach: BARR emphasizes understanding and building on students' strengths while addressing their academic, social, and emotional needs.

Relationship Building: The program fosters meaningful relationships between educators and students, which is crucial for student engagement and success.

Data Utilization: BARR uses real-time data to monitor student progress and identify those at risk, allowing for timely interventions.

Professional Development: Educators receive ongoing training and support to effectively implement the BARR strategies in their classrooms.

Community Engagement: The program encourages collaboration with families and the community to support student learning and well-being.

All schools in Pike County participate in the BARR program.

BARR Program Logo