Overview

The Parents’ Right to Know Act (Act 2024-35) requires Sumter Schools to ensure that current adopted curricula for each class is available on the website of the school and that access to online curricula is available to students, parents, or guardians of enrolled students through the school website. Sumter County Schools strives to carefully align all academic and curricular decisions with the Alabama State Department of Education’s Courses of Study, the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP), and the American College Test (ACT). The Alabama Courses of Study are available via the Alabama State Department of Education website.

District-Wide Curriculum Resources

• 24-25 Elementary Instructional Resources
• 24-25 Secondary Curriculum

Individual Classroom Curriculum

In addition to the above list, individual schools and educators retain the discretion to add to these resources to facilitate mastery of specific educational standards. The supplemental resources used in your child’s classroom are listed and/or available via your classroom teacher's Schoology page. Additionally, many of the district’s curriculum and supplemental resources are accessible via your student’s Sumter County Schools’ device by using your student's login credentials. For further information regarding supplemental resources available in your student’s classroom, you may contact your student’s classroom teacher and/or school principal.

Physical Inspection

 If you are a parent or guardian of a student enrolled with Sumter County Schools and you wish to physically inspect an instructional tool used in your child’s classroom, you may make a request to your school's principal.

This review can be provided electronically or can be required to take place in-person by the teacher. Within 10 days of the request to review, the teacher should either 1) provide electronic access to the material or, 2) schedule an in-person review to take place within 20 days of the original request. The in-person review must take place during school instructional hours. As a part of the examination, the teacher will provide a detailed summary / rationale of the state instructional standard the teacher is addressing using the instructional material.

In a spirit of community and collaboration, SCS will make every reasonable effort to most effectively resolve and address any questions or concerns relating to curriculum and instruction.

Complaint Process

Issuing a Complaint with the District Superintendent

If the teacher does not comply as described above, the parents or guardians may issue a complaint with the district superintendent.

• Curriculum Review Complaint Form

Issuing a Complaint with the State Superintendent

If the complaint remains unresolved after 10 school days, the complaint can be escalated to the State Superintendent of Education utilizing the state’s curriculum and instruction complaint process.

• ALSDE Curricula Posting Complaint Form
  

Annual Reporting Requirements

The number of complaints in Sumter County Schools will be reported annually (by September 1) to ALSDE.  Any complaint filed by a parent or guardian remains an educational record of their student.