Press Release Battle Ground Public Schools Director of Communications: Gregg Herrington, (360) 885-5337 PO Box 200 • Battle Ground, WA 98604-0200 • Office Location: 11104 NE 149th Street • Brush Prairie, WA District Switchboard: (360) 885-5300

March 2, 2012

State endorses River HomeLink plan Randy Dorn, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, has endorsed the plan by the Battle Ground School District’s River HomeLink School to train parents in becoming more effective in teaching their children at home. It is one of 12 innovation plans across the state endorsed by Dorn in a March 1 announcement. River HomeLink offers a variety of programs featuring combinations of school and off-campus learning with substantial parental involvement. It is on the district’s Maple Grove campus, 610 Eaton Blvd., also known as Northeast 199th Street. “Parents haven’t been involved in staff development,” said Principal Mark Clements, who doubles as principal of the district’s Summit View alternative High School. “They’ve had no training to increase their capacity as teachers. This plan is to introduce parents to effective teaching strategies so they can be more effective in what they are doing at home.” Clements said the goal is to offer parents one day of training per month at the school. Although state Superintendent Dorn endorsed the River HomeLink plan as innovative and proof of the “energy and commitment” of the RiverHomeLink staff, he said he had no authority to grant the school’s requests for waivers of regulations involving certain procedural matters or to grant a funding request. River HomeLink opened in Camas in 1996 when HomeLink Battle Ground was becoming overcrowded and many of the students were from east county. The Camas School District welcomed the move. The school moved to the Maple Grove campus this school year, due partly to the need for upgrades to the Camas facility.

##### The Battle Ground Public Schools provides equal opportunity in programs and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin/language, creed/religion, sex, sexual orientation-including gender identity, disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, HIV/Hepatitis C status and provides equal access to designated youth groups. Marcia Christian, Diana Gilsinger and Jane Mercier have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination. They can be reached as follows: Marcia Christian, Title IX Sexual Harassment Coordinator, 360.885.5415, [email protected]; Diana Gilsinger, Deputy Superintendent 360.885.5338, [email protected]; Jane Mercier, Section 504/ADA Coordinator 360.885.5318, [email protected]; or a letter may be submitted to the designated coordinator at the Battle Ground Public Schools, PO Box 200, Battle Ground, WA 98604.