The Alabama ESSA state plan encourages and requires community partnerships.

(5) High Hopes Program Grants-Effective August 2000, local education agencies may apply for grants to develop tutoring and mentoring programs for high school students who are in danger of failing the Alabama High School Graduation Exam through collaboration with community colleges, universities, and nonprofit community-based organizations. Local school systems meeting the following requirements are eligible to apply for High Hopes Program Grants.

• (a) Eligibility Criteria.
  • 1. Local school systems must develop a partnership with community colleges, senior colleges and universities, and nonprofit 501(C)3 community-based organizations.

(b) The Department of Education shall develop a statewide violence prevention program using such resources as law-related education and guidance counseling procedures to develop violence prevention curricula for grades K through twelve, to provide training to teachers and school administrators on violence prevention, and to develop school-community partnerships for violence prevention.

The purpose of this chapter is to encourage greater community involvement in the public schools and greater community use of public school facilities. To this end it is declared to be the policy of this state: (1) To provide for increased involvement by citizens in their local schools through community schools advisory committees. (2) To assure maximum use of public school facilities by the citizens of each community in this state. (3) To provide for increased involvement by business and industry in every school system through business/industry partnerships — adopt-a-school programs.

Every participating local board of education shall establish one or more community schools advisory committees which may become involved in matters affecting the educational process in accordance with rules established by the local board of education and approved by the State Board of Education and further shall consider ways of increasing community involvement in the public schools and utilization of public school facilities. Community schools advisory committees may assist local boards of education in the development and preparation of the plans and programs to achieve such goals, may assist in the implementation of such plans and programs and may provide such other assistance as may be requested by the local boards of education.

Community schools advisory committees shall work with local school officials and personnel, parent-teacher organizations, and community groups and agencies in providing maximum opportunities for public schools to serve the communities, and shall encourage the maximum use of volunteers in the public schools.

Wherever possible, the local board of education is encouraged to include at least one high school student. The size of the councils and the terms of membership on the councils shall be determined by the local board of education in accordance with the state guidelines.

The role, scope and responsibility of the advisory committees shall be limited to community school matters.

Every participating local board of education shall employ one or more community schools coordinators and shall establish the terms and conditions of their employment. Community schools coordinators shall be responsible for: (1) Providing support to the community schools advisory committees and public school officials. (2) Fostering cooperation between the local board of education and appropriate community agencies. (3) Encouraging maximum use of community volunteers in the public schools. (4) Performing such other duties as may be assigned by the local superintendents and the local board of education, consistent with the purposes of this chapter.