What Is a Parent Liaison?

A Parent Liaison is a special school staff member who works at Lane specifically to help parents get the information and assistance they need to support their children at home and to ensure their children’s success in school.

The Parent Liaison program exists throughout Fairfax County Public Schools. Individual schools receive funding for the program based on specific needs; the funding is supplemented by No Child Left Behind Act grant funds. The program originally began as a way to increase schools’ productive involvement with families in their communities. A Parent Liaison’s primary responsibility is to find ways to bridge communication, cultural, language, and/or experiential gaps that impeded the home and school working together. Currently there are 175 Parent Liaisons in the County, serving 160 school communities.

Initially, schools began hiring Parent Liaisons specifically to reach out to their second-language families, but over time the position has evolved to one that actively supports all school families.

Who Is Lane’s Parent Liaison?

My name is Melanie Crosby Hardy, and this is my second year as Lane’s Parent Liaison. I’ve been a Lane parent myself since 1999, and I currently have two daughters attending the school. Both have been at Lane since kindergarten. We’ve been through first-day-of-kindergarten stress, SOL testing tension, and mid-year change-of-teacher challenges. We’ve experienced the Multiage program, combination classes, and a variety of after-school activities. I’m also active in Lane’s PTA and as a volunteer in the classroom. In short, I’m very familiar with Lane and its programs and am happy to share that knowledge with other parents!

How Do Parent Liaisons Help Parents?

Parent Liaisons help parents and students in many different ways. For example, in the past my job has included

• connecting parents with special school-system or other Fairfax County programs they need
• facilitating communication between parents and teachers or parents and administrators
• disseminating information about the school and its programs
• meeting with parents to discuss school policies and procedures as well as the need for conferences or meetings
• arranging meetings between parents and school staff members, including arranging for an interpreter when necessary
• helping parents get involved with their child’s class and/or the school as a whole
• organizing and coordinating parent information presentations
• publishing a quarterly “Parent Link” newsletter filled with parenting tips, class listings, and other helpful hints.

Overall, the job I do the most often is listen to parents and help them find the solutions they seek.

Can I Take a Tour of the School?

As Lane’s Parent Liaison, I am also its primary tour guide, offering new or prospective parents and students a chance to take a look at the school before they actually start.

          Please call ahead to schedule a tour. Tours can occasionally be taken on the spur of the moment during my regular office hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but it’s always best to call ahead.

How Can I Contact the Parent Liaison?

My regular office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. You can also reach me by phone at (703) 924-7749; if I’m not in, please leave me a message, and I’ll return your call as soon as possible. You can also send me an e-mail at Melanie.Crosby@fcps.edu.