Community Partnerships

Orange County Schools values and welcomes community engagement and support—from one-time contributions to long-term collaborative partnerships. We are currently engaging in a Community Partnership Mapping Initiative, a strategic effort to identify, organize, and strengthen both existing and emerging partnerships across the district.

As part of this initiative, all new community partners are required to complete the partnership approval process outlined below to ensure alignment with district goals and student needs. Existing community partners will also be engaged in this process to update and reaffirm their partnership status, helping us maintain strong, meaningful collaborations that benefit our students, schools, and ultimately help our students graduate with options.

For clarification, not all entities engaged with our schools are considered partners- some are classified as supporters. The key distinction between a supporter and a partner lies in the nature, duration, and depth of their engagement with the district, as well as alignment to the OCS Strategic Plan. 

Application Process for New Partnerships

All outside organizations, business representatives, or individuals who enter any Orange County Schools facility or interact with students/staff/families to provide services should go through the partnership process.

Individuals who volunteer in schools, and aren’t part of an outside organization don’t need to go through the partnership process. All volunteers should register with OCS.

Step 1: Submit Application

Interested partners must complete the OCS Community Partnership Application.

Deliverables must be jointly defined between the community partner, relevant department or school, and district staff. The deliverables must be documented in order to be approved.

Step 2: Application Review

OCS staff will review all applications on the 1st and 15th of each month. Following the review, all applicants will be contacted, in a timely manner, with a formal notification regarding the status of their application. If approved, the community partner will receive official confirmation and next steps to establish a formal partnership with OCS. Due to limited staffing, community partners whose applications are not approved will be given one opportunity to revise and resubmit their application. If the revised application is still not approved, they may reapply after a six-month period.

Step 3: Establish Formal Relationship

Once approved, OCS staff will work with the potential partner to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that outlines the terms of the partnership.

Step 4: Onboard Process to OCS

OCS staff will provide onboarding support to the partner, including reviewing the MOA, district policy, and OCS volunteer/visitor guidelines.

Existing Partnerships

Orange County Schools is committed to cultivating community partnerships that strengthen relationships, enhance family engagement, and contribute to thriving schools.

As part of this commitment, we are launching a Community Partnership Mapping Initiative—a strategic effort to develop a comprehensive, mapped database and contact list of both current and prospective partners.

If you are an existing community partner, your OCS staff point-of-contact will reach out to you with next steps to ensure your organization is included in the community partnership mapping initiative. Please work with your OCS staff point-of-contact to ensure there is an active Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between OCS and your organization that outlines the terms of the partnership.