Complaint Policy to Be Considered for Adoption

The School Board will consider a policy concerning student and parental complaints at our June 24th meeting. I've pasted it below.  I can't support the current draft, I will make a separete post with my reasons and changes.

New Policy – Comments and Complaints

To be created under 8-10 Students – General  or 8-64 Students – Community Relations.

 

A. Statement of Principle

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for parents and students to follow to offer input, comments, suggestions and complaints to school officials.

 

B. Precedence

This policy governs all written complaints not governed by other policies. Procedures enumerated in other policies supersede those created in this policy.

 

C. Definitions

“Parents and students” includes current students, parents of current students or other persons who enrolled a current student.

“Complainant” refers to the parents and/or student who have submitted a complaint.

“Respond” means to provide a written assessment of the complaint.  “Respond” does not connote a decision, agreement or resolution.

“Business days” refers to days in which LCPS administrative offices are open.

 

D. Procedures

Building principals shall establish appropriate procedures within their schools for encouraging, soliciting and receiving input, comments, suggestions and complaints from parents and students. 

Parents and students with complaints should attempt to resolve their concerns informally at the lowest administrative level possible, beginning with, where applicable, the teacher, school assistant principal or principal.

Parents and students may submit questions, concerns and complaints to teachers and school administrators through any means they choose, and are strongly encouraged to do so. 

 

E. Complaint Form

Parents with complaints may choose to use a complaint form developed by the Superintendent. 

The complaint form shall be distributed at least once annually to all parents and students and shall be accessible to parents and students at all times through individual school offices, electronically upon request from individual schools or the Superintendent’s office, and via the LCPS website and each school’s website.

The complaint form will record the child’s school.

The form will include an optional section for the complainant to categorize the complaint. This section will include various common categories, and a space for categories not listed.

LCPS will track the number of complaints by category and school.

 

F. Timeline

Complainants will receive an acknowledgement of receipt of written complaints in writing within 5 business days of receipt. The principal or the principal’s designee will respond in writing to complaints within 30 calendar days of receipt.

Within 30 calendar days of the principal's response, the complainant may file an appeal to the Superintendent.

The Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee will acknowledge appeals in writing within 5 business days of receipt, and respond in writing within 30 calendar days of receipt

 

G. Retaliation

Retaliation against parents or students who file complaints or participate in the related proceedings is prohibited is strictly prohibited, and any alleged retaliation shall be reviewed and dealt with appropriately by the Superintendent or other appropriate administrator. 

 

H. Multiple Complaints

Multiple complaints regarding substantively the same issue, whether submitted by one or more complainant, may be treated as a single complaint for the purposes of statistical tracking and response requirements.