As parents and community stakeholders, you play an important role in your children's education and are key to providing the best support for student success. Occasionally, questions or issues arise about a class, grade, or disciplinary action where you may need to contact school faculty and administration. When this happens, it's important to follow the proper chain of command to ensure the issue can be addressed promptly and appropriately.
The chain of command is an important tool for addressing concerns through the appropriate channels to provide a resolution or answer efficiently and productively. Following you will find some tips and best practices for addressing concerns through the chain of command.
Elementary schools. At our elementary schools, the first point of contact should always be your child's teacher since they have direct oversight of academic and behavioral progress of the students in their classrooms.
Middle and High School. At the middle and high school, your child's advisor would be your first point of contact. A simple email or phone call can help provide context to a question about an assignment, test score, or an incident that has occurred.
At any of the RSU #38 schools, if a resolution can't be reached during this initial outreach phase, the next step would be to involve the principal or the assistant principal. Those individuals can further mediate the issue in a meeting with the teacher and you and your child.
School principals. One of the roles of the school principal is to handle formal complaints and appeals, and they are happy to do so. However, as mentioned you may benefit from a quicker answer and resolution by starting at the classroom level with the teacher or advisor most familiar with your child.
In the unlikely event a resolution still cannot be met, the principal can elevate the issue to the RSU #38 central office administrators pursuant to policy.
By understanding and following the chain of command and addressing issues with the appropriate person, we can all work as a team to quickly get answers and provide positive outcomes for your student's academic success and emotional well-being. Our shared goal is to foster a safe and enriching environment for students to learn, explore their passions, and ultimately reach their full potential.
Thank you for your support as we educate the next generation of leaders for our communities.