- School District of Clayton
- Overview
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Home/School Communication
An important priority of the School District of Clayton is to establish an atmosphere of open communication between a child’s home and those professional staff members closest to the child. Parent-teacher conferences are encouraged as early as possible when a concern becomes apparent. Under no circumstances should parents feel that honest concerns, openly expressed, will result in unfair reprimand, recrimination or penalty to a student.
Sharing Your Concerns About Clayton Schools
The School District of Clayton believes that positive two-way communication with members of the Clayton school community is a vital component to achieving the District’s goals. We are committed to providing an open environment for individuals to voice their complaints and concerns with the goal of providing parents and patrons with the opportunity to have their concerns addressed appropriately and in a timely manner. This page summarizes the steps that can be taken to ensure easy, consistent and effective communication for parents and staff whenever an issue arises in our schools. The District welcomes feedback regarding any Clayton staff member and any District or school activity, but asks individuals to respectfully follow the procedures outlined below when looking to resolve their concerns. Use the questions listed on this page as a way to help clarify your concern and guide you to the appropriate person with whom to share your thoughts.
What type of concern do I have? Identifying the earliest point at which your concern began will give you an idea where to begin.* Classroom or Learning Situation (start with a teacher or principal)
* District Policy or Procedure (start with a District administrator)
* Curriculum Related (start with a principal or curriculum coordinator)
* Activities/Athletics (start with a coach or supervisor)
* Programs/Services (KidZone, food service, etc.) (start with the program’s director)
Who’s the best person to contact? Identify the person who is closest to or most involved in your concern and start there. It is important that sharing a concern start at the teacher/building/program level and progress from there. A typical progression, should you need to take your concern to each person’s immediate supervisor, could look something like this:* Teacher/Coach/Counselor
* Principal/Athletic Director
* District Administrator (Assistant Superintendent or Director)
* Superintendent
* Board of Education
What do I need to do when I raise a concern? Keep these steps in mind as you get ready to share a concern.1. Contact the person closest to the problem or issue first.
2. Specifically state your concern or problem.
3. Provide suggestions or recommendations for resolution.
4. If you need to move on to someone else, keep track of whom you’ve previously approached, when you approached that person and his/her response. Click here for an outline to help you keep track.
5. Understand that if a concern is about a specific individual, it’s next to impossible to resolve without involving that person in the conversation.
6. Assume good will and be patient. Problems can’t always be solved as quickly as we’d like. However, the District will work as expediently as it can to address any issue or concern.
What should you expect after you raise a concern?* Your conversations will be treated with discretion.
* Your concern will be heard without fear of retribution.
* Your concern will be acknowledged within two to three working days.
* A formal response should take no longer than two weeks.
* If your issue cannot be resolved within a reasonable amount of them, the District will clearly outline a timeline for resolving your problem.