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P1312
Complaints Concerning School Personnel/Instructional Materials School Personnel Constructive criticism of the school is welcome through whatever medium when it is motivated by a sincere desire to improve the quality of the educational program and to equip the school to perform its task more effectively. The Board of Education places trust in its employees and desires to support their actions in such a manner that employees are freed from unnecessary, spiteful, or negative criticism and complaints. The administration shall establish procedures for handling complaints when they are received. Instructional Materials It is recognized that opinions differ concerning appropriateness of instructional materials. Occasionally an individual or group may find instructional materials used in the schools in conflict with their views. The administration shall establish procedures for handling any such complaints when they are received. Policy adopted: June 26, 1990 Revised: February 9, 1999 R1312
COMMUNITY RELATIONS Complaints Concerning School Personnel/Instructional Materials School Personnel It is the goal of the St. Louis Board of Education to provide a thorough and quick response to all citizens' complaints. The procedure consists of three steps that are designed to see that all complaints are resolved within thirty days. In the first step, a citizen lodges a complaint (by phone, letter, or in person) with the administrator in charge at a given school or office building. An informal conference with the responsible administrator is then scheduled within the next five days. If the complaint is not resolved at that point, the citizen may request a formal hearing by completing Section I of the Citizen Complaint Form. A formal hearing, including the citizen, any witnesses, and the administrator, must then be held within five days. The citizen is then notified of the decision in writing within the next five days. If the complaint remains unresolved, the original administrator to whom the complaint was made fills out Section II of the Citizen Complaint Form and forwards it to an assistant or associate superintendent, who then decides which top-level administrator should be next to address the complaint. If the solution to a problem exceeds the authority of the original administrator, an associate superintendent handles the complaint. If a complaint concerns a district wide administrative problem, it is referred to the superintendent, and when a complaint involves a policy of the Board of Education, it is referred to the complaint sub-committee of the school board. A formal hearing involving the appropriate central office administrator, the citizen, and any key witnesses must then take place no later than five days after the complaint is received. Instructional Materials The following procedures have been established to provide a system for receiving, considering, and acting upon written complaints regarding instructional materials used by the school district. All complaints must be presented in writing to the building principal and will include the name of the author, title, the publisher, and the objections by pages and items; or in cases of materials other than printed material, written information specifying the precise nature of the objection shall be given. The statement must be signed and identified in such a way that a proper reply will be possible. When a complaint is received by a principal, the principal will acknowledge the receipt of the complaint and answer any questions regarding procedure. The principal will then notify the assistant superintendent, director teaching/learning support, and the teachers involved. The director teaching/learning support will determine whether the complaint should be considered an individual request or if a curricular review committee should be activated to reevaluate the material. An individual student may be excused from using challenged materials after the parent or guardian has presented a written complaint. The teacher will then assign the student alternate materials of equal merit if available. The use of challenged materials by class, school, or district shall not be restricted until final disposition has been made by the appropriate review committee. In the deliberations on challenged materials, the review committee shall consider the educational philosophy of the school district, the goals and objectives of the particular subject matter curriculum, the professional opinions of the curriculum supervisors, other teachers of the same subject, and the objections of the complainant.
Revised: February 9, 1999 |
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