As I near the last quarter of my first year as the Superintendent of the Lincoln County School District I have realized that many of the community members in this county are unaware of how to voice their concerns. I wanted to take a moment to outline the process publicly so members can act accordingly if there is an issue that has not been resolved at a building level. Many issues can be resolved properly at the building level, but not all.
The policy is outlined on our website and can be found in a couple of ways. 1) The link is on the footer of each page: Public Complaints, or 2) use the Contact Us section and click on the Public Comment section for Public Complaint Procedure.
The procedure is as follows:
Public Complaint Procedure Initiating a Concern: Step One Any member of the public who wishes to express a concern should discuss the matter with the school employee involved. The employee shall respond within 5 working days.
The Building Principal/Site Supervisor: Step Two If the individual is unable to resolve a problem or concern with the employee, the individual may file a written, signed complaint with the building principal/site supervisor. The principal/site supervisor shall evaluate the complaint and render a written decision within 10 working days after receiving the complaint.
The Superintendent or Designee: Step Three If Step 2 does not resolve the complaint, within 5 working days of the decision from the principal, the complainant, if he/she wishes to pursue the action, shall file a signed, written complaint with the superintendent or designee clearly stating the nature of the complaint and a suggested remedy. A form is available, but is not required. The superintendent or designee shall investigate the complaint, confer with the complainant and the parties involved and prepare a report of his/her findings and conclusion and provide the report in writing to the complainant within 10 working days after receiving the complaint.
The Board Chair: Step Four If the complainant is dissatisfied with the superintendent or designee’s findings and conclusion, the complainant may appeal the decision to the Board chair in writing within 5 working days of receiving the superintendent or designee’s decision. The Board chair, on behalf of the School Board, will review the complainant’s appeal, the superintendent’s or designee’s findings and conclusion, and any other evidence deemed appropriate before rendering a written or electronic decision within 10 working days after receiving the appeal. The Board may review the record in executive session if the subject matter qualifies under Oregon law. The Board chair’s decision will address each allegation in the complaint and contain reasons for the district’s decision. The Board chair’s decision will be final. The complaint procedure set out above will not be longer than 90 days from the filing date of the original
Look to the website www.lincoln.k12.or.us for more elaboration on the process and for the related policies KL Public Complaints, KL-AR (1) – Public Complaint Procedure and KL-AR (2) – Appeal to the Deputy Superintendent of Instruction.
I share this information not to increase complaints, but to emphasize that there is a process and we are here to support families and want to know about anything that we can do better.
Thank you for allowing us to share this information.
Dr. Karen Gray, Superintendent of Lincoln County School District
