Tillery Grievance Policies:

Staff:

Situations may occur where an employee believes that the fair and consistent application of a policy that affects him or her has not been followed.  If this occurs, the staff member may initiate a formal grievance.

Definition of a grievance: a grievance is defined as a formal written complaint by an employee stating that a specific action has violated a School policy, board policy, or law/regulation.  Complaints that do not raise an alleged violation of School policy, board policy, or law/regulation do not raise grievance issues and are not subject to these procedures.  In addition, a grievance does not include: the non-renewal or termination of employment, disagreements on day-to-day operation issues, employee discipline, or employee reviews.  And, a grievance does not include a complaint of sexual harassment, discrimination or retaliation, which shall be handled pursuant to the Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Harassment policy in the employee handbook and consistent with state or federal laws.

The first step in the grievance process is for the employee to speak to his or her immediate supervisor about the problem/concern.  If the issue is not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction, a written grievance may be submitted to the principal or personnel committee of the Board of Directors (if the grievance involves the principal.) The written grievance should be submitted no longer than 30 days after the disclosure or discovery of the facts giving rise to the grievance.  The written grievance should clearly outline the problem and what remedy or solution the employee is requesting. A meeting will take place at a mutually agreed-upon time within 5 school days after receipt of the grievance.  The principal or personnel committee of the Board of Directors (if the grievance involves the principal) shall provide the aggrieved employee with a response to the grievance within 10 school days after the meeting.  If the principal/ personnel committee of the Board of Directors (if the grievance involves the principal) does not resolve the issue to the employee’s satisfaction, then the employee may appeal to the personnel committee of the Board of Directors within 5 school days of receipt of the response.  The personnel committee of the Board of Directors shall arrange a meeting with the employee within 5 school days of receipt of the appeal.  The personnel committee of the Board of Directors shall conduct any investigation necessary before arriving at a decision and shall provide the aggrieved employee with a written decision within 10 school days after the meeting.  If the personnel committee of the Board of Directors does not resolve the issue, the employee may submit a written request for a hearing before the full Board of Directors within 5 school days of receipt of the personnel committee’s written decision.  The decision by the Board of Directors will be final and will be provided in writing within 30 school days of receiving the appeal.

Parents:

Issues that are not dealt with directly can become destructive to the school community and, therefore, detrimental to the learning process of our students. As adults, we must model for our students a willingness to address conflict directly.

If the parent of a child attending the Academy wishes to file a grievance with the school, the board encourages the following steps:

• The parent must first take the issue to the staff/board member with whom the parent or student has an issue. The board encourages dialog to resolve the issue.

Definition of a grievance: a grievance is defined as a formal written complaint by a parent/student stating that a specific action has violated a School policy, board policy, or law/regulation.  Complaints that do not raise an alleged violation of School policy, board policy, or law/regulation do not raise grievance issues and are not subject to these procedures.  In addition, a grievance does not include: the non-renewal or termination of employment, disagreements on day-to-day operation issues, employee discipline, or employee reviews.  And, a grievance does not include a complaint of sexual harassment, discrimination or retaliation, which shall be handled pursuant to the Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Harassment policy in the employee handbook and consistent with state or federal laws.

• If the issue is not resolved, a formal, written grievance must be submitted to the principal of the Academy, even if the grievance is with the principal, no later than 30 school days after disclosure or discovery of the facts giving rise to the grievance. The written grievance should clearly outline the problem and what remedy or solution the parent is requesting.  The principal shall schedule a meeting with the parent within 5 school days of receiving the written grievance.  The principal shall provide a written response to the written grievance within  5 school days of the grievance.  The response will include the principal’s decision regarding the resolution of the grievance and the basis for the decision. In responding, the principal may not disclose information about other students or employees that is considered confidential by law.
• If the parent is not satisfied with the principal’s decision, the grievant may appeal the decision to the Board of Directors.  The appeal must be made in writing within 5 school days of receiving the principal’s decision.  The Board of Directors shall provide a written response to the parent and principal within 10 school days of receiving the appeal and schedule a hearing. At the hearing, the parent and/ or their representative will be given a chance to present the grievance. The Board of Directors will not address a grievance unless it is a formal written grievance as defined below:

• • describe the incident, decision or practice that gave rise to the complaint
  • describe what conflict resolution strategies were attempted 
  • explain what corrective action is being requested

The board will provide a final written decision within 30 school days of receiving the appeal unless further investigation is necessary or the hearing necessitates that more time be taken to respond.