The Wasatch County School District Board of Education adopted a new policy Sept. 24 to address complaints outside of bullying and harassment.
Board President Kim Dickerson said there was previously no clear process.
“That is the one challenge that we as board members have, and we can now easily say we have an updated complaint policy and just refer straight to that,” she said.
The district already has a policy addressing bullying and discrimination based on protected classes, including race, sex, color, national origin and disability. It outlines how students and employees can report instances of bullying and harassment, as well as how incidents should be investigated.
But the district didn’t have a policy regarding more general complaints.
Board member Breanne Dedrickson said the new policy provides a path for staff, parents and students to resolve conflicts. It encourages them to resolve concerns at the lowest level possible by talking about the issue.
If that doesn’t help, the complaint can be referred to the person’s supervisor or submitted formally to the district.
“Now this is very clear,” Dedrickson said. “Handle it at the lowest level, but if you don't feel like you got redress, here are the steps to take to try and solve this issue.”
The policy also outlines an appeal process.
Superintendent or business administrator complaints must be filed with the school board.
