When an adult member of our school community (parent, teacher, staff, volunteer, etc.) has a concern regarding any aspect of the school, the following steps should be taken to address these concerns: 

 

Step 1 

Approach the adult party or parties directly involved to discuss the concern in a private conversation. For example, a parent concerned about classroom issues should make an appointment with the class teacher as a first step to addressing the issue. If you are not comfortable speaking directly to the other party, please skip to step two. 

 

Step 2  

If you do not feel there is a resolution to your concern following your conversation with the other party (or if you have skipped Step 1), please schedule a meeting to speak to the Education Director (for issues related to teaching and learning) or the Head of School (for issues related to school operations) about your concern. Your concerns are important to the school, and we are committed to a timely resolution. A meeting by appointment is preferable and can be scheduled over phone or email. If your concern involves the Head of School, the Education Director is designated to act in place of the Head of School throughout the process described below. 

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Step 3

If the issue is not resolved following the actions of the Education Director, the Head of School will listen to your concerns and complete the Communications Protocol Form during that meeting to record a summary of the issue, the steps taken to date to address the issue (if any), and the desired outcome. The Head of School will also discuss with you the level of confidentiality you require regarding the concerns you are bringing (e.g., do you wish to remain anonymous) and will outline the limitations, if any, that your wishes regarding confidentiality may place on the ability to follow through with resolving the issue. 

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Step 4

After the meeting with the Head of School, they will investigate and within 24-48 hours after the meeting will provide a response. If no immediate resolution is possible, you will be notified of the course of action planned and a timeline for pursuing resolution of the concern. It is the duty of the Head of School to keep you informed throughout the process and to facilitate as quick a resolution to your concern as possible. 

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Step 5

Depending on the nature of your concern, the Head of School may refer the issue to the individual, committee, or authority best suited to resolve the issue in a timely manner (e.g., the Human Resources Committee for staff interpersonal conflicts; the Care Coordinating Committee for pedagogical issues; the Sunrise Education Society Board of Directors for business-related concerns; etc.). For concerns directly involving the Head of School, the Sunrise Educational Society Board of Directors will be notified).

It is the responsibility of the Head of School to make this determination and to ensure that the body the issue is referred to acts in a timely manner. The Head of School is also responsible for ensuring that any parties with a conflict of interest are not involved in considering or influencing a resolution to the issue. The body that the issue has been referred to will follow procedures mandated by school policies to resolve concerns. The Head of School will ensure that the procedures to be followed are explained to you fully.

 

Step 6 Appeal Process 

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1. Requests for appeal may be directed in writing to the Vice President of the Sunrise Educational Society within 7 days of notification of the decision that is being appealed.  

2. The Vice President of the Sunrise Educational Society will then form an ad hoc committee consisting of two Board members (one being the VP) and one or two Faculty members. Potential Appeal Committee members should not have had influence or bias toward the original decision. The Vice President of the Society will chair the Appeal Committee and has discretion as to its make-up and structure. 

3. The Appeal Committee will meet within 5 working days of the request for appeal to decide whether to hear the appeal. If the committee decides to hear the appeal, the appeal process must be completed (including communication) within 21 days of the appeal request.