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Guidelines for Parent & Student Communications to Teachers & Staff

Communication with the school is a large component of a student’s education and continual improvement of our instructional practices. We encourage students to be self-advocates during their high school years. Below is a general guide for effective communication involving emails,  phone calls, and face-to-face meetings.

In order to ensure a successful exchange of information, it is important that all parties follow a few key principles:

Maintain Respectful and Open Communication

  • Always use a respectful and polite tone. Request, don’t demand.
  • Be ready not just to provide information, but to listen to teacher/staff observations and perspectives.
  • Enter the exchange with an open mind and assume best intentions.
  • Be prepared to work collaboratively to solve problems.

Confidentiality

  • Recognize that confidentiality may limit information that can be shared, including consequences for other students’ behaviors.

Time to Respond to Communications

  • Teachers will make every effort to respond as soon as possible to parent communications, with the understanding that the teaching day sometimes precludes immediate responses.
  • Teachers and staff may need some time to collect needed information before responding.

Whom to Contact

  • Most communications of academic concerns should be directed first to the teacher.  Non-academic concerns should be directed to the appropriate counselor or Assistant Principal.
  • If you have communicated with the teacher and the issue has not been addressed to your satisfaction, then contact your Assistant Principal.

Please recognize that it is both the policy and the value of our district that we operate with openness, collaboration and the shared best interest for every student.