Skip to main content
Main Menu Toggle
Policies » GVA DC Grievance Policy

GVA DC Grievance Policy

GVA Douglas County values open and proactive communication between the school community members, including parents, students, faculty, staff, administration, and the Board. Issues not dealt with directly can become destructive to the school community and detrimental to our students' learning process. As adults, we must model a willingness to address conflict directly for our students. GVA’s procedures for settling differences are designed to support prompt and equitable resolution of disagreements at the lowest possible level.

  1. Address the issue with those directly involved. 
  • The grievant brings the situation or concern to the attention of those directly involved. If a parent or student has a concern, they must begin a dialogue with the classroom teacher or administrator with whom the conflict exists. 
  • Should a parent or student fail to begin the process with those directly involved and instead come directly to the principal, the principal will redirect the person to address the issue directly with those involved. 
  1. Address the issue with the appropriate administrator. 
  • If a satisfactory resolution is not reached after a direct conversation between the conflicted parties, the situation must be brought to the attention of the supervising administrator. The supervising administrator and the conflicted parties will address the situation and develop goals for conflict resolution. 
  • The administrator will monitor this process until a resolution is realized. 
  1. Submit a written grievance to the principal.
  • This written grievance should: 
    • 1) describe the incident, decision, or practice that gave rise to the complaint; 
    • 2) cite the policy or procedure that has been violated and/or rationale for concern; 
    • 3) describe what conflict resolution strategies were attempted via steps one and two and 
    • 4) explain what corrective action is being requested. 
    • All grievances, including those about the principal, must follow step three.
    • If the grievance is about the principal, the written grievance should be submitted to the Board President or Board Secretary.
  • It is the principal’s responsibility to manage the ultimate resolution of conflicts between parents, students, staff, and administrators, except those that pertain to the principal himself/herself or to the principal’s execution of a school-wide policy or procedure. 
  • Should a grievant feel that they were not treated equitably or that the concern did not receive the attention it deserved throughout the grievance process, the grievant is free to submit a new grievance about the principal’s dealings with the grievance procedure to the Board of Directors specifically the Board President at [email protected] or Board Secretary at [email protected].
  1. Provide written grievance to the Board of Directors 
  • The written grievance should be delivered to the Board President or Board Secretary at least one week prior to the next scheduled Board meeting.
  • The Board President or Board Secretary will review with the individual the above process and ensure that the proper steps were taken before adding the issue to a meeting agenda. The Board will discuss the grievance in executive session.
  • The Board will not hear matters that do not follow this grievance process. 
  1. If the grievance is not resolved satisfactorily once brought to the Board’s attention, the grievant can address the concern with the Executive Director of GVAC.

It is essential to the integrity of our school that grievances be handled in an informed, direct, fair, and equitable manner. Any concern or grievance must be examined through the lens of the school's mission. 


Updated 4/10/24