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Conflict Resolution
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Best practices for reporting concerns at school
During the school year, issues and/or concerns may develop for families, students or third parties relating to any number of issues, including their students’ schools or classrooms. It is best practice to attempt to resolve issues at the school level first, beginning with the classroom teacher. Below is the order in which issues may be escalated (including for special education). Our family engagement and special education family engagement liaisons can help support families through this process.
Steps to Resolution
- The classroom teacher
èßäapp¹ÙÍø believes that the best and most effective method for resolving conflicts is by starting with the classroom teacher first. - The Principal and/or School Administrator
If contacting your teacher doesn’t resolve the issue, it is recommended that families contact their principal or school administrator next. - The Principal Supervisor (Area Senior Director)
These positions are called Area Senior Directors and are organized by high school catchment enrollment area. The list of Area Senior Directors and schools they manage can be found on the webpage for Office of School Performance. - The Regional Superintendent
Three Regional Superintendents supervise Area Senior Directors and their teams are listed in the staff link provided above. If your issue is not resolved by working with the Area Senior Director you can contact the Regional Superintendent, listed on the webpage for Office of School Performance. - File a Complaint with èßäapp¹ÙÍø
You may also file a complaint directly with the District using the Unified Complaint Form. More information below.
- The classroom teacher
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Resources & Special Considerations
Family Engagement Liaisons
èßäapp¹ÙÍø makes available Family Engagement Liaisons in order to help with resolution of issues. Liaisons may assist families in the resolution of issues, including meeting with school staff, and addressing classroom concerns. For more information about Family Engagement Liaisons, please contact: Jeff Wiser.
Special Education concerns
Concerns about special education services may also be addressed first by contacting the student’s case manager and then to the Program Administrator. Family Engagement Liaison Noel Sisk can assist families through this process.
Discrimination complaints
Any èßäapp¹ÙÍø employee, student, parent, community member, concerned citizen, or other individual may file a complaint of discrimination. Please see the options below for how to report a complaint of discrimination.
- Report to èßäapp¹ÙÍø using the Unified Complaint Form.
- Complaints about discrimination may be reported directly to .
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Unified Complaint Form
èßäapp¹ÙÍø recommends the escalation of complaints as shown on this page under "Best practices for reporting concerns at school." The District also offers the use of the Unified Complaint Form in order for community members to submit complaints.
èßäapp¹ÙÍø Online
Unified Complaint FormHow are complaints handled by èßäapp¹ÙÍø?
As part of the complaint process, the person assigned to investigate (which may be the School Compliance Officer, school or district administrator) will ask all involved parties questions about what happened in order to understand and, when possible, try to resolve the matter. Once the investigator has concluded their fact finding, having gathered all the relevant information about what occurred, the investigator will provide a written response of findings. Unless a particular process has a different timeline, a final decision will be provided no later than 60 days from the initial complaint. Complaints may be filed at any time and may be filed by using the Unified Complaint form, emailing or calling the Complaint Coordinator at (971) 346-6372. Complaints of sexual harassment or discrimination may also call the Title IX Director at (503) 586-2646.
Types of Complaints
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Discrimination or Bias
Discrimination based on sex
- Resources:
èßäapp¹ÙÍø Title IX website
èßäapp¹ÙÍø Administrative Directive 4.30.063-AD Title IX Student to Student Sex-Based Discrimination and Harassment - Contact:
Liane O'Banion
Discrimination based on race, color, or national origin
- Resources:
èßäapp¹ÙÍø Racial Equity and Social Justice webpage - Response to Hate Speech
èßäapp¹ÙÍø Administrative Directive 4.30.071-AD Anti-Racist & Anti-Oppression Learning Communities Bias Incident Complaint Procedure - Contact:
Eddie Reyes
Discrimination based upon disability (Section 504 and ADA)
- Procedure:
All complaints of noncompliance with the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 will go to the 504 Coordinator for the District for investigation. The Coordinator will convene a meeting within 15 days of receipt of the complaint, if appropriate, and will provide a response to the complainant within 30 days of the original complaint. Complainant not satisfied with this response may file an appeal to the Superintendent or their designee within 5 days. The Superintendent or their designee will meet with the parties, if appropriate, and then respond to the appeal within 10 days. Complainants not satisfied with the decision may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights or file a due process hearing request with the Oregon Department of Education. - Resources:
èßäapp¹ÙÍø Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act: A Guide for Parents and Teachers - Contacts:
For 504 complaints Katie Loewen
For ADA complaints Jey Buno
- Resources:
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Workplace Harassment
- Contact:
hronline@pps.net
- Contact:
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Enrollment and Transfer
- Contact:
Judy Brennan
- Contact:
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Educational Records
- Resources:
- Contact:
Dr. Jon Franco
- Resources:
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Division 22: Formal Complaint
Formal complaints include those about instructional standards and practices (class size, curriculum, etc.)., special education programs (but not individual complaints), health and safety, equitable education opportunities, sports safety, restraint and/or seclusion, bias or discrimination in education, retaliation against a student or parent/guardian, and failure to investigate complaints of bias or other complaints not covered by a separate process listed on this site.
If a complainant is not satisfied after exhausting local complaint procedures, the District fails to render a written decision within 30 days of submission of the complaint at any step or fails to resolve the complaint within 60 days of the initial filing of the complaint, they may appeal the District’s final decision to the Oregon Department of Education. An appeal must meet the criteria found in OAR 581-002-0005(1)(a).
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Note: Decisions about employment or discipline of employees is not part of the formal complaint process; èßäapp¹ÙÍø is often prohibited from disclosing specific information about disciplinary action taken against an employee involved in the complaint.
Types of Formal Complains
èßäapp¹ÙÍø Complain Policy 4.50.030-P
- Instructional standards and practices
- Curriculum
- Teaching strategies
- Testing Counseling
- Class size
- Alternative education programs
- Instructional materials
- Compliance with state standards
- Special education
- Health and safety
- Equitable education opportunities
- Sports safety
- Restraint and/or seclusion
- Bias or discrimination in education
- Retaliation against a student or parent/guardian
- Failure to investigate complaints of bias
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Special Education
Complaints concerning an individual student’s special education services should go directly to the .