How to Contact Superintendent

Since you have a doctor's note and the school is not complying you may be able to get the abscences excused (it's the principal's fault). Contact the district office and have them put you in contact w/ the appropriate Superintendent for you child's school.

I'd use the general phone number off of the website - the operator should be able to get you the number of the area superintendent. Phone: ###-###-####

I am an educator in Dallas and here, the absences would definitely be unexcused. Unless you think she is in imminent danger (beat up by classmates.. etc) I would continue sending her to school. If you dont send her to school, the school could file a CPS report on you and/or your daughter could be charged with truancy.

I am guessing from your post that you are having some sort of major conflict with the classroom teacher. Send your daughter to school while you are getting this worked out. I would use it as a life lesson - lots of times you have to work for or with someone you dont like or think is doing a bad job, but you still have to do your work or you will not be able to pay your bills. You can find another job, or make the best of the one you have, but you still have to go to work.

Good luck getting this situation resolved!

principals don't and can't switch teachers every time a student has a problem with one. learning how to deal with folks we don't gel with is an important life lesson.
yes, your daughter's absences will be unexcused.
since you've got her home now and you don't like your school, you should consider just going ahead and homeschooling. it's not what i would consider a 'good' reason to homeschool, but it beats what you're doing now.
khairete
S.

I just took a minute to scan your previous postings. I have to say that you haven't really made a case for switching the teacher, aside from saying that you think the teacher is mean and too strict. You also haven't said what you have already tried to do, so it's difficult to respond to this one.

Having said that, for most schools class lists are NOT arbitrary. Teachers spend weeks placing children in a deliberate manner so that each class is balanced and each child is challenged and supported. You say you spoke with the principal, but if you went in angry and making accusations without any real documentation of episodes, there is no grounds for changing teachers. A doctor's note (especially a pediatrician) will not carry weight b/c there is no way to prove that the medical conditions are being caused by the teacher. You may be better suited with a psychologist's evaluation.

Also keep in mind that classes have state-imposed caps. There is a really good chance that if the principal moves your daughter, she would have to move another child as well. In order to do so, that other child's parent would need to agree. Considering the fact that you are more than half-way through the school year, I highly doubt that will happen.

If you really feel that you need to speak with someone above the principal, ask the principal who that person is and ask for the contact information. I would suggest that you write a well-written letter that outlines your EXACT concerns using brief and non-accusatory language. Copy both the principal and the classroom teacher on all correspondence and keep a copy for yourself. Don't send a novel b/c what you really want is a meeting. Short, sweet and to-the-point with a request for a meeting within a week to review your concerns.

You are electing to keep your daughter home from school when she is capable of being there, so her absences are unexcused. There is no reason for her to be home and quite truthfully you are likely making the situation worse by doing so. I have worked with many children and families who want a "teacher change" when there is a conflict, but in life there are conflicts. I have historically seen more success when the parent and teacher work with the child to identify the specific problems and address them. Changing teachers may not be the solution here and you may find yourself in the exact same spot in the next few years.

You could try contacting the central office:
http://www.wcpss.net/contact.html

You could try the ask WCPSS page:
http://www.wcpss.net/ask/

You could try contacting the board of education:http://www.wcpss.net/Board/boeinfo.html

Here & is the Parent & Student Resource Center Page:
http://www.wcpss.net/parents_students.html

Should be in your phone book under the local government section at the beginning of the book.

Just call the Supt's office, Leslie found the phone number.
If she is absent for more than 15 days in a school year they will count her as truant.
If she is home with you why not take her out for the rest of the year and homeschool her. IN NC it is very easy, send notice to the NC dept of Non public eduction, send a copy of your hs transcripts or college and your covered.
THey will send you a card. YOu do have to test in MAy. We just used the CA Star Tests.
I had to go to the VA Supt last time we lived here and they actually gave me the choice of some of the the other schools in the district.

Hi Corina,

I would say that believing your child should be in a different class and keeping her out of school will NOT be an excused absence. Additionally, you have a great opportunity to teach your child how to develop skills that her teacher WANTS to see, even in the face of adversity. what a life skill gift you will be giving your daughter.

However, here is some info that might help.....If you go to the wake county website and look in the handbook the contact info is in a couple different places. You have to know what district you are in and you can contact that person directly - it's on the 2nd page of the pdf that pulls up.

http://www.wcpss.net/parent-handbooks/10-11-parent-handbo...

However, the # for the Interim General Superintendent is ###-###-#### and was on page 4 of the pdf. If you call that # they will be able to tell you who to call based off the school that your daughter currently attends.

Additionally, on page 31 of the pdf (listed as 25 in the actual document) - you will find the steps to file a grievance, or appeal a decision. You need to get the decision that your daughter can't change teachers in writing from the pricincipal. You only have 5 days to contact the superintendant to file. Here is the process.

6520.2 Step I—Principal Conference—A student, parent, or guardian wishing to invoke the grievance procedure shall make a written request for a conference with the principal to discuss the grievance and seek resolution.
The request shall detail the basis for the grievance, name the specific policy, rule, or law believed to have been violated, and specify the relief being sought. The following additional guidelines shall be observed in
Step I.
A. No grievance shall be heard unless it has been filed in writing within thirty (30) calendar days after the act or condition giving rise to the grievance and states with particularity the basis for the grievance, the policy, regulation and procedure, rule or law believed to have been violated, and the remedy being sought.
B. The principal shall grant the conference within five (5) school days following receipt of the request. The principal will state in writing his/her position on the question to the student or parent within five (5) school days following the conference.
C. Only the parent, guardian, or someone acting in loco parentis shall be permitted to join or represent the student in the conference with the principal.

6520.3 Step II—Appeal to the Superintendent—If the grievance is not resolved at Step I, the student, parent, or guardian may appeal the principal's decision in writing to the superintendent. The appeal must be made within five (5) school days following receipt of the principal's written response in “B” of Step I. The superintendent or his/her designee shall review the grievance within five (5) school days following receipt of the appeal. If the superintendent or his/her designee determines that additional time is needed to develop the factual record, the grievance may be put on hold for fifteen (15) additional days (or longer if by mutual agreement) to allow time for investigation. A written response shall be made to the student, parent, guardian, and principal from the superintendent or his/her designee within ten (10) school days following the review.

6520.4 Step III—Appeal to Board of Education— If the grievance is not resolved at Step II, and it involves an alleged violation of state or local board policy or state or federal law or state rule by a final administrative
decision, it may be appealed in writing to the board of education. This written appeal must be made within ten (10) school days following the written response from the superintendent at Step II. The board’s consideration of these appeals will take place in closed session and will be limited to the written record unless the board determines that additional information is necessary. The board may affirm, reverse, or modify the decision of the Superintendent. The Level Two decision will be reversed if the board determines that there has been a material violation of board policy or state or federal law or regulation, or that the decision is unsupported by substantial evidence in view of the entire record as submitted. The board shall offer a final written decision within thirty (30) days.