Governing Board

The philosophy of OPS is to resolve grievances with dialogue. The purpose of this policy is to establish a process for resolving public complaints when earnest dialogue alone is insufficient. Via this procedure, parents or other interested parties may raise grievances with school officials and see that such grievances are resolved promptly and equitably. This policy is not intended to replace informal discussion and resolution of grievances.

This policy applies to parents and other interested parties. Faculty and staff of OPS should adhere to the Grievance Solving Procedure set forth in the employee handbook.

The Aggrieved Party should first raise the grievance with the lowest-level interested member of the faculty or staff and seek to resolve the issue. The faculty or staff member may involve other, higher-level members of the school staff.

Only after the problem persists and cannot be solved at the OPS staff level may the Aggrieved Party appeal to the Executive Director. The Aggrieved Party may put the grievance in writing for clearer communication with the Executive Director, but is not obligated to do so.

During the academic year, the Executive Director shall resolve the grievance within five (5) working days unless the interested parties agree to extend the resolution process. During the summer recess, the Executive Director shall have a reasonable time to resolve the issue, but should not exceed twenty (20) working days. If the Executive Director successfully resolves the grievance, he/she may submit a written report of the resolution to all interested parties.

If the grievance is not satisfactorily resolved by the Executive Director or resolved within the time frame established, an Aggrieved Party may forward the grievance to the Secretary of the Board of Directors who shall place the matter on the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. At this point the grievance must be written, and should contain as much pertinent information as possible to enable identification and resolution of the grievance.

If more than one Aggrieved Party is involved, all parties should sign and date the written grievance. During the next board meeting the Aggrieved Party, if currently a parent or guardian of an enrolled student, will have the opportunity for comment and presentation of evidence. The Board may render a decision and resolution, or may choose to investigate the grievance further. If further investigation is necessary, the board will allocate reasonable time and resources to resolve the matter and send a written response to the Aggrieved Party within a reasonable time period not to exceed sixty (60) days. If the Aggrieved Party is not satisfied with the Board’s resolution or the Board does not timely address the grievance, the party may submit the grievance to the NC Office of Charter Schools.

The Board will address grievances related to alleged violations of board policy or charter compliance, as well as appeals of unresolved issues regarding administrative practices or educational issues. Aggrieved Parties may also bring to the Board a grievance related to alleged violations of charter school laws and regulations, or federal and state laws and regulations. Alternatively, such grievances may be initiated at the higher levels named in the sections below.

Any complaint directed to the Board must be submitted to the Chairperson of the Board or Secretary in writing with a detailed explanation of the problem and description of steps taken to date to resolve the issue. Written responses from any OPS staff involved in the issue also must be provided to the Board.

When school is in session, the Chairperson of the Board or appointee shall resolve the grievance within five (5) working days unless the interested parties agree to extend the resolution process. In this time the Board representative will interview the complainant and all involved parties and report the problem at the next Board meeting. During any school recess, the President of the Board shall have a reasonable time to resolve the issue, but should not exceed twenty (20) working days. If the Chairperson of the Board or appointee successfully resolves the grievance, he must submit a written report of the resolution to all interested parties.

If the problem remains unresolved, then during the next board meeting, where the problem is reported, the Aggrieved Party, if currently a parent or guardian of an enrolled student, will have the opportunity for comment and presentation of evidence. The Board may render a decision and resolution, or may choose to investigate the grievance further.

If further investigation is necessary, the board will allocate reasonable time and resources to resolve the matter and send a written response to the Aggrieved Party within a reasonable time period not to exceed sixty (60) days.

If the Aggrieved Party is not satisfied with the Board’s resolution, the party may appeal the grievance to the NC Office of Charter Schools.