Jerome Joint School District No. 261

PERSONNEL 5250

Certified Staff Complaints And Grievances

It is the Board’s desire that procedures for settling certified staff  grievances be an orderly process within which solutions may be pursued. Further, that the procedures provide prompt and equitable resolution at the lowest possible administrative level.  Additionally, it is the Board’s desire that each certified employee be assured an opportunity for orderly presentation and review of grievances without fear of reprisal.

Grievance Definition

A grievance pursuant to this policy shall be a written allegation of a violation of Board approved District policies or a written allegation of a violation of the Master Agreement between the District and the teachers’ association.

Grievance Procedure

The District will first review the collective bargaining agreement for any applicable grievance procedures. If such a provision exists, such procedures shall govern the resolution of certificated staff grievances.

A staff member with a grievance is encouraged to first discuss it with their immediate supervisor, with the objective of resolving the matter promptly and informally. An exception is that complaints of sexual harassment should be addressed according to Policy 3085 and Procedure 3085P, and violation of any other protected status should be discussed with the first line administrator that is not involved in the alleged grievance. This attempt at informal resolution is not a required component of the grievance policy but is suggested in an effort to attempt to resolve disputes informally.

If the grievance is not resolved informally, and the grievant wishes to continue to seek to address the grievance, the grievant shall file the written grievance with their immediate building principal. The written grievance shall state:

1. The policy or provision of the Master Agreement the employee believes was violated;

2. The alleged date of violation;

3. The actor involved in the alleged violation; and

4. The remedy requested by the employee.

The written grievance must be filed with the immediate building principal within ten working days of the date of the initial event allegedly giving rise to the grievance. 

The immediate building principal or designee of the building principal shall meet with the grievant and shall, at the discretion of the principal or designee, conduct whatever additional meetings or investigative activities the principal or designee believes are necessary to address the grievance. 

Subsequent to these activities and within a period of ten working days, the principal shall provide the grievant with a written response to the grievance of the certificated employee. 

If the grievant is not satisfied with the decision of the principal or designee, the individual shall have a period of five working days to advance the grievance to the Superintendent by submitting a written objection to the decision with the Superintendent. 

If the principal or designee does not provide a written response to the grievance at the conclusion of ten working days and no extension of this time period has been agreed to between the grievant and principal or designee, the grievance shall be advanced to the Superintendent without written response of the principal or designee. 

Upon receipt by the Superintendent, the Superintendent or his or her designee shall schedule a meeting between the parties and the principal. The parties shall be afforded the opportunity to either dispute or concur with the principal’s report. The Superintendent or designee shall, within a period of 15 working days, decide the matter notifying all the parties in writing of the decision. The decision of the Superintendent or designee shall be controlling, regardless of whether it is in agreement or in disagreement with the decision of the principal.

If either party is not satisfied with the decision of the Superintendent, the Board is the next avenue for appeal. A written appeal must be submitted to the Board within five days of receiving the Superintendent’s decision. The Board is the policy-making body of the District, however, and appeals to that level must be based solely on whether or not policy has been followed. Any individual appealing a decision of the Superintendent to the Board bears the burden of proving a failure to follow Board policy.

Upon receipt of a written appeal of the decision of the Superintendent, and assuming the individual alleges a failure to follow Board policy, the matter shall be placed on the agenda of the Board for consideration not later than their next regularly scheduled meeting. A decision shall be made and reported in writing to all parties within 30 days of that meeting. The decision of the Board will be final. 

Grievances will be processed according to the step-by-step process outlined in the Uniform Grievance Procedure 4120, however, in the case where a person designated to hear a grievance is the subject of the grievance, the grievance process will begin at the next highest step and the process shall be modified as needed to meet the objectives of the Grievance Procedure.  If a grievance is directly based on official Board action, the grievance shall be directed to the Clerk of the Board.  The grievance may be heard by the Board at the sole discretion of the Board.  

Cross Reference: Description:

3085 Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Policy

3085-P(1) Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Policy-Title IX Sexual Harrassment Grievance Procedure, Requirements, and Definitions

3085-F(1) Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Policy-Notice of Investigation & Allegation Template

3085-F(2) Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Policy-Reporting Form for Students

4110 Public Complaints

5120 Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination

5230 Accommodating Individuals with Disabilities

5395 Whistleblowing

Policy History:

Adopted on: 03/25/2008

Revised on: 08/26/2025