HS principals

[Anonymous]

Forward the email you sent to the Principal, to the grade level AP indicating that per their instructions you have reached out to the Principal but have not heard back and the Administrative Secretary refused to let you leave a voicemail. Request that the AP or the Principal respond letting you know how to go about whatever it is you need help with, preferable by x date.

If you don’t get a response within 48hrs, forward it to the District Supervisor for that school with everyone else copied. Be sure to include language like “Disappointingly I’ve been unable to handle this at the school level despite several attempts.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to start looking at this less as a matter of customer service and more as working a large bureaucracy.

So, what about asking the grade level administrator to forward your message with a note saying they had already suggested you speak directly to the principal?

Work the chain rather than making demands, and I think you will get a better response.

Disagree. In MCPS, the only way to get a response is to be the squeaky wheel. OP will get a response from the principal when the principal feels they have to respond, and that will be when OP brings in the principal's Director.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to start looking at this less as a matter of customer service and more as working a large bureaucracy.

So, what about asking the grade level administrator to forward your message with a note saying they had already suggested you speak directly to the principal?

Work the chain rather than making demands, and I think you will get a better response.

Disagree. In MCPS, the only way to get a response is to be the squeaky wheel. OP will get a response from the principal when the principal feels they have to respond, and that will be when OP brings in the principal's Director.

It is unfortunate that some bad experiences with some schools cause people to think this way. When parents "come in hot out the gate" like this because they feel this is the only way to address a problem, it causes responsive school administrators and teachers to feel very disrespected as ANY professional would feel. I think people take the term public servant and focus more on the word servant an treat administrators/teachers as servants that they can order around.

In original poster's scenario, yes they may need to go higher but please, dear readers, don't start off interactions with achool staff this way. That's all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP. Our PTA never advertises meeting to school community. It seems only the loquacious PTA Exec Board meet with principal.

ES PTA Meetings: 1st Tuesday of the month
MS PTA Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of the month
HS PTA Meetings: 3rd Tuesday of the month

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to start looking at this less as a matter of customer service and more as working a large bureaucracy.

So, what about asking the grade level administrator to forward your message with a note saying they had already suggested you speak directly to the principal?

Work the chain rather than making demands, and I think you will get a better response.

Disagree. In MCPS, the only way to get a response is to be the squeaky wheel. OP will get a response from the principal when the principal feels they have to respond, and that will be when OP brings in the principal's Director.

It is unfortunate that some bad experiences with some schools cause people to think this way. When parents "come in hot out the gate" like this because they feel this is the only way to address a problem, it causes responsive school administrators and teachers to feel very disrespected as ANY professional would feel. I think people take the term public servant and focus more on the word servant an treat administrators/teachers as servants that they can order around.

In original poster's scenario, yes they may need to go higher but please, dear readers, don't start off interactions with achool staff this way. That's all!

PP you are responding to. I never start out this way. But after I am repeatedly ignored, this is what I do because I feel I have no choice, and it's the only thing that works to get a response. I would love to be reaching out to a responsive administrator, but administrators who aren't should not be surprised when parents go above their heads.