What should I do if my child comes home and is unhappy or upset about something that happened at school?

The Kentwood program encourages students to follow the CHAIN OF COMMAND by doing the following.

The student should discuss problems with their home base teacher. Students are given opportunities to discuss any issue that is troubling them, at home base periods being the first and last periods each day. Students are advised that if their home base teacher does not address their concerns, they are to speak to the counselor in the Central Processing Unit. If still not resolved, they can speak to the Principal and as a last resort, the Administrator. If there is still no satisfaction it is time to get the parents involved. At Kentwood, we emphasize problem solving and aspire to teach the students to problem solve and deal with issues and problems in a responsible and mature manner. Many of our students come to us having trained their parents to problem solve for them. Understandably, the parents' first response is to jump to the defense of their children. Many new students and their families are not aware of our methods for problem solving and resolving conflicts. It is very common for new students to return home with stories and descriptions of events that have occurred at school, which may on the surface appear to be unfair and/or upsetting. Many new students to Kentwood have spent many years splitting between school and home or between parents, step-parents, and other family members. (Splitting is when the child goes from one person to another until they get the answer or result they want). Success in our program is predicated upon good communication and trust between parents and the school The objective of this procedure is to teach children how to handle problems on their own without involving their parents in every incident. This does not mean keeping anything secret. They are encouraged to tell their parents about such incidents and how they intend to handle them. However, if this procedure is not working for any reason, parents are encouraged, in their capacity as members of their child's treatment team, to visit the school and help us process this issue with their child.