Sometimes our children face difficult problems or situations at school which they are unable to cope. It could be a problem with a teacher, bullying, or a rule that seems unfair.
Parents find these difficult issues to deal with, feel intimidated by school officials or fear if we speak out our child might suffer. We feel frustrated because we’re not sure how to support our children in these situations, yet know we should.
You’re not alone…..we can help……..
The Kootenay Lake District Parents’ Advisory Council (DPAC) is proud to help parents’ and students’ to be heard and problem solve in a positive way, as well as ensure children and youth are treated fairly with dignity and respect, allowed to express their views, and participate in decisions that affect them.
Kootenay Lake school district parents can contact DPAC, free of charge, for information and support about who to approach with a problem and how best to try to resolve it. Contact our volunteer parent advocates via email – the link is at the end of this section.
All correspondence is completely confidential.
Our volunteer Advocates are available to assist you by:
- listening to your concerns
- suggesting resources and information
- suggesting options for resolution
- helping you to develop a plan for addressing the concerns
- helping you to improve your skills so you can be more effective advocate for you child
- attend meetings with you and your child for support
And can help you problem solve by:
- directing you to who you should talk to
- informing you of what school district policies relate to your concerns
- explaining how the school system works
- informing you of your educational rights and responsibilities
- informing you of what options are available for addressing your concerns
- helping you effectively communicate to resolve a concern at the school
- informing of who to contact if the system doesn’t work for you or your child
The goal of Advocacy is to ensure the issue at hand is addressed, by helping parents and students to:
- be heard
- receive fair treatment on the basis of law, policy, or procedure, and
- understand the decision made
The Kootenay Lake DPAC believes:
- You are your child’s best natural advocate
- You can make sure your child’s rights, needs and opinions are respected
- You can make sure that decisions affecting your child are made fairly
- You can be your child’s best advocate because no one knows your situation like you do
“Students and parents who learn to advocate for themselves gain an understanding of their rights and responsibilities. They develop the courage to stand up for themselves and know how to approach problem solving in an appropriate way.” From Speaking Up!, A parent’s guide to advocating for students in public schools
Contact our volunteer parent advocates via email. All correspondence is completely confidential.
You can contact us here. (note: if clicking on this link does not open up your email, try right clicking on the highlighted text and choosing ‘copy email address’. Then you can paste the address into your email)
Useful advocacy resources including “Speaking Up!”
