Formal and Informal Grievances

All DCS employees should seek to resolve differences informally where possible. If the concern relates to a matter involving another colleague, you should ideally raise this with them directly with a view to resolving it. Similarly, if the concern relates to your role or work you should typically first discuss this with your direct supervisor. If the matter relates to your direct supervisor you may raise it with the Human Resources Department. If an Employee is not sure who to speak with they may approach someone in the Human Resources Department or one of the union representatives for advice.

Any employee who thinks they may be experiencing bullying or harassment can also speak in absolute confidence to one of the either the Human Resources Department, or Title IX Coordinator who are here to help. For more information visit the Operations and Personnel webpage.

An administrator who has had informal issues raised with them, should consider the points and actively explore with the Employee how the matter may be resolved. They should also seek advice from the Human Resources Director or a more senior supervisor whilst being cognizant of any request by the Employee for confidentiality. Every effort should be made to reach agreement and any actions agreed should be recorded and the manager should follow up with the Employee raising the concern to provide any necessary support. Where the concern involves someone in another area of the Dothan City Schools, the administrator may need to approach an appropriate supervisor/director to explore the issues and how best to resolve the concern.

Informal Grievance Procedure

Instructions for All Parties (Employee and Management)

1. All parties may consult with and receive the assistance of the Human Resources Department in resolving a grievance. The Department of Human Resources contact information can be obtained from our website www.dothan.k12.al.us, or by calling (334)793-1397 ext. 236250.
2. A formal grievance must be filed within 20 working days following origin of the grievance or the date an employee who feels aggrieved learns of the problem unless it is related to a contested report on performance. Every effort should be made to resolve the grievance by informal discussion during this 20-day period.
3. If a grievance relates to a contested report on performance, an employee must file a grievance identifying the points of contention within 10 working days after:

• The date the employee receives a decision regarding an evaluation conducted by the administration; or
• The employee fails to receive a copy of the evaluation conducted by the administrator. 

Instructions for the Employee Submitting A Grievance (Grievant)

1. When a formal grievance is filed, all the information requested on the form must be provided. The description of the grievance should include the names of other persons involved in the act, omission or occurrence.

2. The normal course of action in the grievance procedure is as follows:

Step 1: File with Immediate Supervisor - If not resolved within 10 working days, take next step.
Step 2: File with Human Resources Department - If not resolved within 10 working days, take next step.
Step 3: File with Superintendent - Within 45 working days of receipt of the request, the superintendent will render a decision or schedule a resolution conference and then render a decision.

Resolution conference: After a grievance has been submitted at Step 3, either the grievant or the Superintendent may choose to request a resolution conference; if requested, participation is mandatory. A resolution conference is an informal meeting between the parties with the assistance of a neutral facilitator, provided by the Human Resources Department, who is not affiliated with either of the parties. The resolution conference option provides an additional opportunity for a grievance issue to be discussed and for possible solutions to be considered. If the Superintendent has notified the parties of consideration of the date on which it will hold a conference to consider the grievance, the request for a resolution conference may not be submitted less than 15 working days before that date.

3. Following receipt of notification of action at steps 1-3, the grievant has 10 working days to refer the grievance to the next step unless the time limit is extended by agreement of the parties. A grievance may be submitted to the next level if the grievant has not received notification within the 10 working day period in which such action is required. The respondent, at each step, retains the documentation received from the grievant. The grievant is responsible for maintaining copies of the documentation he or she provided for his or her records and for filing at the next step in the grievance procedure, including attaching all previous responses when submitting the grievance to the next step.

Formal Grievance Procedure