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School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows
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Continuing ED SD 42, Maple Ridge Secondary, Garibaldi Secondary, Pitt Meadows Secondary, Westview Secondary, Albion Elementary, Eric Langton Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, Golden Ears Elementary, Maple Ridge Elementary, Pitt Meadows Elementary, Webster’s Corners Elementary, District 42 Alternative Secondary, Davie Jones Elementary, Laity View Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Alouette Elementary, Harry Hooge Elementary, Kanaka Creek Elementary, Thomas Haney Secondary, Edith McDermott Elementary, Whonnock Elementary, Blue Mountain Elementary, Alexander Robinson Elementary, Hammond Elementary, Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary, ci:tməxw Environmental Community, Odyssey K-9 SD 42, c’usqunela Elementary, Yennadon Elementary, Outreach Alternate Secondary, SD 42 Connected Learning Community
Complaints process overview
Note: Policies and procedures may change over time. This review reflects the information available as of March 2026 and was compiled to the best of my understanding. Readers should consult the original district policies and bylaws for the authoritative and most up-to-date procedures. If you notice errors, please provide feedback via the form below.
This page explains how SD42 expects parents, students, and community members to raise concerns or complaints, drawing together the district’s “Raising Concerns and Appealing Decisions” page, the Board of Education Appeal Policy and Procedures Bylaw, and the broader policy framework.
What the district tells parents
The district provides a six-step model with named contacts, direct phone numbers, and visual step indicators:
- Step 1: Teacher. The district instructs parents to discuss the issue with the person who made the decision or took the action, typically the classroom teacher, and notes that issues can usually be resolved at this level but may involve ongoing dialogue.
- Step 2: Principal. If the issue remains unresolved, parents are directed to the school principal, who may involve appropriate resources or personnel as required.
- Step 3: Assistant superintendent. If the issue persists, parents are directed to the director of instruction or assistant superintendent responsible for the zone in which their child’s school is located. The district provides a detailed table listing every school in the district, organised by zone, with the named administrator and their direct phone number for each zone. This level of specificity — a parent can look up their child’s school, identify the responsible administrator by name, and call them directly — is exceptionally rare in BC school districts.
- Step 4: Deputy superintendent. If the matter remains unresolved, parents are directed to the deputy superintendent (currently Cheryl Schwarz), with a direct phone number (604-466-6228).
- Step 5: Board of Education appeal. If the decision significantly affects a student’s education, health, or safety, parents may appeal to the Board of Education within 15 school days of completing step 4, in accordance with the Board of Education Appeal Policy and Procedures Bylaw, using a downloadable Notice of Appeal form. The notice requires the appellant to identify the student, the decision being appealed, the employee who made the decision, the effect on the student’s education, health, or safety, the grounds for appeal, and the steps already taken to resolve the matter.
- Step 6: Provincial appeal. If the board’s decision does not resolve the matter, parents may appeal to the Superintendent of Appeals of the Ministry of Education and Child Care. The district provides a direct link to the provincial appeal process page.
What the district does well
SD42’s approach is among the strongest in BC on several dimensions:
- Rights-first framing. The page leads with the statutory right to appeal under section 11 of the School Act, placing legal entitlement before process guidance.
- Named contacts with direct phone numbers. Every zone in the district has a named administrator with a direct phone number listed on the page. A parent seeking to escalate beyond the principal level can identify exactly whom to call, by name, without navigating a receptionist or directory.
- Complete escalation to provincial level. SD42 is one of the few BC districts to include the full escalation pathway through to the Superintendent of Appeals and to provide a direct link to the provincial government’s appeal process page.
- Right to advocacy. The district explicitly encourages parents and students to bring “another individual – a relative or a trusted friend or advocate – to meetings at any step of the process.”
- Formal appeal form. The district provides a downloadable Notice of Appeal to the Board of Education form, which structures the appeal around the statutory test (effect on education, health, or safety) and requires documentation of prior resolution attempts.
- Timeline for appeal. The district specifies a 15-school-day deadline for filing a board-level appeal after completing step 4, providing a concrete temporal framework that most districts omit.
- Scope of appealable decisions. The Notice of Appeal form specifies that decisions by employees, non-school-district staff, or volunteers may all be appealed, a broader scope than many districts acknowledge.
What the district does not tell parents
Despite its relative strength, SD42’s page omits a few elements:
- Broken policy link. The Board of Education Appeal Policy and Procedures Bylaw PDF, linked twice on the page, returns a 404 error at the time of writing. A parent clicking through to read the full policy framework encounters a dead link. The Notice of Appeal form remains accessible.
- Office of the Ombudsperson. While the district links to the provincial appeal process, it does not mention the BC Ombudsperson as an additional avenue for complaints about administrative fairness, which parents may access at any time.
- Human rights complaints. The page does not reference the right to file a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal where discrimination is at issue.
- Written documentation at informal steps. While the formal appeal process (step 5) requires written documentation via the Notice of Appeal form, the district provides no guidance on requesting or receiving written responses at steps 1 through 4, and no stated timelines for resolution at the informal levels.
Common issues covered
- Classroom concerns and instructional matters
- Student behaviour and code of conduct
- Student safety
- Special education and learning services
- School admission, registration, and transfer requests
- Student transportation
- Childcare facilities
- Settlement workers in schools support
Step-by-step process
Based on the district’s page and the standard School Act framework, the complete escalation pathway is as follows:
- Step 1: Teacher Discuss the concern with the person who made the decision or took the action, typically the classroom teacher.
- Step 2: Principal If the concern remains unresolved, escalate to the school principal.
- Step 3: Assistant superintendent Contact the director of instruction or assistant superintendent responsible for the zone in which the school is located. The district’s Raising Concerns and Appealing Decisions page lists every school by zone with the named administrator and their direct phone number.
- Step 4: Deputy superintendent If the matter remains unresolved, contact Deputy Superintendent Cheryl Schwarz at 604-466-6228.
- Step 5: Board of Education If the decision significantly affects a student’s education, health, or safety, file a formal appeal to the Board of Education within 15 school days of completing step 4, using the Notice of Appeal form.
- Step 6: Provincial appeal If the board’s decision does not resolve the matter, appeal to the Superintendent of Appeals of the Ministry of Education and Child Care via the provincial appeal process. Complaints may also be referred to the Office of the Ombudsperson at any time.
Guiding principles
- SD42 maintains a clearly titled, easily discoverable complaint and appeal page under its Parents navigation, with language that names both concerns and appeals.
- The page leads with the statutory right to appeal under section 11 of the School Act, placing legal entitlement before process steps.
- The district provides named administrators with direct phone numbers for every school zone.
- The district explicitly encourages parents to bring an advocate at every step.
- The full escalation pathway through to the provincial Superintendent of Appeals is included with a direct link.
- A formal Notice of Appeal form is provided, with a stated 15-school-day filing deadline.
- The Board of Education Appeal Policy and Procedures Bylaw PDF is currently returning a 404 error.
- The Office of the Ombudsperson is unmentioned.
- No timelines or documentation expectations are provided for the informal resolution steps (1 through 4).
Official district sources
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flowchart TD
A([Concern arises]) --> B[Step 1: Discuss with the teacher or person involved]
B --> C{Resolved?}
C -- Yes --> Z([Matter resolved])
C -- No --> D[Step 2: Escalate to the school principal]
D --> E{Resolved?}
E -- Yes --> Z
E -- No --> F[Step 3: Contact Director of Instruction or Assistant Superintendent<br/>by zone]
F --> G{Resolved?}
G -- Yes --> Z
G -- No --> H[Step 4: Contact Deputy Superintendent]
H --> I{Resolved?}
I -- Yes --> Z
I -- No --> J[Step 5: Formal appeal if decision significantly affects education, health, or safety]
J --> K[Submit Notice of Appeal to the Board of Education]
K --> L[Appeal must be filed within 15 school days after Step 4]
L --> M[Notice includes student details<br/>decision appealed<br/>employee involved<br/>grounds and impact<br/>steps already taken]
M --> N[Board reviews the appeal and may hold a hearing]
N --> O[Board considers submissions and makes a decision]
O --> P{Satisfied with Board decision?}
P -- Yes --> Z
P -- No --> Q[Step 6: Appeal to the Superintendent of Achievement<br/>Ministry of Education and Child Care]
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