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School District 6 Rocky Mountain
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Marysville Elementary, Lindsay Park Elementary, Selkirk Secondary School, Windermere Elementary, Edgewater Elementary, J Alfred Laird Elementary, Martin Morigeau Elementary, Eileen Madson Primary School, David Thompson Secondary, Continuing Ed SD 06, Mckim Middle School, Lady Grey Elementary, Golden Secondary, Nicholson Elementary, Alexander Park Elementary, Golden Alternate School, Kimberley Alternate School, Open Doors Alternate Education, Rocky Mountain Online Learning
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 School District No. 6 (Rocky Mountain) expects parents and students to raise and escalate concerns. The district does not use a single “complaints policy.” Instead, concerns move through a problem-solving process, and may eventually become a formal appeal to the Board of Education under Bylaw II.
How the district frames complaints
District 6 frames complaints as problems to be resolved locally first, not as formal complaints at the outset.
The appeal bylaw makes this explicit:
- Appeals are “typically preceded by appropriate efforts to resolve concerns using the problem solving process”
- The Board may refuse to hear an appeal if you have not discussed the issue first
This means the district expects concerns to move step-by-step through staff and administration before the Board becomes involved.
What counts as an appealable issue
You can only appeal decisions that significantly affect a student’s education, health, or safety
The bylaw gives examples such as:
- Suspensions longer than 5 days
- Exclusion for health reasons
- Educational program placement
- Graduation or promotion decisions
- Refusal to provide programming
- Any decision significantly affecting a student’s education
Importantly:
👉 Not making a decision counts as a decision
This means:
- delays
- silence
- failure to act
…can all become appealable.
General complaint (problem-solving) process
Although the full procedure is defined in Practice 9200 (not included here), the bylaw confirms that:
- You are expected to try to resolve the issue first
- This typically involves:
- speaking with the staff member
- escalating through school and district administration
Only after that process breaks down does the appeal pathway open.
Formal appeal process (Bylaw II)
Step 1: Initiate the appeal
You must:
- File within 30 calendar days of:
- the decision, or
- the breakdown of the problem-solving process
- Submit a Notice of Appeal form to:
- the school principal, or
- the Superintendent
Step 2: Screening and pre-hearing
The district will:
- Review whether your appeal fits the bylaw
- Possibly reject it (with written reasons)
- If accepted, the Superintendent will:
- meet with you
- review the issue
- try to resolve it informally
This stage is:
- informal
- without prejudice
- not shared with the Board
Step 3: Board hearing
If unresolved:
- The appeal proceeds to a Board hearing
- Both:
- the parent/student
- the staff member
can present their case and respond to questions
The Board may also:
- hear from other people
- decide procedure
Step 4: Decision
The Board will:
- Make a decision at the hearing or
- Within 45 days
- Provide the decision in writing
Step 5: Further appeal
If you disagree with the Board’s decision, you may:
- Appeal to the Superintendent of Appeals (Province of BC)
What we can say with confidence
Based on the bylaw:
- District 6 requires internal escalation before appeal
- Appeals are limited to decisions affecting education, health, or safety
- Delays count as decisions, which is significant
- There is a 30-day window to file
- The process includes:
- screening
- informal resolution attempt
- formal Board hearing
What is less clearly defined in public-facing language is:
- how the problem-solving process operates in practice
- how long internal steps may take
District document
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flowchart TD
A[Concern or problem arises] --> B[Attempt to resolve with staff or school - problem solving]
B --> C{Resolved?}
C -- Yes --> Z[Process ends]
C -- No --> D[Problem solving process breaks down]
D --> E[Decision or no decision treated as decision]
E --> F{Does it significantly affect education health or safety?}
F -- No --> Z2[Not eligible for Board appeal]
F -- Yes --> G[File Notice of Appeal within 30 days]
G --> H[Submit to Principal or Superintendent]
H --> I[District reviews whether appeal fits bylaw]
I --> J{Within scope?}
J -- No --> K[Appeal rejected with written reasons]
J -- Yes --> L[Superintendent meeting to try resolution]
L --> M{Resolved?}
M -- Yes --> Z
M -- No --> N[Appeal proceeds to Board hearing]
N --> O[Board hearing both parties present]
O --> P[Board decision issued at hearing or within 45 days]
P --> Q{Satisfied?}
Q -- Yes --> Z
Q -- No --> R[Appeal to Superintendent of Appeals]
Feedback
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