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School District 67 Okanagan Skaha
Click here to see which schools are in this district
Penticton Secondary, Naramata Elementary, Kaleden Elementary, Carmi Elementary, Queens Park Elementary, West Bench Elementary, Princess Margaret Secondary, Uplands Elementary, Columbia Elementary, Connected – Distributed Learning, Parkway Elementary, Wiltse Elementary, Connected – Continuing Education, KVR Middle School, Skaha Lake Middle School, Summerland Middle School, Summerland Secondary, Trout Creek Elementary, Giant’s Head Elementary, Connected – Junior Alternate, Connected – Senior Alternate, Summerland Secondary Alternate, Princess Margaret AIM, Penticton Secondary Stride
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 SD67 handles parent concerns and complaints, based on the district’s Parent Concerns infographic and Policy 13 Appeals Bylaw.
How the district frames complaints
SD67’s public-facing Parent Concerns page consists of an infographic titled “Suggestions, Questions, or Concerns About Your Child?” presenting a simple 3-step flowchart that stops at Director of Instruction. The framing positions concerns as “questions” to be “answered” rather than problems to be resolved or rights to be addressed.
Policy 13 Appeals Bylaw, which is not referenced in the infographic, states that the Board “encourages complaints and disputes to be dealt with at the point closest to where the dispute first arises.”
What the district does well
- Inaction counts as a decision. Policy 13 explicitly states that “the failure of an employee to make a decision shall be deemed to be a decision for the purpose of bringing an appeal.”
- Specific appealable categories. Policy 13 lists specific decisions deemed to significantly affect education, health, or safety: suspension or expulsion over five days; suspension with no alternative program provided; decisions about IEP necessity or consultation; assessment for IEP purposes; suspension or expulsion for bullying or harassment; exclusion due to medical condition; and exclusion due to hardship.
- Assistance with appeal preparation. Policy 13 states that “when requested, the District will assist in the preparation of the appeal.”
- 45-day decision timeline. The Board must notify the appellant of its decision within 45 days of receiving the appeal.
- Technical errors do not defeat appeals. The Board “may consider an appeal notwithstanding any defect in form or other technical irregularity.”
- Office of the Ombudsperson referral procedure. AP 395 in the district’s Administrative Procedures references the Office of the Ombudsperson as a resource.
What the district does not tell parents
- The infographic omits the appeals process entirely. The Parent Concerns infographic shows only 3 steps ending at Director of Instruction, with no mention of Policy 13 Appeals Bylaw, the Superintendent, or the Board of Education.
- Provincial appeals. Section 11 of the School Act allows appeals to the Superintendent of Appeals for Board decisions, but Policy 13 does not reference this option.
- Human Rights Tribunal. Neither the infographic nor Policy 13 mentions the BC Human Rights Tribunal as an option for complaints involving discrimination.
- Teacher Regulation Branch. Neither document mentions the Teacher Regulation Branch for concerns about educator conduct.
- BC Ombudsperson. Despite having AP 395 on their books, the public-facing materials do not mention the BC Ombudsperson.
- Right to advocate. Parents are not informed they may bring a support person or advocate to meetings.
- Timelines for informal steps. No response timelines are provided for steps 1–3 of the informal process.
Step-by-step process
What the district tells parents (infographic only):
- Step 1: Classroom teacher. Contact the classroom teacher.
- Step 2: Principal or vice-principal. If step 1 does not answer your question, contact the school principal or vice-principal.
- Step 3: Director of Instruction. If step 2 does not answer your question, contact the Director of Instruction.
What the district does not tell parents:
- Step 4: Board of Education appeal. Policy 13 Appeals Bylaw allows parents to appeal decisions that significantly affect the education, health, or safety of a student. Appeals must be commenced by written Notice of Appeal to the Secretary-Treasurer, usually within 30 school days of the decision. The Board must decide within 45 days.
- Step 5: Provincial appeal. For matters covered by section 11 of the School Act, a further appeal to the Superintendent of Appeals may be available.
Categories of appealable decisions
Policy 13 specifies that the following decisions significantly affect education, health, or safety:
- Suspension or expulsion from an educational program for more than five days
- Suspension from an educational program when no other educational program is provided
- Decisions that it is not necessary to provide a student with an IEP, or consultation about an IEP
- Assessment for purposes of obtaining an IEP
- Suspension or expulsion due to bullying or harassment
- Exclusion due to a medical condition that endangers others
- Exclusion due to hardship
- Any other decision that in the opinion of the Board significantly affects education, health, or safety
Official district sources
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flowchart TD
A([Concern arises]) --> B[Step 1: Contact classroom teacher]
B --> C{Resolved?}
C -- Yes --> Z([Matter resolved])
C -- No --> D[Step 2: Contact principal or vice-principal]
D --> E{Resolved?}
E -- Yes --> Z
E -- No --> F[Step 3: Contact Director of Instruction]
F --> G{Resolved?}
G -- Yes --> Z
G -- No --> H[Step 4: Formal appeal if decision significantly affects education, health, or safety]
H --> I[Submit written Notice of Appeal to Secretary-Treasurer]
I --> J[Board reviews appeal and may hold hearing]
J --> K[Board issues decision within 45 days]
K --> L{Satisfied with Board decision?}
L -- Yes --> Z
L -- No --> M[Step 5: Provincial appeal to Superintendent of Achievement]
M --> N([Process continues at provincial level])
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