Parent urges clearer, enforced grievance process in Carteret County Schools

Robin Guest, a parent of a West Carteret High School freshman, told the Carteret County Board of Education on May 6 she sought clearer, more accessible grievance procedures and enforcement of the district policy on student and parent complaints.

"My name is Robin Guest, and I'm the parent of a freshman at West Carteret High School," Guest said during public comment. "I'm here tonight just to talk a little bit about policy 17 40 dash 4 10, which is the Carteret County School's policy on student and parent grievance. ... I am here to request of the board that this be the procedure that you state in your policy, that it be adhered to, and that it be more accessible to parents."

Guest told the board she followed the process outlined in the policy — filing a complaint, allowing a principal investigation, meeting with school staff and then contacting the superintendent — and said she had pursued follow-up monthly since January and asked the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to contact the superintendent's office on her behalf because she had not received resolution or substantive updates.

She also asked the board to hear her case privately because she said she had completed the other steps in the grievance process. "My final request on a personal note is that I have my hearing before the board privately since I have completed all the other steps in this matter," Guest said.

The board's public-comment rules were read aloud before remarks began; those rules limit comments to matters pertaining to public education, require speakers to state their names, and prohibit complaints about school employees or students in open session where confidentiality rules apply. The meeting record does not show a public response or a formal board action tied to Guest's request during the meeting.

The transcript identifies the district policy number Guest cited as "policy 17 40 dash 4 10." The board and staff did not provide additional detail on whether the superintendent had initiated a private-board hearing or a timeline for a response during the May 6 session.

What happened next: the meeting proceeded to other agenda items; no motion or public vote addressing Guest's request appears in the meeting record.

Why this matters: clear, accessible grievance procedures and timely follow-up affect parents' ability to seek remedies and can determine whether disputes are resolved publicly or in closed session, where confidentiality rules may apply.