Parent asks North Allegheny board to add parental appeal process to retention policy 2.15

A McCandless parent urged the North Allegheny School Board to revise policy 2.15 (promotion and retention) to give parents a formal role and an appeal path when retention is denied.

Ursula Lessek told the board she formally requested grade retention two years ago for her twin daughters and that the request was denied with no formal appeal process. "Under the current policy, there was no formal process for appeal or collaborative review," Lessek said, describing the twins’ current placement in a small learning-support classroom for three of 10 classes.

Lessek proposed the district create a retention review team that would include parents, classroom teachers, a school counselor and the building principal, and she suggested that if the team could not reach consensus parents should be able to submit a written appeal to the assistant superintendent for final review. "This change would ensure that the retention decisions are made with transparency, shared responsibility, and respect for the insights families bring to the table," Lessek said.

She left a recommended proposal with district staff at the meeting. The board did not take action on policy 2.15 at the session; Lessek asked the board to consider the amendment as part of aligning district practice with best practices and more collaborative decision-making.

The request illuminates a parent’s concern about the district’s retention process, the placement of students in learning-support settings and the role of family input. Board members did not discuss or vote on the proposed policy change during the meeting.