It can be extremely heartbreaking to see your child come home from school day after day, with their head hung low because of issues that are going on within the school setting. While the first approach that you make may need to be to the teacher, if the issues that are causing conflict continue, then you definitely need to make contact with the principal.

This of course can be done over the phone; however, if you wish to have a paper trail showing that the principal was contacted, then a better route may be to write a letter of complaint to the principal.

Writing a letter of complaint may seem to be overwhelming at first to any parent, but just by keeping a few things in mind, you will be able to write a letter that is sure to get the attention of a principal, all while making you come across as a concerned parent who wants to make sure that a situation is taken care of.

The first thing you will want to do is to make sure that the letter has all of the contact information that the principal will need to contact you in many different ways. Make sure that at the beginning of the letter that you establish immediately what your address is, what your phone number is, and if you have one, then also be sure to include your email address. You will also want to make sure that you establish what your full name is and what the name of your child is. By doing this you are making sure from the beginning that the principal is fully aware of who the child is that the concern is about and how they can reach you to discuss the matter further.

Once you have given the principal all the contact info, you are ready to start the serious stuff. This will be when you write what your concern is about. Make sure that you are thoroughly in what exactly is going on.

While you may want to tell the principal exactly how you think she or he should handle it, try and refrain from doing so. You don’t want to put the principal on the defensive. Rather, just state facts of what the situation is and how this situation is affecting your child.

After the body of the letter, make sure you close the letter out respectfully. This can be simply done just by writing your full name and signing your signature. Make sure that you make copies of your letter once you have finished it and if you want confirmation that the principal did in fact receive the letter, then you can send it certified mail instead of just tossing it in your child’s book bag.

A parent should never hesitate to address an issue within the school setting, but the way that you approach a situation may make all the difference in the world. If a letter to the principal is necessary, then keep it professional and to the point.