A good relationship between parents and faculty and staff at their child’s schools is an important part of a successful education. But those relationships aren't always as straightforward and as easy as any caregiver would hope. While your child's best interests are at the top of your agenda, staff at schools have thousands of other kids to attend to as well. In some of the biggest Miami-Dade high schools, there are more than 4,000 students.

There's a delicate balance between advocating for a child's unique needs and staying on good terms with staff at your child's school, especially for parents of children living with a disability who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Here are some tried and trusted methods to help navigate this essential relationship, provided by the people with the most experience: parents and teachers.

Get Off on the Right Foot

Being a passionate parent is great. But it's easy to misinterpret passion as frustration. It is vital to begin the parent/school relationship on a positive note. Communicate with your child's teacher early on in the school year to show that you value collaboration. This early communication can lead to great tips on succeeding in that teacher's class, and you can get a better understanding of how you can help at home. The respect that you show your child's teacher also provides a great model for your child to do the same in class. If you come across challenges later in the school year, the groundwork for a positive line of communication has already been established in these early meetings.

Talk to the Best Person

Miami-Dade County Public Schools use the SchoolMessenger System for one-way communication with parents about attendance, emergencies, and general information, and the Parent Portal for teachers to submit grades. In some cases, parents can message teachers who opt-in for direct messages on The Parent Portal. They can also find teacher emails listed in the Class Schedule or Gradebook online. For information about your child's performance in a specific subject, send a direct and honest email about how they're doing and how you can help at home.

If your child has a complaint about something or someone at school, gather as much information as possible. Make sure you're specific about details and when events occurred in any communications. This information will help school staff in resolving issues. Parents who are concerned about classroom incidents, mental health, or ongoing bullying can also contact the school counselor,[MM5] [SM6] who should have an email listed on the school's staff directory page. Communicating with the assistant principal or principal should be limited to safety concerns or serious behavioral incidents.

Parents should avoid contacting schools or teachers on social media as it isn't an official means of communication, may not be monitored, and, in the case of contacting teachers, crosses a personal boundary.

In most schools, the best time to communicate is between 9 and 11 am on Tuesday through Thursday. Mondays are usually exceptionally busy, and some staff members might not be available on Fridays. The SchoolMessenger System has a callback option, and phone numbers are listed online for those who prefer to communicate by phone. However, communicating via email is often the best method as it is timestamped, documented, and allows both parties to think about responses before sending them.

Stay Involved

While there shouldn't be any bias when it comes to students, parents who only message their child's teacher out of the blue with a complaint may come across as "difficult." If your schedule allows it, attend PTA meetings, school events, and volunteer opportunities. Interacting with your child's teacher at these events can help build relationships, provide insight into how the school operates, and even give you a chance to bring up issues in a less formal setting. Parent-teacher conferences are another opportunity to get one-on-one time with your child’s teacher. Before you attend, be sure to talk to your child openly about concerns, prepare a list of topics to chat about, and follow up afterwards.

Connecting with other parents is another benefit of attending school events. You can also meet like-minded parents at The Children's Trust's Parent Club. This supportive community will give you more insight into building a relationship with your child's school. Parents can join this community for free, and complimentary snacks and child care make it a practical way to get involved.