Grievance Policy
& Form
Our Grievance Policy
You have the right to be heard and treated justly.
Free Forest School is building an inclusive culture of belonging, one that enables individuals to show up as their whole selves through the adoption of policies, practices, and ongoing accountability processes.
Our Grievance Policy is in place for all members to feel safe and respected and to create just communities by actively addressing and preventing acts of racism, abuse, bigotry, harassment, discrimination, and other misconduct or unjust treatment. This policy aims to respond to and reduce such incidents in Free Forest School communities in order to create empowering, inclusive, and safe environments for all members.
Our Commitments
Free Forest School will provide clear and accessible mechanisms for reporting formal Grievances and for receiving critical feedback
Free Forest School will take all reported Grievances seriously and respond in a manner that is fair, timely, consistent, and transparent.
Free Forest School will address each Grievance in a manner that gives people the assurance their reports have been recorded, are being taken seriously, and will be addressed fairly.
Individuals reporting Grievances will not be subjected to retaliation or victimization as a result of the report.
This policy applies to all people involved in the Free Forest School community, including but not limited to:
staff members
Board members
volunteers
members / participants
donors
partners
In the event of a Grievance, the report must be submitted in writing to establish a record of the situation. Support is available for submitting a Grievance in writing, including interpretation or translation, when needed. Email info@freeforestschool.org for assistance.
Community members will not be subjected to coercion, discrimination, reprisal, or unreasonable interruption of services for voicing complaints or recommending changes.
This Grievance policy will continue to develop based on feedback by any and all Free Forest School members and regular evaluation by its leaders.
Expectations for Community Members
It is the responsibility of each member of our community to treat one another with respect and to remedy harms done to others whether intentional or unintended.
All community members who feel safe and are able, may first attempt informal person-to-person and community-supported approaches to resolving conflicts whenever possible.
In the case of a formal Grievance, the report should be made as soon as possible.
Attempt to address the issue on your own.
If you are safe and able...
Address the person directly, naming the behavior and how it impacted you. You may want to first gather support and advice from others you trust before responding. Explain that the behavior is against Free Forest School’s policies and give the person time to correct their behavior. We encourage community members to deal with conflicts in a respectful manner at all times.
Ask for peer support to address the issue.
If you feel unsafe communicating with the person...
If you are unable to address the person directly...
If the problem is not resolved...
You may take your concern to a peer, an event host, an online group moderator, or another community member for support in resolving the conflict. Ask, “What can we do? How may we respond?” With help from other community members, you may then analyze, strategize, and take action.
Procedures
If you have experienced harm you may reach out for help in two ways:
Informal.
Offer Feedback through an informal report.
Send a confidential Feedback report:
Use the Feedback Form
Email any member of the Free Forest School staff or Board of Directors.
Feedback may be offered anonymously or not anonymously.
Formal.
If the informal procedures do not or will not resolve the problem OR you have experienced abuse of any kind, send your complaint as quickly as possible to Free Forest School leadership by filing a formal Grievance:
Confidential Grievance reports should be made by completing the Grievance Reporting Form.
Reports must include the name and contact information of the reporting person.
If you have witnessed harm to someone else you may seek support in the following ways:
Informal.
Reach out to the person affected.
If you observed the incident but were not the target of it, first speak with the person experiencing the harm to provide support and decide together the best course of action based on the options outlined above.
Formal.
Offer Feedback through an informal report.
Grievance reports may only be filed by the person directly affected by the incident. Informal Feedback, however, may be submitted by a person who witnessed the incident.
Grievance Reporting Form
Use the Grievance Reporting Form to report an incident that directly affected you. Providing contact information is required, and you will be contacted within five (5) business days by a Free Forest School representative to determine next steps.
Response and Resolution
Timeline
Free Forest School representatives who receive a formal Grievance report must respond within 5 business days.
Every effort will be made to complete an investigation within 15 business days, and complete a proposed resolution within 30 business days of determination.
Response to Non-Anonymous Feedback
A member of the Free Forest School staff, Board of Directors, or another designee will contact you within 10 business days to discuss your concern.
When submitting feedback, you will be asked to indicate who you would like your comments shared with, including the DEIJ Committee, the Board of Directors, and the staff. You will also choose whether to share your name (in which case, the organization can contact you to follow up) or to make an anonymous contact.
Upon receipt, your comment will be shared with whichever group(s) you indicate on the form, and will be considered at the next meeting of that group. If you indicate you would like a follow-up, then a representative of that group will be in touch to discuss and share possible next steps.
Free Forest School Response Process
Free Forest School is working to develop a response process to address harms using Restorative Justice principles. Once this process has been developed, we will update the Grievance policy. We welcome any member with experience in Restorative Justice or applying Restorative Practices to help develop and implement this process by emailing info@freeforestschool.org.
Investigation of Grievance Reports
Upon receiving a Grievance from a person requesting follow-up, a Free Forest School representative will reach out to the person within 5 business days to hear their experience and determine the course of action that best supports and protects the person reporting.
Next steps toward a resolution may include:
The Free Forest School representative meets one-on-one with the person(s) the Grievance was filed against to share feedback, reinforce FFS values, and determine an action plan remedying the situation
Conducting a prompt, thorough, and fair investigation.
Putting the accused person on pause by temporarily suspending their Our Outdoors account.
Holding a mediation session between the affected person and the accused person. This may involve a third-party with appropriate credentials.
Dismissing the accused person from involvement with the Free Forest School community.
Training for the accused person or for a larger group of community members.
A change to Free Forest School policies or procedures to root out institutionalized injustice.
Supporting the person affected in reporting the incident to authorities.
A thorough investigation will be completed, ideally within 15 business days. A resolution will be proposed and implemented within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with the investigation or resolution, you will then have 15 days to appeal the decision by contacting the Board of Directors.
All Grievances will remain confidential.
In the case of anonymous Feedback reports, the best course of action will be determined by the representative who receives the report with the information provided.
Representatives who receive Grievance reports will document the report and their subsequent actions via the Grievance Reporting Form. The Executive Director and Board Chair both receive a notification when this form is completed. This record will be maintained in a confidential manner.