Community Boards is recognized internationally for our pioneering work with youth and schools. We can provide your school with a variety of proven techniques for resolving school-based conflicts. Our neutral and highly skilled mediators and facilitators can assist schools in resolving conflicts between any number of school stakeholders: district and school administration, faculty, professional staff, parents, and students.
Conflict Resolution Services for SFUSD Employees
SFUSD and UESF encourage the use of Community Boards and its services to help resolve conflicts, because it means a better working environment for everyone. When you use Community Boards’ services, you demonstrate a commitment to dealing with conflict in a proactive and constructive way.
The goal of this joint collaboration is to enhance communication and productive problem-solving through conflict coaching, mediation, and group meeting facilitation. These conflict resolution services are available to all administrators and UESF-represented employees.
For more information, please email Rachel Vyda-Venning, Program Director, rvydavenning@communityboards.org.
Benefits of Conflict Resolution
Utilizing Community Boards’ services has many benefits for you, your school, and the entire school district.
Using conflict resolution can:
- Improve performance
- Increase stability
- Minimize distractions
- Reduce stress
- Create better working relationships
- Encourage positive communication
- Establish a better working environment
- Maximize work efficiency
- Promote good role modeling
Conflict Resolution Services Provided by Community Boards
CONFLICT COACHING is a one-on-one session that assists individuals address a conflict by helping them: feel heard, identify interests, broaden perspectives, and develop skills and/or strategies to manage or productively resolve conflicts.
MEDIATION is a civil, structured discussion about a problem or difficulty. As neutral parties, the mediators guide this meeting, asking questions and maintaining a safe space for dialogue. The ultimate goal is for the parties, themselves, to create their own workable solution.
FACILITATION is the use of a neutral third-party to help groups explore, define, and accomplish their shared goals, identify roadblocks, and explore options to proactively address them.
When to Use Conflict Resolution
Community Boards can help SFUSD employees with:
- Communication breakdowns
- Differences in teaching styles
- Perceived disrespect & harassment
- Diversity & cross-cultural issues
- Professional disputes
- Personal disputes
- Interactions with parents/guardians
- Building maintenance & security issues
- Plus more…
How This Conflict Resolution Works
Principals and Administrators
Submit a summary of the situation to Labor Relations, labor@sfusd.org.
Employees
Call or submit a summary of the situation to your Building Representative, Staff Representative or to repstaff@uesf.org.
For Approved Requests
Once your request is approved, usually within five business days, a Community Boards representative will contact the principal/administrator and/or union member on site to get an overview of the situation. A Community Boards representative will speak with you and the other party, or parties, to assess the situation and coordinate and schedule the service.
Time Commitments
Conflict coaching sessions run one hour and can be done by phone or in person. Mediation and facilitation sessions vary in length depending on the situation, but typically run 2-3 hours. More or less time may be necessary, depending on the situation.
Special Considerations
Confidentiality
Community Boards’ services are voluntary and confidential. The only information shared with the district and union are the date and length of time of the mediation/facilitation/coaching session, who attended, and the general outcome: written agreement, verbal agreement, or no agreement reached.
Grievance Policy & Procedures
Community Boards’ services are not a part of the formal grievance or disciplinary process. They cannot be used as a means to organize or support activity for or against any individual or group. In addition, no materials or representations from any of Community Boards’ conflict resolution services can be utilized in any disciplinary or grievance process at a later date. All information remains protected and confidential.