How are school admins like firefighters?
How is being a school administrator like being a firefighter? No, this isn’t a joke with a punchline, but you’re a school administrator you know all too well that a lot of what you do is put out “fires”.
One common frustration that I witness for school administrators when they are faced with a civil rights complaint that they must investigate is the feeling that they’re overwhelmed with many other fires to put out as well and they wonder how will they find the time to handle this complaint as well.
There isn’t an easy answer to the question “How can you find the time to handle a civil rights complaint when you’re a busy school administrator?” The answer is simple, not easy. You just make time. Like we’ve discussed before it’s important to be mindful of required timelines for civil rights investigations. I linked that video below in the description for you.
Do all you can and use all of the resources you have available to you to carve out the time needed to carefully and properly respond to every complaint of discrimination and harassment that you receive, per your policy.
Plan your investigation to the extent possible. Schedule time on your calendar to work on the investigation. Make sure to include time to document required elements of the investigation and wrap up the investigation promptly. Although you don’t need to rush to meet deadlines the sooner that you complete your investigation the sooner the parties involved can move forward and the less likely it is that you may surpass required timelines in your policy.
