Windham School District E-mail Guidelines for Parents

 E-mail may be a fast and convenient way for you to send messages, but this may not be the case for many of our teachers. Some teachers read their e-mail messages in the morning before school, some read them at the end of the day, and some read them during the school day. Many teachers prefer to use the phone to speak directly to parents.

For these reasons, please remember if you choose to send an e-mail message to a member of our professional staff, you may not get an immediate reply. In fact you may not receive an e-mail reply at all, since the staff members will determine how best to contact you: by e-mail, phone, or to schedule a personal conference.

When using e-mail:

  1. A signed e-mail permission form must be on file at your child's school. The permission form will indicate the e-mail address(es) that will be used to communicate with district staff. Only authorized e-mail addresses will be used by Windham School staff to communicate with parents. Please send e-mail messages from an authorized e-mail account.
  2. Please send only non-vital messages by this medium. For example, do not use e-mail to inform a teacher that your child is not to go home on the bus. A teacher may not have time to read your message in a timely fashion. Instead use the telephone to be sure your message is received and clearly understood.
  3. Your childís academic progress, learning expectations, or behavioral issues are best addressed through a telephone conversation or by scheduling a personal conference with your child's teacher. An e-mail message on these matters is not appropriate.
  4. Please remember that e-mail is not necessarily confidential. Confidential information should be conveyed by phone or personal contact.
  5. Please identify yourself in the subject line of your e-mail message and, if appropriate, the name of your child.
  6. For all medical or health concerns, please contact your child's school nurse by phone.
  7. Please keep all contacts professional. Jokes, amusing or special stories, chain letters, or commercial solicitations are inappropriate and reduce valuable teaching time.
  8. Mass e-mail to the district staff must be approved by the Superintendent of Schools before sending the e-mail.

The School District maintains email accounts for teachers to facilitate parent/teacher communication and internal staff communication. The District reserves the right to block or filter email messages to staff that are not directly related to District business or to the District's educational mission.

Remember that e-mail is a quick way to send a message, but it is not necessarily the best way to get a quick reply.  

Click here to download E-Mail Authorization Form (Word Format | PDF Format)

Windham School District

E-Mail Authorization Form

PARENT/TEACHER COMMUNICATION THROUGH E-MAIL:

Although e-mail has become a valuable communication tool, it is important to remember that it is not always a completely secure and confidential method of communications. We would like to make e-mail available as another possible way for parents to communicate with their child’s teachers where appropriate. We are, however, concerned about maintaining privacy laws, especially as they relate to student records. We will not send any student information via e-mail unless we have a signed permission form from the parent/guardian. This includes any e-mail addresses that are entered in the PowerSchool Parent Access portal. If your e-mail address changes, you are required to fill out and sign an updated form before we send information to the new address.

Student Name:

_______________________________________________________________

I grant permission for information regarding my child to be sent to me via e-mail, at the following e-mail address(es):

________________________________________________________________

Parent Signature: ___________________________________

Date:___________

Please send this completed agreement to your son/daughter’s school office.