For a school issue:

Hi Jeff,

Tara showed me her report card. I’ve attached it to this email. How do you think we should handle her “D” in math? Here are some ideas I’ve thought of:

Idea one
Idea two
Idea three

Let me know what you think. I told her I’d be sharing this information with you.

Shari

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When you’ve received criticism from the other parent:

Hi Lisa,

I received your email and have been giving your concerns a lot of thought.

Here’s my understanding of what happened. (Your next few sentences should state observable behavior and/or exact wording used by child or ex) What I assumed that meant was . . . (only one sentence here). I realize that I . . . (If your actions/words contributed to or caused a problem, take responsibility for them.) Next time I will . . .(If merited, end by proposing a solution for how to avoid this in the future.)

Sean