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What is a complaint?

What is a complaint?

A complaint is a statement that a local school, school district, or county of education policy has been violated or that a state or federal law or regulation has been violated.
 
If you have a complaint, submit it in writing to your school, district, or county office of education, following the governing board policies and procedures. The local governing board has ultimate authority over many subjects, including:
  • hiring and evaluation of staff
  • student assignments
  • student discipline
  • facility conditions
Uniform Complaint Procedures

Uniform Complaint Procedures

Some matters lie within the Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) scope. Federal and state laws and regulations specify which programs and issues do. Not all complaints are within the scope of the UCP, even if they involve alleged violations of law. The issues that may involve filing a complaint under the UCP are found in various state and federal programs that use categorical funds such as Adult Education, After School Education and Safety, Agricultural Vocational Education, American Indian Education Centers, American Indian Early Childhood Education, Career Technical Education, Child Care and Development, Consolidated Categorical Aid, Foster Youth Services, Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control Accountability Plans, Migrant Education, Nutrition Services, Regional Occupational Centers, School Facilities, Special Education, Tobacco-Use Prevention Education, and Unlawful Pupil Fees.

 
Williams Complaints
A Williams Complaint, another type of UCP complaint, regards instructional materials, emergency or urgent facilities conditions that pose a threat to the health and safety of pupils, and teacher vacancy or misassignment and may be filed anonymously. Williams Complaints are filed with the principal, or their designee, of the school in which the complaint arises. Schools have complaint forms available for these types of complaints, but will not reject a complaint if the form is not used as long as the complaint is submitted in writing.