Last modified: December 1, 2023

Policy 7315 P1 Complaints Regarding Staff or Programs

Complaints Regarding Programs

Resolution of complaints regarding programs shall be as follows:

Informal discussions between the patron and the staff member involved in the complaint.
Should the matter not be resolved at Step 1, the principal and/or program director shall attempt to resolve the issue through a conference call or meeting with the patron.
If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved at Step 2, the patron may choose to file a written complaint with the appropriate district-level administrator for example: the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, the Executive Director for Elementary Education, the Director of Special Education, etc. The “appropriate administrator” noted above will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 3 business days and will respond to the patron, after having investigated the issue, within 25 work days.
If the matter has not been satisfactorily resolved at Step 3, the patron may request a meeting with the superintendent or designee who will review the complaint with the patron and the administrator from Step 3. The decision of the superintendent or designee is final.

Informal discussions between the patron and the staff member involved in the complaint. (Complaints alleging sexual harassment or other misconduct should go to Step 2 directly.)
Should the matter not be resolved at Step 1, the principal and/or program director shall attempt to resolve the issue through a conference call or meeting with the patron. If the patron brings forward a complaint that may result in disciplinary action against a staff member, the patron may also be asked to put the complaint in writing and the matter will be referred to the Human Resources department and processed in accordance with district investigatory procedures.

Persons choosing to submit anonymous complaints must understand that it is often very difficult to substantiate such complaints and move toward improvement desired by the anonymous complainant. The district encourages speaking to an individual about a problem, and discourages the filing of anonymous complaints.
Retaliation toward persons submitting complaints is strictly prohibited. Persons who believe there has been retaliation should report to the Executive Director of Human Resources.
Although the patron may receive contact from the Human Resources department following a personnel investigation, the information shared will be non-specific about any corrective measures taking place with regards to the staff member. Such matters are confidential, and the details of any action taken will not be shared.
The usual response from the Human Resources department will note that the investigation is closed. A patron who wishes to appeal such contact following an investigation will be advised that the investigation of a specific action taken toward an individual does not come with appeal rights. The district investigation, when closed, will be regarded as final unless legitimate, compelling new information surfaces, or specific appeal rights are associated with the particular issue.

June 2, 2014