Definitions
- Grievant shall mean a student who alleges that there has been a violation of Section 504 Regulations or other federal or state discrimination laws, other than Title IX or the Dignity for All Students Act, which affect them.
- Grievance shall mean any alleged violation of Section 504 Regulations or other federal or state discrimination laws, other than Title IX or the Dignity for All Students Act.
- Compliance Officer shall mean the employee designated by the Board of Education to coordinate efforts to comply with and carry out responsibilities under this policy and regulation.
- Representative shall mean any person designated by the grievant to act in their behalf.
Individual complaints and grievances shall be handled in accordance with the following guidelines:
- For informal conciliation, students should confer with the appropriate teacher or school personnel to achieve prompt resolution. Students may appeal to the highest authority in the school building, i.e., the Building Principal, who has the final determination on all such matters.
- For resolution of matters where appeal procedures are prescribed by statute, e.g., student suspensions, the prescribed course of action will be followed.
- On issues affecting the student body, students may address the student government or student council in order to resolve such matters. Students may be afforded a conference with the Building Principal in accordance with the rules and procedures established by the student government.
- The resolution of student complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or other federal or state discrimination laws shall be dealt with in the following manner:
Stages
A. Stage 1 – Compliance Officer
- The grievant shall file a grievance in writing with the Compliance Officer. The Compliance Officer may informally discuss the grievance with the grievant. They shall promptly investigate the complaint. All employees of the school district shall cooperate with the Compliance Officer in such investigation.
- Within sixty days of the receipt of the grievance, the Compliance Officer shall make a finding in writing that there has or has not been a violation of the law. In the event the Compliance Officer finds that there has been a violation, they shall propose a resolution of the complaint.
- If the grievant or the accused is not satisfied with the finding of the Compliance Officer, or with the proposed resolution of the grievance, either party may, within 15 days after they have received the report of the Compliance Officer, file a written request for review by the Superintendent.
B. Stage II – Superintendent of Schools
- The Superintendent may request that the grievant, the accused, the Compliance Officer, or any member of the school district staff present a written statement to them setting forth any information that such person has relative to the grievance and the facts surrounding it. The Superintendent will also review all information provided by the Compliance Officer from Stage I.
- Within twenty days of receiving the appeal, the Superintendent shall render their determination in writing. Such determination shall include a finding that there has or has not been a violation of federal or state law and, if necessary, a proposal for equitably resolving the complaint.
Distribution of the Grievance Procedure
Parents, students and employees will be notified that this policy is available on the District’s website.
Other Channels for Filing Complaints
Student complaints alleging discrimination can also be filed: United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights at 32 Old Slip, 26th Floor, New York, New York 10005.
Adoption date: May 27, 1997
Revised: July 13, 2004
Revised: July 6, 2017
Revised: January 22, 2019
Revised: October 23, 2023