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Raising Concerns with Your School: Local Grievance Process

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Issues the Grievance Process Can Address

• Transportation
• Child custody
• Classroom assignments or campus transfers
• Excused vs. unexcused absences
• Dress code
• District grading policies and student retention
• Homework practices
• Student discipline
• Interpersonal interactions
• Staff hiring and evaluation
• Cafeteria food options
• Job responsibilities
• Student pick-up/drop-off
• Extracurricular activities
• Disagreements with school staff

If your concern isn’t listed or involves a potential violation of law, use the . While designed with parents in mind, this tool is available to anyone with a complaint and will guide you through a few multiple-choice questions to recommend the best next steps. 

Grievances when your child has a disability and receives special education and related services

If you have a concern related to the implementation of your child’s IEP or if you feel your child’s special education and related services need to be changed based on your child’s current needs, you can request the school hold an admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee meeting to discuss those issues. If your request is in writing, the school must either schedule and convene a meeting, or, within five school days, provide you with written notice explaining why the school refuses to convene a meeting. 

If you believe your child’s school has violated state or federal law regarding the education of students with disabilities who receive (or may be eligible for) special education and related services, you have several options for dispute resolution. The state offers state-administered IEP facilitation, mediation services, due process hearings, and complaint investigations specifically related to alleged violations of special education requirements. 

To find out more about your rights, check out the and the . 

For information about the state complaint processes that may be available to you, please visit the �������� . You can also contact our special education information center, , to receive assistance with navigating special education. 

Understanding The Grievance Process 

Here's what you need to know:

• Act quickly: You must file within 60 days of learning about the issue.
• Informal resolution: If you try to resolve the issue informally, you may have up to 90 days to file.
• Hearing timeline: Your school or school system must hold a grievance hearing within 10 days of submission.
• Notice: You’ll receive at least 5 business days’ notice before the hearing.
• Decision: written decisions must be provided within 20 days after the hearing.

Tips for Filing a Grievance 

Ensure your grievance is well-documented and considered: 

• Write down all relevant details (dates, names, witnesses, etc.) as soon as you become aware of the issue.
• Keep records of all communications, including emails, phone calls, and meetings with school or district staff.
• If you disagree with the Board of Trustees’ decision, you may be able to appeal to the Commissioner of Education. Learn more about Appeals to the Commissioner.

Finding Your School District's Grievance Policy 

• Recent updates from Senate Bill 12, require schools to make grievance procedures easier to find and understand. Grievance forms and procedures must be clearly posted on each school district's website.
• This information must also be included in the student handbook. Look for a section labeled “Online Policies” or similar on your district’s website.

Key Local Policies to Review 

Policy manuals generally have three separate grievance policies: 

Pay close attention to the following local grievance policies: 

• DGBA (LOCAL) for employee grievances,
• FNG (LOCAL) for student and parent grievances, and
• GF (LOCAL) for grievances by all others, including vendors and taxpayers.

Our Parent Complaint Navigator will ask you a short series of multiple-choice questions and, based on your responses, provide you with the information and resources you need to address your specific question or concern.