Local Complaint Procedures

Local Educational Agencies (LEAs)/Districts may, at times, receive complaints from parents or guardians regarding the provision of special education services. LEAs/Districts are required to adopt policies and procedures to investigate and resolve complaints of an alleged violation of federal or state laws governing educational programs. Below are guidelines to assist LEAs/districts with meeting local complaint procedure requirements (California Code of Regulations Title 5 §4600-§4687).    

• Local policies shall ensure that complainants are protected from retaliation and that the identity of a complainant alleging discrimination remains confidential, as appropriate. LEAs/Districts shall submit their policies and procedures to the local governing board for approval and adoption.    
• Each LEA/district shall include in its policies and procedures the person(s), employee(s) or agency position(s), or unit(s) responsible for receiving complaints, investigating complaints, and ensuring LEA/district compliance. The LEA’s/district’s policies shall ensure that the person(s), employee(s), position(s), or unit(s) responsible for compliance and/or investigations shall be knowledgeable about the laws/programs that they are assigned to investigate.    
• The LEA/district may provide a complaint form for submission by persons wishing to file a complaint. However, a person is not required to use the complaint form provided by the LEA/district to file a complaint.   

For more information on complaint procedures, visit the “Uniform Complaint Procedures” section of the California Department of Education website. 

Uniform Complaint Procedures landing page, CDE website: https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cp/uc/