Complaint Procedures

Please start your process to initiate a concern or complaint by visiting our "Who to Call" page.  There you will find valuable resources to see to your concern or complaint as quickly as possible. 

The Board of Education recognizes the right of community members to register individual or group concerns regarding instruction, District programs, materials, operations, and/or staff members.  The main goal of the District is to resolve such concerns specifically with only the parties involved, whenever possible.

Public complaints about the school District will be directed to the proper administrative personnel.  Complaints regarding the district's implementation and administration of Title I funds are addressed in Board of Education Policy 1405. 

Complaints about specific classroom practices shall be directed to the teacher concerned.  If the matter is not settled satisfactorily, the complainant shall then contact the Building Principal; if there is no resolution on this level, the Superintendent of Schools or their designee shall be contacted.  The Superintendent shall refer the issue to the Board for final resolution, if necessary. Please visit our "Who to Call" page to learn more about the chain of command regarding concerns or complaints. 

All matters referred to the Superintendent and/or the Board shall be in writing.  Concerns registered directly to the Board as a whole or to an individual Board member shall be referred as soon as is reasonably possible to the Superintendent for investigation, report, and/or resolution.

Any person or entity representative alleging the district has not upheld its responsibilities under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as well as the district s responsibilities for Academic Intervention Services under the Commissioner’s regulations section 100.2(ee), may submit a complaint in writing to the Superintendent.  After 30 days, any decision of the Superintendent which is unsatisfactory to the complainant, or the district s lack of a response to the compliant, may be appealed to the State Education Department (SED). Please refer to Board of Education Policy 1400-R for specific instructions. 

All such complaints to the State Education Department must, as outlined by SED:

1. Be submitted in writing to:
   New York State Education Department 
   Office of ESSA- Funded Programs, Room 320 EB
   89 Washington Avenue
   Albany, NY 12234
2. Be signed by the person or agency representative filing the complaint;
3. Specify the requirement of law or regulation being violated and the related issue, problem, and/or the concern;
4. Contain information/evidence supporting the complaint;
5. State the nature of the corrective action desired;
6. Contain a copy of the original signed complaint; and
7. Contain a copy of the district s response to the original complaint, or a statement that the district failed to respond or resolve the issue within 30 business days.

If satisfaction is not received, the district will assist the parent/guardian in reaching the United States Department of Education at:

United States Department of Education
Compensatory Education Programs
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Room 3W230, FOB #6
Washington, D.C. 20202-6132       

A complaint tracking database is available through the Office of the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction