Most school grievance and complaint policies can be found on the school district’s website. Many school districts encourage complaints to first be addressed by informal meetings with the students, parent/guardian, and the appropriate teacher, principal, or campus administrator. If the informal meeting does not reach the outcome requested by the student or parent/guardian, the student or parent/guardian should follow the formal complaint process for the school district, which usually includes filing a written complaint form. An example of a school district’s formal complaint process can be viewed here.
Most school districts require students or parents/guardians to file a complaint within a certain amount of time. For example, in Houston ISD complaints must be filed within 15 days of the date that the student or parent/guardian first knew, or should have known, about the problem.
Complaints can be filed about many issues, including student discipline or discipline policies, bullying and harassment by another student, teacher or a school police officer, or if students don’t feel safe at school because of their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.