Complaints regarding discrimination or harassment, on any basis protected by law, shall be processed in accordance with the following procedures:
- STEP 1 – Complaints may be oral or in writing and must be filed with an administrator. Any staff member that receives an oral or written complaint shall report the complaint to the administrator. The administrator shall investigate and determine the action to be taken, if any, and reply in writing, to the complainant within 10 school days of receipt of the complaint.
- STEP 2 – If the complainant wishes to appeal the decision of the administrator, the complainant may submit a written appeal to the superintendent or designee within five school days after receipt of the administrator’s response to the complaint. The superintendent or designee shall review the administrator’s decision within five school days and may meet with all parties involved. The superintendent or designee will review the merits of the complaint and the administrator’s decision. The superintendent or designee will respond in writing to the complainant within 10 school days.
- STEP 3 – If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision of the superintendent or designee, a written appeal may be filed with the Board Chair within five school days of receipt of the superintendent or designee’s response to Step 2. The Board Chair (who may consult with another Board member) will respond in writing to complainant with five days. The Board’s decision will be final and will address each allegation in the complaint and contain reasons for the Board’s decision. A copy of the Board’s final decision shall be sent to the complainant in writing or electronic form within 5 days.
If the administrator is the subject of the complaint, the individual may start at Step 2 and should file a complaint with the superintendent or designee.
If the superintendent is the subject of the complaint, the complaint may start at Step 3 and should be referred to the Board chair. The Board may refer the investigation to a third party.
Complaints against the Board as a whole or against an individual Board member may start at Step 3, should be submitted to the Board Chair, and may be referred to district counsel. Complaints against the Board chair may start at Step 3 and be made directly to the Board Vice Chair. The timelines established in each step of this procedure may be extended upon mutual consent of the district and the complainant in writing, but will not be longer than 30 days from the date of the submission of the complaint at any step. The overall timeline of this complaint procedure may be extended beyond 90 days from the initial filing of the complaint upon written mutual consent of the district and the complainant. The complainant, if a person who resides in the district, a parent or guardian of a student who attends school in the district, is not satisfied after exhausting local complaint procedures, the district fails to render a written decision within 30 days of submission of the complaint at any step or fails to resolve the complaint within 90 days of the initial filing of the complaint, he/she may appeal the district’s decision to the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction under Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 581-002-0001 – 002-0023.
Designated Licensed Administrators (for reporting)
* The timelines may be extended upon written agreement between both parties. This also applies to complaints filed against the superintendent or any Board member.