Any person or group having a legitimate interest in the operations of this District shall have the right to present a request, suggestion, or complaint concerning District personnel, the program, or the operations of the District. At the same time, the Board of Education has a duty to protect its staff from unnecessary harassment. It is the intent of this policy to provide the means for judging each public complaint in a fair and impartial manner and to seek a remedy where appropriate.

It is the desire of the Board to rectify any misunderstandings between the public and the District by direct discussions of an informal type among the interested parties. It is only when such informal meetings fail to resolve the differences, shall more formal procedures be employed.

Any requests, suggestions, or complaints reaching the Board, Board members, and the administration shall be referred to the Superintendent for consideration according to the following procedure.

In the case of an administrative staff member, the complaint is to be directed initially to the appropriate central office administrator who would be the person's supervisor.

Should the matter be a concern regarding the Superintendent or Treasurer which cannot be resolved through discussion with the Superintendent or Treasurer, the complainant may submit a written request to the Board President for a conference with the Board. This request shall include:

The Board, after reviewing the request, may grant a hearing before the Board, or a committee of the Board, or refer the matter, if permitted by State law, to an executive session.

The complainant shall be advised, in writing, of the Board's decision within thirty (30) business days.

If the complainant contacts an individual Board member to discuss the matter, the Board member shall inform the complainant that s/he has no authority to act in his/her individual capacity and that the complainant must follow the procedure described in this policy.

In the case of a certificated staff member, the complaint is to be handled specifically as it has been negotiated with the M. C. T. A.

In the case of a support staff member, the complaint is to be directed, initially, toward the person's supervisor, and the matter then brought as required to higher levels in the same manner as prescribed for "Matters Regarding an Administrative Staff Member".

If the request, suggestion, or complaint relates to a matter of District procedure or operation, it should be addressed, initially, to the person in charge, and then brought, in turn, to higher levels of authority in the manner prescribed in "Matters Regarding an Administrative Staff Member".

If the request, suggestion, or complaint relates to a matter of District program, it should be addressed, initially, to the building administrator and then brought, in turn, to higher levels of authority in the manner prescribed in "Matters Regarding an Administrative Staff Member".

The Superintendent shall prepare administrative guidelines addressing students’ and parents’ rights to be adequately informed each year regarding their ability to inspect instructional materials and the procedure for completing such an inspection. See AG 9130A and Form 9130F3.

If the request, suggestion, or complaint relates to instructional materials such as textbooks, library books, reference works, and other instructional aids used in the District, the procedure specified in AG 9130 shall be followed.

No challenged material may be removed from the curriculum or from a collection of resource materials except by action of the Board, and no challenged material may be removed solely because it presents ideas that may be unpopular or offensive to some. Any Board action to remove material will be accompanied by the Board's statement of its reasons for the removal.

20 U.S.C. 1232h