Addressing Complaints & Concerns

Voice Complaints and Concerns

Our goal is to ensure the charters our office sponsors are held accountable in every aspect of their operations. One of our many ways for doing so, is a complaint process. We care to hear your concerns and appreciate you taking action to address your concerns.

Below, we have provided information for you to get the best possible end result to your concerns. There is also helpful information in the Parent FAQ and School Employee FAQ tabs.

You will find our complaint process instructions at the end of this page to walk you through our process.

Contact School Leadership/Governing Body

Charter schools are independent public schools and most operational decisions are made on-site. If you have an issue or complaint with a charter school, first try to resolve it at the school site or with the operator of the school.

If school leadership is unresponsive, find out when the governing body of the school meets to voice your concerns. Pursuant to state law and the charter contract, the governing body is responsible for the policy decisions of the charter school and is subject to Open Meeting Law.

Issues to be first Addressed with Other Entities

While our office takes considerable concern regarding any of the below issues, the entities specified are the appropriate agencies to first submit the concerns to. Our office may utilize the findings of the investigation from these outside agencies to hold the Charters accountable.

Student Safety

If you believe the safety of a student or students is at risk, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.

Special Education

If your complaint or concern relates to special education services provided at a charter school, learn more about submitting a complaint visit Exceptional Student Services at the Arizona Department of Education.

504 Plans

Federal law and regulations require a “free appropriate public education” (“FAPE”) to each qualified student with a disability, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. According to the website for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, “Under Section 504, FAPE consists of the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student’s individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of nondisabled students are met.” Learn more about submitting a complaint visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

Wages

If your complaint or concern relates to a charter school not paying you all of the wages owed to you, learn more about submitting a complaint visit the Labor Department of the Industrial Commission of Arizona.

Discrimination

If your complaint or concern relates to possible discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age, learn more about submitting a complaint by visiting the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

Open Meeting Law

If your complaint or concern relates to a charter school’s adherence to Open Meeting Law, contact either the Attorney General’s Office or the Arizona Ombudsman – Citizens’ Aide. The Attorney General’s Office is authorized by statute to investigate and resolve allegations involving violations of Open Meeting Law. Submit a complaint to the Attorney General’s Open Meeting Law Enforcement Team or view frequently asked questions about Open Meeting Law on the Arizona Ombudsman – Citizens’ Aide website.

English Language Learners

If your complaint or concern relates to services provided at a charter school to English language learners, contact the Arizona Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition Services.

Submitting a Complaint to the Board

All formal complaints submitted to this office are reviewed and processed in accordance with the oversight responsibilities and jurisdiction of the Board. Before submitting a formal complaint to our office, please review the Parent FAQ or School Employee FAQ tabs to see if they provide additional information regarding your issue.

If the complaint is within the Board’s jurisdiction, the charter holder will be required to provide a response to your complaint.

View Procedures for Reviewing Complaints Policy Statement

All complaints submitted to the Board will need to be submitted through our online system, ASBCS Online.

Click here to submit a formal complaint

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