- K
- School-Community Relations
Boulder Valley School District
Adopted: June 11, 1987
Revised: October 8, 2019, August 11, 2026
COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS
The Board of Education strives to foster a constructive working relationship between Boulder Valley School District, its employees, students, parents and guardians by providing a fair, orderly, and timely process for handling concerns and complaints concerning the operation of the School District. This policy applies to those general circumstances and situations when there is a concern related to the application of School District and/or Board policies and a more specific complaint or grievance policy is not applicable.
This policy shall not apply to all complaints concerning unlawful discrimination or harassment as addressed in Policy AC, concerning Curriculum or Instruction as addressed in Policy KEC, as otherwise addressed in any employment agreements, or to contests of student grades. Due to their sensitive and legal nature, complaints regarding mandatory reporting or School District security decisions shall not be considered. General personnel complaints and concerns about an employee’s effectiveness and job performance are addressed through the School District’s evaluation procedures.
It is the policy of the Board to resolve concerns as efficiently and effectively as possible for the benefit of students, staff, and families. This Policy establishes the expectation that matters be addressed first at the level most directly involved and in an informal manner if possible. Requests for additional levels of review will be processed efficiently and fairly. The School District shall also provide other ways to request help for students that are not formal complaints and families are encouraged to do so through the BVSD website.
Procedural Expectations
Any general complaint under this Policy shall be reviewed as follows:
- School District employee who is the subject of the complaint or building principal/department head;
- District administrator;
- Superintendent;
- Board of Education.
Review at the first level is informal and should follow a discussion format. The complaint itself may be oral or in writing and should be resolved within a reasonable period of time in light of circumstances. Any complaint must be made within thirty (30) days of the incident or concern that is the subject of the complaint. Any complaint made outside of this timeline will not be considered through the complaint process.
Any subsequent appeal for second or third level review shall be in writing, directed to the designated individual and shall specify the nature of the complaint, summarize efforts to resolve the complaint at the prior levels of review, the prior decisions, and the ground(s) for the appeal. Written submissions shall not exceed three (3) pages. An appeal must be submitted within a reasonable period of time, usually within two weeks after the challenged action to address the complaint.
Grounds of the appeal shall be limited to:
- Procedural irregularity that affected the outcome of the matter;
- New evidence that was not reasonable available at the time of determination was made, that could affect the outcome of the matter; and,
- A conflict of interest or bias for or against the parties that affected the outcome of the matter.
Upon receipt of the first level appeal, the School District Administrator shall gather information from the supervisor of the building or department, and may also request a written statement of the decision. Relevant and nonconfidential information shall be shared with the Complainant who shall be allowed to provide written information and documentation to the District Administrator. The Administrator shall offer a meeting with the Complainant, during which Complainant may present information in support of Complainant’s position. The administrator shall issue a written notification to the Complainant of the final decision.
Upon receipt of a second level appeal, the Superintendent or designee shall review the prior decisions and records and, at their discretion, may permit the Complainant or the District to present further information. Within ten working days after completion of this process, unless additional time is needed, the Superintendent or designee shall render a written decision and provide a copy to Complainant. This decision shall be final unless the Board of Education accepts the matter for review.
Board Review
The Board shall have the discretion to accept or reject complaints for a third level review and shall limit its review to those requests that raise issues of fundamental unfairness by invoking honesty, justice, and due process. If the Board rejects the request for additional review, the Superintendent’s decision shall be final. If it accepts the matter, the Board shall schedule a meeting at which it will consider the appeal. At such meeting, the Board may hear argument from the parties, review the prior decisions and evidence, and make such inquiry as it deems necessary. The Board shall render a written decision within ten working days after this meeting unless additional time is needed. The Board’s decision shall be final.
CROSS REFERENCES
Note: View other ways to request help through the School District.