Complaints/Feedback

Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP)

Program violations, pupil fees, LCAP, and discrimination or harassment complaints that are formal and in writing.

What the UCP covers

Complaints alleging violations of federal or state law governing:

• Accommodations for pregnant and parenting students
• After-school programs
• Career technical and technical education and training programs
• Consolidated categorical aid programs
• Course periods without educational content
• Education of students in foster care, students experiencing homelessness, former juvenile court students now enrolled in a school district, and students from military families
• English learner programs
• Every Student Succeeds Act
• Instructional materials, teacher vacancy or misassignment, and emergency or urgent facilities conditions (Williams complaints)
• Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)
• Physical education instructional minutes
• Pupil fees (Ed. Code § 49011)
• Reasonable accommodations to a lactating student
• School safety plans
• Tobacco-use prevention education

Special education (IDEA) and child nutrition program complaints are governed by separate federal and state frameworks and are not covered by the UCP. See the special education and child nutrition sections below.

Filing deadline

Discrimination and HIDB complaints: within 6 months of the incident or the date you first learned of the facts. The Superintendent may extend this up to 90 additional calendar days for good cause. All other UCP complaints: within 1 year of the alleged violation. LCAP complaints: within 1 year of the date the Board approved the relevant LCAP or annual update.

How to file

1. Complete the UCP Complaint Form (see the download below).
2. Submit it to the ECS Compliance Officer by email, mail, or in person at any ECS school office.
3. If you cannot write your complaint due to disability or illiteracy, ECS staff will assist you (5 CCR § 4600).
4. Complaints alleging pupil fees, LCAP violations, or noncompliance with Ed. Code §§ 243-244 may be filed anonymously.

Investigation timeline

ECS will complete its investigation and issue a written Decision within 60 calendar days of receiving your complaint, unless you agree in writing to an extension.

Appeal rights

If you are dissatisfied with ECS’s Decision, you may appeal in writing to the California Department of Education within 30 calendar days of the date of the written Investigation Report. Your appeal must include a copy of your original complaint and a copy of the Investigation Report. The CDE will issue a written appeal decision within 60 calendar days of receipt. These timelines are set by the CDE in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations and govern over any shorter or longer period stated anywhere else. (5 CCR § 4632)

Williams Complaints Are UCP Complaints, With Different Rules

A complaint about insufficient textbooks or instructional materials, a teacher vacancy or misassignment, or an emergency or urgent facilities condition that poses a threat to the health or safety of students or staff is a Williams complaint. It is a type of UCP complaint, and four rules differ from the rest of the UCP:

• Where you file. File with the principal of the school where the concern arises, not with the ECS Compliance Officer.
• You may file anonymously. You are not required to give your name.
• The form is optional. Forms are available in every school’s main office, but a complaint will not be rejected for not using the form as long as it is submitted in writing.
• Different timeline and appeal. ECS remedies a valid complaint within 30 working days. If you request a response, you will receive one. For an emergency or urgent facilities condition only, a complainant who is dissatisfied with the resolution may appeal to the California Department of Education within 15 days of receiving it. The 30-calendar-day CDE appeal described above does not apply to Williams complaints.

Compliance Officer

Sarah Jamieson, Director of Human Resources
2625 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Suite 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
310-874-9441 · sarah_jamieson@ecsonline.org

Title IX

Sexual harassment or sex-based discrimination.

ECS does not discriminate on the basis of sex in any education program or activity, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) and 34 C.F.R. Part 106. This policy applies on campus, during school-sponsored events, and through school-owned technology, regardless of location.

What Title IX covers

Formal complaints of sexual harassment, including quid pro quo harassment by an employee; unwelcome conduct so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to ECS programs; or sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking. (34 CFR § 106.30)

How to file a formal complaint

1. Complete the Title IX Sex Discrimination and Harassment Complaint Form.
2. The complainant must be currently participating in, or attempting to participate in, an ECS education program or activity at the time of filing.
3. Submit the signed complaint to the Title IX Coordinator.

ECS will investigate and respond to all oral and written reports promptly. A formal written complaint is not required to receive supportive measures. Reports may be made anonymously, but formal disciplinary action cannot be based solely on an anonymous report.

Investigation and decision timeline

Upon receipt of a formal complaint, ECS will send written notice of allegations to all parties and complete a thorough investigation. A written determination of responsibility will be issued within 20 business days after the investigation report is sent to the parties. Either party may appeal to the President of the ECS Board of Directors within 5 business days of receiving the determination.

Title IX Coordinator

Sarah Jamieson, Director of Human Resources
2625 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Suite 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
310-874-9441 · sarah_jamieson@ecsonline.org

External complaints

Complaints may also be filed with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR):
50 Beale Street, Suite 8-200, San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 486-5555 · ocr.sanfrancisco@ed.gov

Harassment, Intimidation, Discrimination, or Bullying (HIDB)

Bullying, harassment, or discrimination reported informally, orally, or anonymously.

ECS prohibits harassment, intimidation, discrimination, and bullying on the basis of any actual or perceived protected characteristic. This applies on campus, in transit to and from school, during school-sponsored activities, and through school-owned technology. (Ed. Code § 48900.4)

The HIDB policy operates alongside the UCP and Title IX policies. Which pathway applies depends on the nature and form of your complaint:

Pathway A — Formal HIDB complaint (use the UCP)

If your complaint is written, signed, and filed within 6 months of the incident, submit it as a UCP complaint using the UCP Complaint Form, addressed to the ECS Compliance Officer. The 60-day investigation timeline and 30-day CDE appeal right apply. See Uniform Complaint Procedure.

Pathway B — Sex-based harassment

If your complaint involves sex discrimination or sexual harassment, use the Title IX pathway.

Pathway C — All other HIDB reports

For HIDB misconduct that does not meet the written, signed, and 6-month UCP requirements — including informal concerns, oral reports, anonymous tips, and reports outside the 6-month window:

• Written reports are encouraged but not required. Oral reports are accepted.
• Anonymous reports are accepted but cannot, standing alone, result in formal disciplinary action.
• Staff who witness prohibited misconduct are required to intervene when safe to do so and report immediately.
• Students should report to a teacher, counselor, Principal, or other trusted staff member. Reports will be taken seriously regardless of form.

Submit to

Director of Human Resources (or the Superintendent, if the complaint is against the HR Director)
2625 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Suite 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
310-874-9441 · sarah_jamieson@ecsonline.org

Investigation and appeal

ECS will complete its investigation within 25 school days in most cases. If you are dissatisfied with ECS’s resolution, submit a written appeal to the President of the ECS Board of Directors within 5 business days of receiving notice of the decision.

Other complaint processes

Complaints handled outside the UCP

Your rights

• ECS is the LEA primarily responsible for compliance with federal and state educational program laws.
• Students shall not be required to pay a pupil fee for participation in an educational activity. (Ed. Code § 49011)
• Copies of ECS’s UCP are available free of charge upon request.
• If a UCP complaint is filed directly with the CDE and merits direct intervention, the CDE will complete an investigation within 60 calendar days of receipt.
• Complainants have the right to appeal ECS’s UCP Decision to the CDE within 30 calendar days of the date of the written Investigation Report.
• The CDE will issue an appeal decision within 60 calendar days of receipt of the appeal.
• If ECS finds merit in a complaint, it will take corrective actions to provide a remedy to the affected student and/or parent or guardian.
• Civil law remedies, including injunctions and restraining orders, may be available under state or federal discrimination laws. For state law discrimination complaints, complainants must wait 60 days after filing a CDE appeal before pursuing civil remedies. Federal law complaints, including Title IX, may be brought to OCR at any time.
• No retaliation will be taken against any complainant.

Accessibility notice

Persons with disabilities may request this information in an alternative format. Contact the ECS Main Office at (310) 214-3408. TTY users may call 711. Assistance in filing a complaint is available to any person who cannot prepare a written complaint due to disability or illiteracy.