Grievance Procedure for Discrimination Based on Race, Sex or Handicap:

Any student, parent/guardian, staff member or applicant to a program who feels that he/she has been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap may file a grievance against the school or program, based on the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

I. Informal Level

A.  Any student, parent/guardian, staff member or applicant to a program who feels that he/she has been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap shall contact the designated Compliance Coordinator within 30 days of the alleged occurrence to discuss the nature of the complaint.

The Compliance Coordinator shall maintain a written record which shall contain the following:

1. Full name and address of complainant.

2. Full name position of person(s) who allegedly discriminated against the complainant.

3. A concise statement of the facts constituting the alleged discrimination.

4. Dates of the alleged discrimination.

 B. At the time that the alleged discrimination complaint is filed, the Compliance Coordinator shall review and explain the grievance procedure with the complainant and answer any questions.  The Compliance Coordinator shall begin investigating the complaint as soon as practical, but in no case more than (10) working days from the time the complaint was received.  Within this time limit, the Compliance Coordinator shall meet informally with the complainant and individual(s) against whom the complaint was lodged, and shall provide confidential counseling where advisable and shall finally seek informal agreement between the parties concerned.  Every attempt shall be made to seek a solution and resolve the alleged discrimination complaint at this level.

C. If the complainant is not satisfied with these initial informal procedures and within twenty (20) school days from the date of the original discussion with the Compliance Coordinator, more formal procedures may be initiated by the complainant to further explore and resolve the problem internally.

D. The Compliance Coordinator shall present the written alleged discrimination complaint to the Principal of the building who may resolve the complaint alone or may take the complaint to the Civil Compliance Panel.

E. The Principal shall inform all parties of the date, time, and place of the scheduled grievance panel hearing and of their right to present witnesses or representatives, if desired.  The Compliance Coordinator shall provide assistance to the complainant in understanding the grievance panel process.  A written record of all panel hearings shall be kept.

 The panel shall hear and fully review the case within fifteen (15) days of the hearing and shall send its recommendations in writing to the Principal within five (5) working days of the hearing.

The Principal shall review the recommendations, reach a decision regarding the case, and communicate his/her decision in writing to the parties concerned and to the Superintendent of Schools within five (5) days.

F. If the complainant is not satisfied with the Principal’s decision, he/she may submit a written appeal to the Superintendent of Schools within ten (10) days.

The Superintendent shall review all aspects of the case and within ten (10) days shall decide for or against the recommendation of the Principal.

G. If the complainant is not willing to abide by the Superintendent’s recommendation, he/she may submit a written appeal to the local Board of Education within fifteen (15) days of the Superintendent’s decision.

With at least five (5) days notice given prior to the hearing, the Board of Education shall inform all parties involved of the date, time and place of the hearing and the right to present witness(es) and to legal counseling or other representation, if desired.  The Board of Education shall hear all aspects of the appeal and shall reach a decision within twenty (20) days of receipt of the written appeal.  The decision shall be presented in writing to the complainant at its next regularly scheduled meeting.  The Secretary of the Board of Education shall inform the parties of the Board’s action within five (5) working days of the Board’s meeting.

Any person may also file a complaint of illegal discrimination with the Office for Civil Rights, Washington, D.C. at the same time he/she files the grievance during or after use of the grievance process, or without using the grievance process at all.  If a complaint is filed with the Office for Civil Rights, it must be filed in writing no later than 180 days after the occurrence of the possible discrimination.

Inquiries concerning the application of non-discriminatory policy to the practices and policies of the Seymour School System may be addressed to

Mrs. Vonda Tencza

Associate Superintendent of Schools

Seymour Board of Education

98 Bank Street

Seymour, CT 06483

Boston Office

Office of Civil Rights

US Department of Education

8th Floor

5 Post Office Square

Boston, MA 02109-3921

Telephone: 617-289-0111

Fax: 617-289-0150; TDD: 877-521-2172

Email: OCR.Boston@ed.gov

Filing complaints electronically: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html