Uniform Complaint Procedures

The South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) annually notifies its students, employees, parents/guardians, school and district advisory committee members, private school officials, and other interested parties of the Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) process.

SSFUSD is primarily responsible for compliance with federal and state laws and regulations including those related to unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation or bullying against any protected group and all programs and activities that are subject to the UCP according to Board Policy 1312.3 and Administrative Regulations 1312.3

in:

Adult Education
After School Education and Safety
Agricultural Vocational Education
American Indian Education Centers and Early Childhood Education Program Assessments
Bilingual Education
California Peer Assistance and Review Programs for Teachers
Career Technical and Technical Education; Career Technical and Technical Training
Child Care and Development
Child Nutrition
Compensatory Education
Consolidated Categorical Aid
Course Periods without Educational Content (for grades nine through twelve)
Economic Impact Aid
Education of Pupils in Foster Care, Pupils who are Homeless, and former Juvenile Court Pupils now enrolled in a school district
English Learner Programs
Every Student Succeeds Act / No Child Left Behind (Titles I–VII)
Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP)
Migrant Education
Physical Education Instructional Minutes (for grades one through six)
Pupil Fees
Reasonable Accommodations to a Lactating Pupil
Regional Occupational Centers and Programs
School Safety Plans
Special Education
State Preschool
Tobacco-Use Prevention Education

SSFUSD shall post a standardized notice of the educational rights of pupils in foster care, pupils who are homeless, and former juvenile court pupils now enrolled in a school district as specified in Educational Code Sections 48853, 48853.5, 49069.5, 51225.1, and 51225.2. This notice shall include complaint process information, as applicable.

Pupil Fee Complaints

Pupil fees include but are not limited to all of the following:

A fee charged to a pupil as a condition for registering for school or classes, or as a condition for participation in a class or an extracurricular activity, regardless of whether the class or activity is elective or compulsory, or is for credit.
A security deposit, or other payment, that a pupil is required to make to obtain a lock, locker, book, class apparatus, musical instrument, clothes, or other materials or equipment.
A purchase that a pupil is required to make to obtain materials, supplies, equipment, or clothes associated with an educational activity.

A pupil enrolled in a school in SSFUSD shall NOT be required to pay a pupil fee for participation in an educational activity.

Complaints concerning pupil fees may be filed with the principal of a school or SSFUSD's superintendent or his or her designee.

A pupil fees and/or an LCAP complaint may be filed anonymously, however, the complainant must provide evidence or information leading to evidence to support the complaint.

A pupil fee complaint shall be filed no later than one year from the date the alleged violation occurred.

The staff member, position, or unit responsible to receive UCP complaints in our agency is:

Dr. Jay Spaulding
Human Resource Department
398 B Street

South San Francisco, CA 94080
650-877-8725
[email protected]

Complaints will be investigated and a written report with a decision will be sent to the complainant within sixty (60) days from the receipt of the complaint. This time period may be extended by written agreement of the complainant. The person responsible for investigating the complaint shall conduct and complete the investigation in accordance with our UCP policies and procedures.

The complainant has a right to appeal the decision regarding specific programs and activities subject to the UCP, pupil fees, and the LCAP to the California Department of Education (CDE) by filing a written appeal within 15 days of receiving the decision. The appeal must be accompanied by a copy of the originally filed complaint and a copy of the decision.

The intent of this complaint procedure is to address any allegation of a violation of federal or state laws or regulations governing educational programs, including allegations or unlawful discrimination.

Title IX Complaints

Title IX requires South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate when it knows or reasonably should know of a possible Title IX violation.

In the event of a complaint regarding gender equity or sexual harassment, or discrimination, including harassment, intimidation and bullying because of actual or perceived disability, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital or parental status, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, contact one of the following Title IX and nondiscrimination coordinators.

Complaints Against Employees	Complaints Against Students
Jay Spaulding Assistant Superintendent Human Resources 398 B Street South San Francisco, CA 94080 650-877-8725 [email protected]	Ryan Sebers Student Services Director 398 B Street South San Francisco, CA 94080 650-877-8744 [email protected]

Student complaints shall be submitted in written form in accordance with SSFUSD Board Policy 1312.3 and Administrative Regulation 1312.3 Uniform Complaint Procedures. If the complainant is unable to prepare the complaint in writing, administrative staff shall help him/her to do so.

Complaints must be filed within six months from the date when the alleged unlawful discrimination occurred, or from the date the complainant first obtained knowledge of the facts of the alleged discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying that is based on sex.

The time for filing may be extended up to 90 days by the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee, for good cause, upon written request by the complainant setting forth the reasons for the request for an extension of time to file a written complaint.

All complaints shall be appropriately investigated in a timely manner. Within 10 business days after the compliance officer receives the complaint, the compliance officer, or designee, shall begin an investigation into the complaint.

The investigation shall include an opportunity for the complainant, or the complainant’s representative, or both, to present the compliance officer, or designee, with any evidence, or information leading to evidence, to support the allegations in the complaint.

The District shall issue a written decision based on the evidence within 60 calendar days from receipt of the written complaint by the District.

Any complainant who is dissatisfied with the District’s final written decision may file an appeal in writing with the California Department of Education within 15 calendar days of receiving the District’s decision.

Complaints made by or on behalf of students may also be filed with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights within 180 calendar days of the date of the alleged discrimination, unless the time for filing is extended by the Office of Civil Rights for good cause shown under certain circumstances.

Williams Complaints

Education Code 35186 creates a procedure for the filing of a Williams complaint concerning deficiencies related to instructional materials, conditions of facilities that are not maintained in a clean or safe manner or in good repair, teacher vacancy or misassignment.

The complaint and response are public documents as provided by law. Complaints may be filed anonymously.