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Finding your district's complaint officer
can be a challenging and frustrating process. You might encounter people who don't know what you are talking about, or people who don't
really care, or people who are unfamiliar with the
complaint procedures outlined in the law. Don't be discouraged if you are faced with
uncaring administrators who have no idea what you
are talking about or if you transferred to the
wrong people, you will be able to find your
complaint officer if you stick to it and don't
give up.
-
Call
your Superintendent's Office: You can get
this phone number from your student handbook or
from your principal's office.
Ask
for the Right Person: Ask who the designated complaint
recipient for the district is. If they don't know what you are talking
about (which may be the case), explain that
each district is required by law under the
Uniform Complaint Procedure to have a person
designated to receive complaints from students
regarding harassment and discrimination. Remind them that by law they are
required to tell the school community who that
person is at least annually. The Superintendent's office should know
who to send you to. Don't be discouraged if they transfer
you to the wrong person or have no idea what
you are talking about - you may have to talk
to a couple of people before you find someone
who can help you. If you are really having trouble finding the complaint officer for your district, contact GSA Network for assistance.
- Talk
to the Designated Complaint Officer: When
you talk to this person, make sure that he or
she is the person responsible for handling
complaints about anti-LGBT harassment and
discrimination. If not, he or she should know who that
person is. You might want to clarify issues of
confidentiality with your complaint officer:
he or she is legally responsible for keeping
your complaint confidential and protecting you
from retaliation, but may want to notify your
parents. If you are concerned about your parents
finding out, ask the complaint officer what
his her policies are. Now that you know who your complaint
officer is, get his or her address so you can
send your written complaint. (See What to do if you're harassed or discriminated against for details)
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