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Complaints Against the District

POLICIES & REGULATIONS

WILLIAMS COMPLAINTS

The Eliezer Williams, et al., vs. State of California, et al. (Williams) case was filed as a class action in 2000 in San Francisco County Superior Court. The plaintiffs include nearly 100 San Francisco County students, who filed suit against the State of California and state education agencies, including the California Department of Education (CDE). The basis of the lawsuit was that the agencies failed to provide public school students with equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and qualified teachers.  

 
Williams Uniform Complaint Regulation and Form: AR 1312.4 / Williams Uniform Complaint Form
 

UNIFORM COMPLAINT PROCEDURES

WHAT ARE UNIFORM COMPLAINT PROCEDURES (UCP)?

A UCP complaint is any written statement alleging a district violation of applicable federal or state law or regulations governing any program subject to the UCP involving discrimination, harassment, intimidation and/or bullying, and includes noncompliance with laws relating to pupil fees. A UCP complaint must be filed by way of the Uniform Complaint Procedures as written in the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, sections 4600-4687 and Education Code sections 234, 234.1, 234.2, 234.3, 234.5, 49010-49013, and District BP/AR 1312.3.  Programs subject to UCP include but are not limited to Adult Education, Career Technical And Technical Education Training, Child Care And Development, Child Nutrition, Consolidated Categorical Aid; Education of Pupils in Foster Care, Homeless, Former Juvenile Court and/or Military families; LCAP, School Safety Plans, Migrant Education, and Special Education.

TYPES OF COMPLAINTS

HOW TO FILE A UNIFORM COMPLAINT

The Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) takes all reported complaints against the district seriously and complies with applicable laws.

Please use this form to report a complaint:  TUHSD INCIDENT / COMPLAINT REPORT FORM

Complaints should be filed in writing and directed to the Superintendent's Office via email to the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent at earmstrong@tamdistrict.org or via U.S. mail to:

Tamalpais Union High School District
Attn: Superintendent's Office
P.O. Box 605
Larkspur, CA 94977-0605

If you have any questions, please contact Erin Armstrong at (415) 945-1020 or earmstrong@tamdistrict.org

CLAIM TIMELINE & PROCEDURES

TIME LIMITATIONS

1. Claims for money or damages relating to a cause of action for death or for injury to person, personal property or growing crops shall be presented to the Board of Trustees no later than one year after the accrual of the cause of action. (Government Code 905, 911.2)

2. Claims for money or damages as authorized in Government Code 905 and not included in paragraph #1 above shall be filed not later than one year after the accrual of the cause of action. (Government Code 905, 911.2)

3. Claims for money or damages specifically excepted from Government Code 905 shall be filed not later than one year after the accrual of the cause of action. (Government Code 905, 911.2, 935)

LATE CLAIMS

Claims under paragraphs #1 and #3 above which are filed later than six months after the accrual of the cause of action must be accompanied by an application to file a late claim. Such claim and application to file a late claim must be filed not later than one year after the accrual of the cause of action.

If a claim under paragraphs #1 or #3 is filed late and is not accompanied by the application, the Board or Superintendent shall, within 45 days, give written notice that the claim was not filed timely and that it is being returned without further action. The notice shall be in the form set forth in Exhibit A.

The application to file a late claim shall state the reason for the delay. The Board shall grant or deny the application within 45 days after it is presented. By mutual agreement of the claimant and the Board, this 45-day period may be extended by written agreement made before the expiration of such period. If the Board does not take action on the application within 45 days, it shall be deemed to have been denied on the 45th day unless such time period has been extended, in which case it shall be denied on the last day of the period specified in the extension agreement.

If the application to present a late claim is denied, the claimant shall be given notice in the form set forth in Exhibit B. (Government Code 911.3, 911.4, 911.6, 911.8, 912.2, 935)

DELIVERY AND FORM OF A CLAIM

A claim, any amendment thereto, or an application for leave to present a late claim shall be deemed presented when delivered to the office of the Superintendent via email or deposited in a post office, subpost office, substation, or mail chute or other like facility maintained by the U.S. Government in a sealed envelope properly addressed to the District office with postage paid. (Government Code 915, 915.2)

Claims may be submitted on the District Incident / Complaint Form or as prescribed in Section 910 and 910.2 of the Government Code. (Government Code 910, 910.2, 910.4)

NOTICE OF CLAIM INSUFFICIENCY

The Superintendent or designee shall review all claims for sufficiency of information. The Superintendent or designee may, within 20 days of receipt of claim, either personally deliver or mail to claimant a notice as set forth in Exhibit C stating deficiencies in the claim presented. If such notice is delivered or sent to claimant, the Board shall not act upon the claim until at least 15 days after such notice is sent. (Government Code 910.8, 915.4)

AMENDMENTS TO CLAIM

Claims may be amended within the above time limits or prior to final action by the Board, whichever is later, if the claim, as amended, relates to the same transaction or occurrence which gave rise to the original claim.

ACTION ON CLAIM

Within 45 days after the presentation or amendment of a claim, the Board (or Superintendent, if delegated this authority) shall take action on the claim. (Government Code 912.4) This time limit may be extended by written agreement before the expiration of the 45-day period or before legal action is commenced or barred by legal limitations. (Government Code 912.4) The Superintendent or designee shall transmit to the claimant a notice of action taken. The notice shall be in the form set forth in Exhibit D. (Government Code 913)

If no action is taken within the prescribed time limits, the claim shall be deemed to have been rejected and the claimant notified in accordance with Government Code 913. (Government Code 945.6)