how to make a complaint to education department

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What Should I Report to the Hotline?

You should use the Hotline to report violations of Federal laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to ED programs and funding, including complaints involving ED employees, recipients of ED funds, schools, school officials, other educational institutions, contractors, lending institutions, collections agencies, or public officials. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Embezzlement, bribery, or other public corruption involving ED funds
• Serious mismanagement involving ED programs or funds
• Theft or misuse of Federal student aid
• Knowledge of fraud, waste, or abuse involving a financial aid administrator or other school officials
• Knowledge of fraud, waste, or abuse involving a student loan servicer or collection agency
• Knowledge that your school is not complying with regulations or laws involving Federal student aid or other ED program or operation
• Whistleblower reprisal (if you are an ED employee, also report reprisal to the  Office of Special Counsel )
• Conflicts of interest
• Contract and procurement irregularities
• Theft or abuse of government property
• Employee misconduct
• Ethics violations by ED officials

What Shouldn't I Report to the OIG Hotline?

If your complaint or allegation does not involve fraud, waste, theft, mismanagement, public corruption, or abuse involving ED programs or funds, you may need to contact another ED office or Federal or State agency for assistance. If your complaint or allegation falls under one of the categories below, please contact the agency or organization listed for assistance.

Who to Contact for Complaints Not Addressed Through the OIG Hotline

Complaints about student loans.

If you have a complaint about your student loan, contact the FSA Ombudsman’s Office. The Ombudsman Office is a neutral, informal, and confidential resource to help resolve disputes about your Federal student loans, including the following:

• problems that are not a result of theft or fraud involving your Federal student loan
• improper accounting errors on your student loan involving a collection agency or loan service center
• if you disagree with your loan servicer about the balance or status of your student loan
• technical assistance regarding your student loan
• mediation between you and your loan servicing center
• problems receiving student loan documents from your loan servicer
• help with disability forms or loan cancellation
• school closures and related loan cancellations

For any of the above student loan issues, please contact the FSA Ombudsman’s Office at 1-877-557-2575 (TDD 1-800-848-0983) or  https://studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman/disputes/prepare .

If you have an issue with your private student loan, or another private financial product or service: Please contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at 1-800-411-2372 or http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/#student-loan . You can submit a complaint about private student loans, which are often issued by a bank, a credit union, your school, or another lending institution.

If the Internal Revenue Service has or will offset income tax returns, or if you believe that there has been an improper garnishment of your wages for the repayment of student loans: Please contact the Office of Debt Collection Services at 1-800-621-3115 (or 1-202-377-3373 or 1-202-377-3374), or find more on what you can do if you defaulted on your student loan repayment here:  https://myeddebt.ed.gov/ .

Complaints About Schools and School Programs

If you have questions concerning the quality of education you received while attending a college, university, or trade school: Please contact your local Better Business Bureau, the school’s accrediting agency, the State licensing agency, or the State Board of Higher Education.

If your complaint involves a Head Start Program: Please contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) OIG at 1-800-424-9121 or https://oig.hhs.gov/

If your complaint involves a school lunch program: Please contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) OIG at http://www.usda.gov/oig/

Complaints About Discrimination

If your complaint involves discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual preference: Please contact the ED Office for Civil Rights: 1-800-421-3481 or http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintprocess.html

If you are an ED employee and your complaint involves discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual preference: Please contact the ED Equal Employment Opportunity Service Office: 1-800-872-5327 or  https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/or/fs/ofo/oeeos.html .

Complaints About Scholarship Scams

If your complaint involves a scholarship scam:

If someone contacts you to offer you a scholarship and requests your bank or credit card account number for a processing fee—do not share any information. Immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission: 1-877-FTC-HELP or http://www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams

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• Making a Complaint

How to File a Complaint Against a School

Last Updated: October 4, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 79,259 times.

If a school, or a school employee, violates a student's rights, either the student or the student's parent or guardian can file a complaint to protect those rights. Generally, you can start a complaint at the school itself, then move up the hierarchy to your state's department of education if your complaint remains unresolved to your satisfaction. If you believe the school has discriminated against you or your child in violation of federal law, you can also file a complaint with the US Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR). If a teacher is the source of your problem, you may also be able to submit a discipline report to the agency in your state that is in charge of teacher certification. [1] X Research source

Submitting a State Complaint

• If school staff, teachers, or other students observed any of the incidents, contact them and ask if they'd be willing to give a statement about the incident on the record.
• The school may also have photos or video footage from security cameras that would also be helpful, depending on the location of the incident.

• The school handbook is a good source of school and school district policies that may have been violated. School handbooks also may have information about state and federal laws. If you don't have a copy of the school handbook, check on the school's website.
• Students' or parents' rights organizations are also good sources of state and federal law that governs schools. Use these resources to determine possible laws that were violated as a result of the incident.
• For example, if your child is being bullied at school because of their race or ethnicity, that bullying potentially violates federal and state civil rights laws.

Tip: You don't necessarily need a legal citation to a specific law, or even the exact title of the law, for your complaint. However, for discrimination based on disabilities, it's important to state specifically what requirement of the law has been violated.

• In the first part of your letter, identify yourself and provide a brief statement of the facts that gave rise to your complaint. Include as many specific details as possible, including the time and location of any incidents that occurred.
• In the second part of your letter, briefly list the school policies and state or federal rules or regulations you believe were violated.
• In the final part of your letter, describe what you'd like to see happen as a result of your complaint and how long you're giving the school to make this happen. For example, if you were unfairly denied access to a location because of your disability, you might give the school 2 weeks to provide access or make alternate accommodations.

Tip: Make a copy of your signed letter for your records before you send it to the school. Include proof of delivery of the letter along with your copy.

• Although you can take a copy of your letter to the official in person, it's generally better to mail your letter using certified mail with return receipt requested. That way, you'll have proof that the school received your complaint if you need to get higher authorities involved.
• Typically, a school administrative official will contact you and offer options to resolve the situation. However, you may occasionally find that the school stonewalls you or refuses to work with you to find a remedy for your issue. If that occurs, or if you don't find any of the options offered satisfactory, you may need to move up the hierarchy.

• Include the date the school received your complaint and any dates you spoke to officials at the school. Provide the names of all officials at the school you talked to regarding the issue.
• Send this letter to the correct district official using certified mail, just as you mailed your original complaint letter to the school.
• Typically, you'll be contacted by a school district official who is investigating your complaint. They may want to interview you, any witnesses you named, or anyone else involved. They may also ask you for additional documents or information to corroborate the facts you outlined in your complaint.

• Search online for your state's department of education. On the department's website, you'll find information about filing a complaint against a school. You may also be able to get this information from the school district.
• Expect the state process to move a little more slowly than the school or the district did. You'll typically receive a response from a state official within a month after you've sent in your complaint, although in some situations it may be longer.
• A state official will typically launch an investigation into the subject of your complaint. They may want to interview you or any witnesses you've named in your complaint. Aim to comply with any state requests as soon as possible to prevent any unnecessary delays.

• In many situations, you have the right to file a lawsuit against the school (or the school district) regardless of what happens with your complaint. However, some laws require you to exhaust all administrative remedies available before you can file a lawsuit. An attorney will advise you on when you can potentially file a lawsuit.
• When you file a lawsuit, you can also seek money as compensation for any injury you suffered or expenses you incurred as a result of the incident. With some complaints, you can even seek punitive damages, which the school or school district pays as punishment for violating the law.
• Unlike a complaint, filing a lawsuit takes significantly longer. You can expect it to take at least a year or more before anything happens with the lawsuit unless the school is willing to offer a settlement relatively quickly.

Making a Federal Discrimination Complaint

• Your name and address (you can also include a phone number where the OCR can contact you)
• Information about the type of discrimination suffered by you, your child, or a group of people
• The name and address of your school and the school district
• Details about the incident or incidents, including dates, times, locations, and specific facts about what happened

Tip: The OCR evaluates discrimination complaints against public schools and private schools that receive federal funding. This includes most, but not all, private schools. Your school handbook should have information on whether the school is subject to federal discrimination laws.

• You will be asked several questions about the incident or incidents that led you to file the complaint. Be detailed in your responses, providing as much information as possible. If you believe others may have information that would be helpful to the OCR, list their names and the information they may have that would be of use.
• Keep in mind that the more information you provide, the stronger your complaint is. Don't leave out any details, even if you don't think they're relevant to your complaint.

Tip: You have the option of drafting a letter rather than using the OCR's complaint form. However, using the form ensures that you don't leave out any information the OCR might need, which could delay the resolution of your complaint.

• Print a copy of your complaint for your records before you send it. You can send it directly through the website after completing the assessment or you can email it to your local OCR office.
• You can also mail a paper copy of your complaint to your local OCR office, although the OCR strongly prefers electronic submission of complaints.
• You also have the option of sending your complaint to the OCR National Headquarters at U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100. The email address for the OCR National Headquarters is [email protected].

Tip: You do not need to go through the complaint process with your school, school district, or state department of education before submitting a complaint to the OCR.

• If the OCR decides to open an investigation regarding your complaint, this does not mean that the OCR has made any decision about the merits of your complaint.
• The OCR may send you a notice stating that it needs more documents or information from you. If you get this type of notice, you have 14 days to comply or the OCR may dismiss your complaint.

• Keep in mind that failure to cooperate with the investigation could result in the dismissal of your complaint.
• If you named any witnesses or school officials in your complaint, they will likely be interviewed by the OCR.
• At any time during the investigation, the school may indicate that it wants to settle the complaint. The OCR may facilitate or mediate settlement talks. However, the OCR does not approve or endorse any agreement you make.

• Based on the findings of the investigation, the OCR may work with you to facilitate a settlement and resolution of your complaint. If the OCR determines that your civil rights were violated, it will work with you and the school to create a plan that would remedy the violation and prevent further violations in the future.
• If the OCR determines that the school did not violate your civil rights, you may appeal that decision. You have 60 days to file an appeal with the OCR. It's a good idea to hire an attorney if you reach this stage because appeals must explain why the OCR's legal analysis was incorrect.

• Most civil rights attorneys offer a free initial consultation, so you can take advantage of that to get an assessment of your case. Make sure you talk to more than one attorney. Some may be willing to take on your case while others are not.

Reporting Educator Misconduct

• Keep in mind most teacher certification agencies will not allow anonymous comments. Even if you know other people who witnessed the misconduct, they may not be willing to come forward on the record.

• For example, if you saw a teacher drinking on a school field trip, you might say "I saw the teacher order 4 drinks" or "I could smell alcohol on the teacher's breath." However, you wouldn't say something like "the teacher was drunk during the school field trip," as that would be drawing a conclusion.
• Make sure you identify the teacher you're complaining about as completely as possible. At a minimum, you should include their full name, the school they teach at, and the grades and subject matter they teach.
• Some states have a specific form you must use. If a form is available, you typically can download it online. Simply search for "teacher complaint form" or "educator complaint form" along with the name of your state. [14] X Research source

Tip: Because affidavits are sworn statements, they often must be notarized. If you see a notary box at the bottom of the affidavit form, do not sign your affidavit until you're in the presence of a notary. If you are under the age of 18, you also must have a parent sign your affidavit.

• For example, you might write in your affidavit "I am attaching the letter I received from the principal of the school after I reported this incident on October 15, 2019."

• The complaint process is typically included on the teacher certification agency's website. If you're not sure the name of the agency in your state that issues teacher certifications, search for "teacher certification" followed by the name of your state. Check the headers or footers at the top or bottom of the home page to make sure you're on an official page.

• Keep in mind that typically, the teacher will also get a full copy of your complaint and have the opportunity to respond.
• There typically isn't any appeal if you don't agree with the agency's decision. However, in limited situations, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the teacher or the school where they work. Talk to a local attorney who specializes in education law.

Expert Q&A

• This article discusses how to file a complaint against a school in the US. If you live in another country, the rules and procedures may be different. Consult an attorney near you who specializes in education or administrative law. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Official complaints against a school or educator can rarely be anonymous. If you prefer to remain anonymous, consider submitting a tip to a local investigative news agency. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.pspc.education.pa.gov/Educator-Discipline-System-and-Reporting/How-to-File-a-Complaint/Pages/default.aspx
• ↑ https://www.parentcenterhub.org/statecomplaint-2/
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7VrhFsx6o
• ↑ https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-filing-complaint-about-school-bullying-harassment-or
• ↑ https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaints-how.html
• ↑ https://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-discipline/public

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Making a complaint to the department

The department has mechanisms in place for receiving feedback on our programs and services, as it is integral to our on-going improvement.

To better understand how the department manages complaints to seek the outcome you require, please read the Complaints factsheet .

If you or someone you know is in crisis or danger  contact an emergency support service .

If you wish to make a complaint about the department or about one of the programs or services we deliver, please use the following Online complaint form .

Online complaint form

Or you can select the appropriate contact from the table below.

In order to ensure that we fully understand the nature of your complaint, please ensure that you leave your name and a way to be contacted so we may work with you on a suitable outcome.

If you cannot locate the area you need from the table, please send an email to [email protected] and we will direct your email to the most appropriate area of the department to respond.

If you have difficulty with English and need assistance to understand the content on this page, call the Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 for the cost of a local call.

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Where to file a complaint against a federal or state government agency

Find out where to file a complaint against a federal or state government agency. And learn about getting further help from elected officials with your complaint.

Where to file a complaint against a federal agency

• File a complaint by contacting the agency first. Find the agency using this alphabetical government agency directory to get contact information for the agency program you want to complain about.
• If you cannot solve the issue after contacting the program, contact the agency’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) .

Where to file a complaint against a state agency

To file a complaint against a state or local agency, find its contact information on its website .

Get more help with your complaint from elected officials

If you filed your complaint directly with the agency and your issue still has not been resolved, contact an elected representative.

• Find and contact your federal, state, and local elected officials.
• Call the United States Capitol switchboard at 1-202-224-3121 to get directly connected to your senator or representative’s office.

LAST UPDATED: August 15, 2024

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