Grievance Policy
Right to Appeal
The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) has initiated and implemented procedures for grievances/appeals by candidates with the intent of assuring fairness and objectivity. The procedures are not designed to incorporate all of the due process safeguards that our courts of law require. The purpose is to provide a system that will represent “fairness and the absence of arbitrariness”.
Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Education Preparation Unit seeks to resolve all candidate issues in a timely and effective manner.
Informal Process: Program-Level
A candidate with a complaint has recourse through complaint procedures beginning at the program level. In most cases grievances/appeals can be resolved through the process of expressing the concern with the individual program director. Basic steps in the Program-Level Process include:
Formal Process: Unit-Level
If still unresolved after following the appropriate Program-Level grievance/appeal procedures, the candidate may choose to have the issue reviewed at the Unit-Level. In this case the following procedures apply:
The panel’s decision shall be final, and all remedies shall be considered to have been exhausted. The panel’s written decision shall be placed in the candidate’s file.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) has initiated and implemented procedures for grievances/appeals by candidates with the intent of assuring fairness and objectivity. The procedures are not designed to incorporate all of the due process safeguards that our courts of law require. The purpose is to provide a system that will represent “fairness and the absence of arbitrariness”.
Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Education Preparation Unit seeks to resolve all candidate issues in a timely and effective manner.
Informal Process: Program-Level
A candidate with a complaint has recourse through complaint procedures beginning at the program level. In most cases grievances/appeals can be resolved through the process of expressing the concern with the individual program director. Basic steps in the Program-Level Process include:
- Begin addressing the matter with the program director in which the issue originated.
- If the issue is not resolved at the program level, then the grievance/appeal advances to the unit level.
Formal Process: Unit-Level
If still unresolved after following the appropriate Program-Level grievance/appeal procedures, the candidate may choose to have the issue reviewed at the Unit-Level. In this case the following procedures apply:
- Candidate submits a formal grievance/appeal to program director/coordinator using the Grievance/Appeal Process form on the LACOE website or may be accessed using the following link: Formal Appeal/Grievance Form
- The Division Director (or designee) will convene a panel comprised of other LACOE unit credential program directors/coordinators (or designee) to review grievance/appeal documents. The panel may, as necessary call upon the candidate, qualified faculty and/or coach/mentor, or program staff from said program in which the grievance/appeal generated for clarification and/or input regarding the complaint. A panel decision must be made by majority vote.
- The panel shall issue a written decision within 30 calendar days to the candidate and Program Director/Coordinator and shall include a statement summarizing the panel’s final disposition of the grievance/appeal.
The panel’s decision shall be final, and all remedies shall be considered to have been exhausted. The panel’s written decision shall be placed in the candidate’s file.