Policies & Compliance - Orange Unified School District

Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP)

Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) Annual Notice

Orange Unified School District annually notifies its students, employees, parents or guardians of its students, the district advisory committee, school advisory committees, appropriate private school officials, and other interested parties of the Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) process.

The UCP Annual Notice is available on the district's website.

The Orange Unified School District 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.

Programs and Activities subject to the UCP and are available in Orange Unified School District:

Accommodations for Pregnant and Parenting Pupils
Adult Education
After School Education and Safety
Agricultural Career Technical Education
Career Technical and Technical Education, Career Technical and Technical Training Programs
Child Care and Development Programs
Compensatory Education
Consolidated Categorical Aid Programs
Course Periods without Educational Content
Discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying against any protected group as identified under 200 & 220 and section 11135 of the Government Code, including any actual or perceived characteristics as set forth in Section 422.55 of the Penal Code, or on the basis of a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, in any program or activity conducted by an educational institution, as defined in Section 210.3, that is funded directly by, or that receives or benefits from, any state financial assistance.
Educational and graduation requirements for pupils in foster care, pupils who are homeless, pupils from military families and pupils formerly in Juvenile Court now enrolled in a school district, pupils who are migratory, and pupils participating in a newcomer program.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP)
Migrant Education
Physical Education Instructional Minutes
Pupil Fees
Reasonable Accommodations to a Lactating Pupil
Regional Occupational Centers and Programs
School Plans for Student Achievement
Schoolsite Councils
State Preschool
State Preschool Health and Safety Issues in LEAs Exempt from Licensing
And any other state or federal educational program the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) of the California Department of Education (CDE) or designee deems appropriate

Pupil Fees

A pupil fee includes, but is 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 fees complaint may be filed with the principal of a school or our 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 enrolled in a school in our district shall not be required to pay a pupil fee for participation in an educational activity.
A pupil fee complaint shall be filed no later than one year from the date the alleged violation occurred.

Additional Information

We shall post a standardized notice of the educational rights of pupils in foster care, pupils who are homeless, former juvenile court pupils now enrolled in a school district, and pupils in military families as specified in Education Code Sections 48645.7, 48853, 48853.5, 49069.5, 51225.1, and 51225.2. This notice shall include complaint process information, as applicable.

In order to identify appropriate subjects of state preschool health and safety issues pursuant to HSC Section 1596.7925, a notice shall be posted in each California state preschool program classroom in each school in the Orange Unified School District. The notice shall (1) state the health and safety requirements under 5 CCR that apply to California state preschool programs pursuant to HSC Section 1596.7925 and (2) state the location at which to obtain a form to file a state preschool health and safety issues complaint.

Contact Information

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

Title: Dr. Matthew Witmer

Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services

Educational Services, Building D

Address: 1401 N. Handy Street • Orange, CA 92867

Phone: 714-628-4000 ext. 4466

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 our Decision of complaints regarding specific programs and activities subject to the UCP, pupil fees and the LCAP to CDE by filing a written appeal within 15 days of receiving our Decision. The appeal must be accompanied by a copy of the originally-filed complaint and a copy of our Decision.

Non-UCP Complaints

These shall not be subject to the district's UCP but shall be referred to the specified agency (5 CCR 4611):

Any complaint related to sufficiency of textbooks or instructional materials, emergency or urgent facilities conditions that pose a threat to the health or safety of students or staff, or teacher vacancies andmisassignments shall be investigated and resolved in accordance with AR 1312.4 - Williams Uniform Complaint Procedures. (Education Code 35186)
Any complaint alleging health and safety violations by a child development program shall, for licensed facilities, be referred to Department of Social Services.
Any complaint alleging employment discrimination or harassment shall be investigated and resolved by the district in accordance with the procedures specified in AR 4030 - Nondiscrimination in Employment,including the right to file the complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
Any complaint alleging a violation of a state or federal law or regulation related to special education, a settlement agreement related to the provision of a free appropriate public education, or a due process hearing order shall be submitted to the California Department of Education (CDE) in accordance with AR6159.1 - Procedural Safeguards and Complaints for Special Education. (5 CCR 3200-3205)
Any complaint alleging noncompliance of the district's food service program with laws regarding meal counting and claiming, reimbursable meals, eligibility of children or adults, or use of cafeteria funds and allowable expenses shall be filed with or referred to CDE in accordance with BP 3555 - Nutrition Program Compliance. (5 CCR 15580-15584)
Any allegation of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in the district's food services program shall be filed with or referred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in accordance with BP 3555 - Nutrition Program Compliance. (5 CCR 15582)

Any complaint alleging employment discrimination or harassment shall be investigated and resolved by the district in accordance with the procedures specified in AR 4030 - Nondiscrimination in Employment, including the right to file the complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

Any complaint related to sufficiency of textbooks or instructional materials, emergency or urgent facilities conditions that pose a threat to the health or safety of students or staff, teacher vacancies and misassignments, or health and safety violations in any license-exempt California State Preschool Program shall be investigated and resolved in accordance with the procedures in AR 1312.4 - Williams Uniform Complaint Procedures. (Education Code 8235.5, 35186)

Click here for the printable PDF of the Annual Notification of the UCP.