In order to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Section 9304 (a)(3)(C) General Applicability of State Educational Agency Assurances requires the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) to ensure that written procedures for receipt and resolutions of complaints alleging violations of the law in the administration of provisions are available to the school districts. Section 299.10(a) of Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) further requires a State Education Agency (SEA) to adopt written procedures, consistent with state law, for (1) receiving and resolving any complaint from an organization or individual that the SEA or an agency or consortium of agencies is violating a Federal statute or regulation that applies to an applicable program listed in paragraph (b) of this section; (2) reviewing an appeal from a decision of an agency or consortium of agencies with respect to a complaint; and (3) conducting an independent on-site investigation of a complaint if the SEA determines that an on-site investigation is necessary.
School districts are instructed to follow and model the procedures in the attached policy statements to seek resolutions of local complaints regarding Federal statues contained within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.