General Education Complaints

When a parent, student, staff member, or organization disagrees with actions taken in a Texas public school, for the quickest result, it is best to first try to reach a resolution directly with your school district. This can be accomplished informally or through the district's local grievance process (for more information about the local grievance process, please refer to the FAQs at the bottom of this page). If the issue cannot be resolved by working directly with the school district and you believe a state or federal law may have been violated, TEA has two avenues to assist: you may appeal the school board’s decision or you may file a written complaint with TEA.

How to File a Complaint

Filing a Complaint on Behalf of a Parent or a Student Over 18

If you are filing a complaint on behalf of a parent or a student over 18 years old, you must complete a Release Form. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known as FERPA, we must have a completed form signed by the parent or adult student to release information to you.  Attach the completed release form to the complaint form or email to complaintsmanagement@tea.texas.gov.

IMPORTANT: Information sent to TEA by email may not be secure. Avoid sending confidential or sensitive information to TEA by email. TEA removes confidential or sensitive information, such as social security numbers, when replying by email and maintains confidentiality of information as the law allows.

TEA Investigating Complaints

When TEA Can Investigate a Complaint

TEA has legal authority to address the following types of complaints: 

• Violations of programs required by federal law or programs that receive federal funding.
• Misuse of federal or state funds by a public education agency
• Conditions in a public school that violate statute protecting the health, safety, or wellbeing of students and staff 
• Violations of legal obligations regarding school district boards of trustees, governing bodies of public charter schools, or superintendents or chief operating officers of school districts and public charter schools
• Violations of state assessment instrument security procedures
• Inaccurate information submitted to TEA by a school district through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS).  Examples of this might include manipulation of records, reports, data, forms, statements of assurances, or certifications 
• Educator misconduct

Information Required for TEA to Review a Complaint

TEA requires certain information to review and address a complaint. We must be able to identify a clear violation of a school law and determine whether we have authority to act upon the allegation. Please make sure your complaint includes all of the following information: 

• Full name and contact information of the person filing the complaint
• Name of the school district 
• Detailed description of the actions or decisions that violate a school law 
• Evidence of a school law violation
• Name of the school staff members notified of the complaint and their responses 
• Indication of whether the complaint was filed with other agencies and their responses
• The resolution requested
• Full and accurate names of involved educators.  You can also use the certification lookup tool to check if an individual is a certified educator in Texas.

Steps TEA May Take Once We Receive Your Complaint

When TEA receives a complaint, we first determine whether the law allows the agency to intervene or investigate based on the subject matter of the complaint. We also analyze whether, if the allegations in the complaint are true, the allegations would constitute a clear violation of Texas school law.

Based on this initial review, TEA will take one of the following actions:

• TEA determines that we do not have the authority to investigate.
  If this is the case, we will refer you to the agency that can best address your concern based on our review of your complaint. Please note that other options may be available to you, and you may consider consulting an attorney for guidance about your concerns.
• TEA determines the alternative dispute resolution process is the best way to resolve your concern.
  TEA will connect you with your school district's superintendent, in writing, and formally ask that the district engage with you to attempt to reach an agreement that addresses your concern.
• TEA needs additional evidence or more specific information and asks you to provide it within 15 calendar days.
  If TEA does not receive the evidence within the requested timeframe, we will close the complaint and take no further action. If this happens and TEA closes the complaint, we will inform you of steps you can take to have TEA reconsider your complaint.
• TEA has authority to investigate the concern and has enough evidence to proceed.
  We will send you a status letter stating which investigative unit is handling the case and their contact information. 

Learn more about how TEA conducts investigations on the Special Investigations Unit Investigative Procedures page.

Division Resources

The Division of Complaints Management is excited to announce its release of a suite of webinars. These informative videos will provide the most current information regarding general complaints in Texas.

View Webinars

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)