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    Complaints FAQ

    How do I file a complaint about a teacher, principal or school district?

    Please make every effort to resolve the situation at hand with your school (teacher or staff and/or with the principal). If you are not able to resolve the situation at that level, please contact your school district superintendent, whose contact information can be found below. Provide him or her with written documentation concerning the situation and your requested specific desired outcome.

    The Nevada Revised Statutes does not address an important aspect for public education in Nevada. How can I get it changed?

    To make a change to the Nevada Revised Statutes, please contact your Nevada State legislative representative to discuss a statutory change in the State policy. The following links are for the Nevada State legislative website: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/ and to find your representative, please follow the instructions at this link: http://mapserve1.leg.state.nv.us/shoRU/ . You may also want to contact your principal, district superintendent and your Board of Trustees for their support during this process.

      If I cannot get a suitable response or action from my teacher, principal, or district superintendent for a problem I must have resolved, what are my options?

      Because the Nevada Legislature has delegated authority and power regarding the operation of school districts, schools, and classes to the Board of Trustees for each school district, you can contact your school district's Board of Trustees for assistance. Their contact information should be posted at your district's website. You can report the problem to your Board by phone, e-mail, or letter. You can also prepare written documentation regarding the problem and a suggested solution, and submit it during "Public Comment" at their next meeting. The Board President may offer to meet with you, with, or without, the district superintendent to discuss a solution; or the President may decide the matter needs to be discussed among the board members at the next meeting and be placed as an agenda item.

      If a mutually satisfactory solution cannot be met at this level, you may want to contact your Nevada legislative representatives to share your concerns. You can find their contact information at the Nevada State Legislative website at: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/ . If you need to find who your representatives are, this link will give you that information: http://mapserve1.leg.state.nv.us/whoRU/ .

      The school my children attend has been in disrepair for years and they are subjected to extreme hot and cold temperatures, which affects their concentration. The school, district, and board of trustees have ignored parents' complaints. According to NRS 393.00 the board of trustees must take responsibility for school repairs, but they do not. What can parents do now?

      Nevada is a "local control" state, which means that the legislature has delegated authority and power regarding the operation of school districts, schools, and classes to the Board of Trustees of each local school board so long as those powers do not conflict with the laws or Constitution of Nevada. In Nevada, funding for school buildings, facilities, and operational issues such as air conditioning in classrooms is exclusively within the school district. The Nevada Department of Education has no authority to make decisions for the school board or direct the board to take a course of action.

      During the 2015 Legislative Session, Governor Sandoval signed Senate Bill 207, which gives school districts the authority to issue general obligations bonds for school construction and renovations. Governor Sandoval also signed Senate Bill 411, which allows the imposition of certain taxes in a community to fund capital projects of the school district based on recommendations made by a committee and voter approval.

      Each school district will determine how these laws will be utilized to fund school renovations, repairs, and construction. Accordingly, parents should contact their school district to obtain information about their plans for funding school repairs and construction. If the health and safety of students are in jeopardy and school district officials or school board trustees are unresponsive to your concerns, the parents may need to contact the health department in their community.

        My school is using curriculum that seems inappropriate. Can the Department review it and make a determination?

        The Nevada Department of Education only oversees the adoption process of Nevada State Standards. Each local school district selects and can adjust the curriculum to align to the State standards. The Board of Trustees of each local district must approve the curriculum; so that is the governing body that oversees the curriculum.

          My child is being bullied and the teacher, principal, district superintendent, and the district Board of Trustees will not take measures to protect my child. What can I do?

          We are extremely sorry that your child and your family are experiencing this violation. Please contact the Office of Safe and Respectful Learning (click on the tab "Contact Us") at Safevoice Nevada and/or review the pamphlets below for more information about bullying and bullying law in Nevada.