The department of education shall promptly investigate complaints alleging violations of the IDEA and the state‘s special education laws in the following manner:

(1) The department shall make a complaint form available on the department’s website. The department shall also supply any individual with a written copy of the complaint form via the United States postal service upon request. The department shall facilitate the submission of complaint forms via the internet. If a complaint is filed via the internet, then the complaint is deemed to be signed so long as the name of the filer is indicated in the complaint. Anonymous complaints cannot be accepted for investigative purposes;

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 49-10-604

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Department: means the department of education. See Tennessee Code 49-10-102
  • IDEA: means the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( Tennessee Code 49-10-102
  • LEA: means a local education agency. See Tennessee Code 49-10-102
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Special education: means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, home, hospitals, institutions, and other settings, and instruction in physical education. See Tennessee Code 49-10-102
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(2) The department shall notify an LEA of a complaint filed against the LEA within five (5) calendar days of receiving the compliant. The notification must require the LEA to respond to the allegations contained in the complaint and to provide the department with any additional information requested by the department. The LEA must provide its response to the department no later than fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of the notification, unless an extension is granted by the department;
(3) If the department determines that the LEA has committed a violation of state or federal special education laws or rules, then the department shall issue, within ten (10) calendar days, the department’s findings that confirm the violation to the LEA and the person making the complaint. The written findings must require the LEA to take all corrective action required by the department that are contained in the written findings, which may include providing compensatory education if deemed appropriate by the department;
(4) The department shall require an LEA that has committed a violation of applicable law or rule to correct the violation within ten (10) calendar days, unless an extension is granted by the department;
(5) Any LEA receiving notice from the department that measures are required to correct a violation of applicable law or rule shall provide written notice of the completion of the corrective measures to the department and to the person making the complaint. The department shall determine whether the measures taken by the LEA resulted in compliance with the applicable law or rule, or both. The department shall provide written notice to the LEA of the department’s determination within ten (10) calendar days; and
(6) Within thirty (30) calendar days after closing the investigation, the department shall publish all violations and determinations confirmed by the department on the department’s official website. The publication must include the name of the LEA, a description of the violation, a citation of the law or rule determined to have been violated, the corrective measures proposed by the LEA, and the final determination of the department. The department shall publish confirmed violations and determinations in a manner that protects the identity of the student.
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