Student Grievance Process
Introduction
The Student Complaint/Grievance Procedure is intended to give students a quick and fair means to resolve complaints. The procedure may be started by an individual student or group of students who believe they have been treated unfairly or that their rights as students.
Note: the grievance process below covers grade disputes, general grievances (i.e., employee behavior, services, etc.), and academic accommodation disputes. If you believe you've been the victim of sexual or gender discrimination, harassment, or violence, or other types of unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation based on your ethnicity, religion, age, sex, disability, etc., contact the LACCD Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Please see the general info regarding grievances below. Then scroll down to the steps you should take to resolve your grievance.
General Grievance Information
Learn about the Ombuds (who is here to help you with some grievance processes), the time limit for filing a grievance, types of issues that are not covered by the grievance process, and special rules about grade disputes: click the links below.
The role of the Ombuds is that of a neutral party and facilitator of the grievance process. The Ombuds does not act as an advocate for either the Grievant(s) or Respondent(s). They can and will provide guidance, information, and assistance with the grievance process. Contact them any time you have difficulty with or questions about the process.
You may seek informal solutions to grievances at any time, but to request a formal Grievance Hearing, you must make the request in writing using the appropriate form(s) within 120 days of the problem occurring or 120 days of your learning about the problem, whichever is later. This means it's important for you to see an informal resolution (where that type of resolution is appropriate) as quickly after the event as possible. Don't wait! You may not request a formal Grievance Hearing until 30 days past the date the problem occurred, but you should immediately get started on the Informal Resolution process detailed below.
- If you feel you’ve been the victim of sexual misconduct or harassment, or discrimination on the basis of your ethnicity/religion/age/sex/disability/etc.., contact the LACCD Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
- To challenge prerequisites, corequisites, advisories and limitations on enrollment, contact the Office of Academic Affairs.
- If you want to appeal your residency determination, contact the Admissions and Records Office.
- If you have complaints about your eligibility, disqualification, or reinstatement of financial aid, contact the Financial Aid Office.
- For issues dealing with student discipline (that is, complaints against other students’ behavior), contact the Office of Student Services.
- Complaints about District policies, e.g., Board Policies and Administrative Procedures, should be made to the LACCD Chancellor's Office.
By law, grades are up to the professor, except in instances of mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetency, including a professor not following the syllabus guidelines. A formal Grievance Hearing may only be held if you can provide evidence (course syllabus, email communications, your graded assignments/exams, etc.) of one of these things; the burden of proof is on the student.
Regardless, you may (and should) always try the Informal Resolution steps below.
How to resolve your complaint
Choose the type of grievance you have and follow the instructions.
Types of complaints:
Informal resolution:
- Talk to your professor, explaining the problem--and what you think is a fair solution--as clearly as you can. If that doesn't resolve it:
- Contact the professor's department chair. If you don’t know who that is, you can ask your professor or contact the Office of Academic Affairs; give them your professor’s name and ask who the chair is. Then contact the chair, explaining the problem and what you think is the fair solution. Give them a chance to talk to the professor. If that doesn't resolve it:
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Contact the Dean in charge. If you don't know who that is, ask the chair or contact the Office of Academic Affairs; give them the chair’s name and ask who the dean is. Then, contact the dean and explain the issue. Give them a chance to talk to the chair and the professor. If that still doesn't resolve it:
- Download and fill out a Statement of Grievance form and contact the LAMC Ombuds. The Ombuds will give you a copy of the grievance rules, answer your questions, and assist you with all further steps. They will first attempt to arrange an informal resolution by contacting the parties involved. And if they can’t, they’ll contact you and advise you about the steps needed to request a Formal Resolution.
Formal resolution (a Grievance Hearing):
NOTE: By law, grades are up to the professor, except in instances of mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetency, including a professor not following the syllabus guidelines. A formal grievance may only be filed if you can provide evidence (course syllabus, email communications, your graded assignments/exams, etc.) of one of these things.
If you have evidence to support your grievance, the Ombuds will explain the process and rules and help you submit a Request for Formal Resolution form. They will then convene a Grievance Committee to consider your complaint and will keep you informed of the status of your complaint going forward. You may be requested to meet with the Grievance Committee at some point; if so, the Ombuds will let you know.
Note: You cannot file a request for a Grievance Hearing until 30 days after the event (so that there’s time to work through the Informal Resolution steps above), and you must file it no later than 120 days after the event.
Informal resolution:
- Talk to the person with whom you have a complaint and try to work out a remedy. If the complaint isn't about a person's behavior, OR if talking to the person doesn't resolve the problem:
- Contact the supervisor or manager in charge of the unit or the professor's department chair (if the complaint is about a professor). If you don't know who that is, contact the Ombuds, and they'll identify the person you should talk to. Contact that person, explain the issue, and give them a chance to talk to anyone involved and find a solution. If that doesn't resolve it:
- Contact the Administrator in charge of that area. This will often be a Dean, although sometimes it will be a Vice President. If you can't decide whom to talk to, the Ombuds will help you. Once you know who the Administrator in charge is, contact them, explain the problem, and give them a chance to reach a solution. If that still doesn't resolve it:
- Download and fill out a Statement of Grievance form and contact the LAMC Ombuds (info at the top right of this page). The Ombuds will give you a copy of the grievance rules, answer your questions, and assist you with all further steps. They will first attempt to arrange an informal resolution by contacting the parties involved. And if they can’t, they’ll contact you and guide you through the steps needed to request a Formal Resolution.
Formal resolution (a Grievance Hearing):
The Ombuds will explain the process and rules and help you submit a Request for Formal Resolution form. They will then convene a Grievance Committee to consider your complaint and will keep you informed of the status of your complaint going forward. You may be requested to meet with the Grievance Committee at some point; if so, the Ombuds will let you know.
Note: You cannot file a request for a Grievance Hearing until 30 days after the event (so that there’s time to work through the Informal Resolution steps above), and you must file it no later than 120 days after the event.
Start by talking to one of the professionals at the Disabled Student Programs and Services office; they will help guide you in finding a remedy. Work with them on the following:
Informal Resolution:
- Talk to your professor, explaining the problem--and what you'd like--as clearly as you can. If that doesn't resolve it:
- Contact the professor's department chair (your professor or the DSPS professional can tell you who that is) and meet with them, explaining the problem and what you think is the fair solution. Give them a chance to talk to the professor. If that doesn't resolve it:
- Contact the Dean in charge (the department chair or the DSPS professional can tell you who that is; so can the Office of Academic Affairs) and explain the issue to the Dean. Give them a chance to talk to the chair and the professor. If that still doesn't resolve it:
- Download and fill out a Statement of Grievance form and contact the LAMC Ombuds (info at the top right of this page). The Ombuds will give you a copy of the grievance rules, answer your questions, and assist you with all further steps. They will first attempt to arrange an informal resolution by contacting the parties involved. And if they can’t, they’ll contact you and guide you through the steps needed to request a Formal Resolution (below).
Formal resolution (a Grievance Hearing):
The Ombuds will explain the process and rules and help you submit a Request for Formal Resolution form. They will then convene a Grievance Committee to consider your complaint and will keep you informed of the status of your complaint going forward. You may be requested to meet with the Grievance Committee at some point; if so, the Ombuds will let you know.
Note: You cannot file a request for a Grievance Hearing until 30 days after the event (so that there’s time to work through the Informal Resolution steps above), and you must file it no later than 120 days after the event.
These serious issues are not part of the Student Grievance process; instead, they are handled at the District level. If you feel you’ve been the victim of sexual misconduct or harassment, or discrimination on the basis of your ethnicity/religion/age/gender/disability/etc.., contact the LACCD Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.