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Public Complaints and Public Education Hotline

Adopted:         11-9-76
Reviewed:       8-13-03
Revised:          11-12-25 Combined KL and KLD    

Philosophy

Constructive criticism of the schools is welcome by the South Sanpete Board of Education when it is motivated by a sincere desire to improve the quality of the educational program and to equip the schools to do their task more effectively. The Board has confidence in its professional staff and desires to support their actions in order that they be free from unfounded criticism and complaint.

Whenever a complaint is made directly to the Board as a whole or to a Board member as an individual, it shall be referred to the school administration for study and possible solutions. The individual employee involved shall be advised of the nature of the complaint and shall be given every opportunity for explanation, comment, and presentation of the facts as he or she sees them.

Establishment of District Hotline

  1. The Board of Education has established a hotline to provide an avenue for citizens, including District employees and contractors, to report improper governmental activities including:
    1. Waste or misuse of public funds, property, or manpower
    2. Violations of a law, rule, or regulation applicable to the government
    3. Gross mismanagement
    4. Abuse of authority
    5. Unethical conduct

Utah Admin. Rules R277-123-2(3) (June 9, 2025)
Utah Admin. Rules R277-123-4 (June 9, 2025)

Filing a Complaint

  1. Complaints should be submitted in writing using the attached form or survey. Complainants should also submit any evidence that supports the complaint. Essential information includes specifics on “who, what, where, when” as well as any other details that may be important such as information on other witnesses, documents, and pertinent evidence. Due to limited resources the Board of Education is unable to accept complaints that are not supported by evidence or provide a means for us to investigate the problem further. At a minimum, please use the form as a guide to ensure the necessary information is provided. Submit complaints via the following methods:

Public Complaint/Concern Form Link

US Mail:

South Sanpete School District
Board of Education Complaint Hotline
39 South Main
Manti, Utah 84642

Complainants may call the District at (435) 835-2261 for more information.

Processing of Hotline Complaints
  1. After receipt of the complaint, the Board of Education will appoint an investigator to review the allegation and any evidence provided by the complainant. The list below represents some of the factors that are considered during the screening and prioritization process.
    1. Does the complaint involve actions by a person subject to the Board of Education’s authority?
    2. Does the complaint pertain to improper governmental activities? Disagreements with administration decisions or actions taken by Board members that are within the law will not be investigated.
    3. Has the complainant taken appropriate steps to resolve the issue with the District? If the District is not responsive, the concern relates to District administration, or the complainant desires anonymity, consideration will be increased.
    4. What is the timing and frequency of alleged improper activity? Allegations of improper activities that are recent and/or on-going may receive a higher priority.
    5. Should the allegation be investigated by another entity? Are there other agencies that have oversight of the complaint? Is a member of the Board of Education or the audit committee being accused?
    6.       Can the complaint be efficiently and effectively investigated? Overly broad or vague complaints or complaints where evidence is unavailable may be declined or receive a low priority.
  2. The investigator communicates to the Board of Education: 
    1. The allegation of the complaint
    2. Any facts supporting or refuting the complaint
    3.       A recommendation based upon preliminary inquiry
  3. The Board of Education decides the appropriate next action (if a member of the Board of Education is the subject of the complaint they may not be included in this process):
    1. Discontinue the investigation
    2. Continue with the investigation
    3.       Refer the investigation to another agency
  4. If the investigation proceeds, the Board of Education sets the following:
    1. Time and resource budget
    2.        Scope of the audit
  5. The investigator completes the investigation
  6. The investigator creates a report outlining the work performed and conclusions
  7. The investigator provides the report to the Board of Education
  8. The Board of Education addresses any findings noted in the report
Processing of Hotline Complaints Received from USBE

Hotline complaints which are received by referral from the Internal Audit Department of the Utah State Board of Education will be processed as provided above for hotline complaints initially submitted to the Board of Education and then, within 45 days of receiving the referral from the Internal Audit Department, provides an update or summary of the status of the matter to the Internal Audit Department.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-123-4(5) – (7) (June 9, 2025)

Whistleblower Protection

Utah Code § 67-21-3 prohibits public employers (such as the District) from taking retaliatory action against their employees for reporting government waste or violations of law in good faith, to the appropriate authorities. A District employee is presumed to have communicated in good faith if the employee has given written notice or otherwise formally communicated the conduct to the Board of Education, a member of the Board of Education, the Superintendent, or to a government official with authority to audit the District.

Utah Code § 67-21-3(1)(a), (b)(vi) (2022)

pdfKL.pdf