6550 - Hotline Policy - First Reading

1. PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY
   The Weber School District Board of Education (WSD) is committed to transparency, accountability, and compliance with Utah law.  As part of this commitment, WSD takes seriously its obligation to address various complaints and concerns submitted to the Public Education Hotline.
   
   The Utah State Board of Education encourages all stakeholders to initially try to resolve any concerns at the local level by working with the applicable school and/or District personnel.  The Public Education Hotline provides a means for any stakeholder to report a systemic concern or one that has not been resolved locally.  After reviewing the submitted concern, the Utah State Board of Education’s Internal Audit Department may choose to investigate the complaint itself or refer the complaint back to Weber School District.
   
   
2. POLICY
   The purpose of this policy is to outline, in accordance with governing rules and regulations, the District’s responsibility to investigate, respond to, and attempt to resolve any referrals it receives from the Public Education Hotline.
   
   The District has set forth its specific processes for implementing this Board policy through the accompanying administrative procedures.
   
   
3. DEFINITIONS
   1. “Complainant” means an individual who submits a complaint to the public education hotline.
   2. "IAD" means the Board's Internal Audit Department.
   3. "Public education hotline" means the process maintained by the Board where an individual may report a hotline complaint.
   4. "Resolved" means that an investigation has been completed.
      1. "Resolved" does not mean or require that the findings are satisfactory to any specific individual, LEA, or entity.
         
         
4. PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
   1. Public Education Hotline and Reporting Notice
      1. The Utah State Board of Education (“USBE”) Public Education Hotline (“Hotline”) process allows parents, students, employees, and members of the public to report concerns or alleged violations of law, rule, or board policy.
      2. When USBE receives a Hotline complaint, the complaint may be referred back to the District for resolution.
         1. If the complaint is referred back to the District, the District will follow the process outlined in Section D. below for responding to and attempting to resolve the complaint.
   2. Emergency or Time-Sensitive Concerns
      1. If the issue or concern involves immediate danger, threats, abuse, or neglect, report through the following applicable channels below first:
         1. Local law enforcement — for immediate threats or emergencies, dial 911
         2. SafeUT Crisis Hotline — for mental health crises or tip reporting, dial (833) 372-3388
         3. Division of Child and Family Services (“DCFS”)/Child Protective Services (“CPS”) — for allegations of child abuse or neglect, (855) 323-3237
   3. Hotline (Non-emergency) Concerns
      1. Submitting a Report/Concern/Complaint
         1. Reports may be submitted by:
            1. Filling out the official USBE online Report a Concern Form (Qualtrics) available at: https://usbe.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3fOibv0QptlHu62
            2. Sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
            3. Calling the dedicated Hotline phone number, (801) 538-7813 (if no answer, leave a message).
            4. Mailing a concern to:
               
               Utah State Board of Education
               Internal Audit Department
               Attention: Debbie Davis
               PO Box 144200
               Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200
      2. When submitting a report, please include as much detail as possible (names, dates, location, documentation, laws or policies involved, prior attempts to resolve, etc.).
      3. Hotline submissions are first reviewed by the USBE Internal Audit Department (“IAD”).
      4. The USBE IAD reviews the information and may:
         1. Refer the matter to the District for review, investigation, and/or resolution; or
         2. Retain and investigate the matter directly, depending on the type of report.
   4. District Responsibilities
      1. When the District receives a referral from the Hotline, the District shall:
         1. Assign the appropriate District employee to review and respond to the referral.
         2. Ensure the review and response process is documented and compliant with Utah Admin. Rule R277-123.
            1. If contact information for the complainant is available, the assigned District employee must contact the complainant promptly and document:
               1. the name of the District personnel who contacted the complainant;
               2. the type of contact made, such as phone or email;
               3. the date of the contact; and
               4. the resolution of the concern or action steps to be taken.
            2. The District must make at least two good-faith attempts to contact the complainant.
         3. The nature of the complaint will determine the scope of any needed review and investigation.
            1. If an employee is alleged to have engaged in conduct that could result in discipline, the employee will be provided with the necessary due process.
         4. The employee assigned to review and respond to the complaint shall disclose information concerning the allegations only as necessary to perform an investigation.
         5. Before a response is sent to IAD, the proposed response must be submitted to District legal counsel.
            1. Legal counsel will ensure that the submission meets USBE’s criteria and determine whether additional action needs to be taken by the District.
         6. Provide a response to IAD within 45 days (14 days if the report involves prohibited discriminatory submissions, training, or practices).
            1. A response must be provided using the official USBE IAD online response form.
            2. Where appropriate, USBE allows the District to respond to IAD that the allegation is an issue that is the District’s sole responsibility, or the District is still reviewing the allegation.
         7. If the matter was not resolved, updates must be submitted to IAD every 30 days until the matter is resolved.
   5. Retaliation Prohibited
      1. The District does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who makes a good-faith report.  Anyone who believes they have been retaliated against for filing a Hotline complaint should immediately contact the District’s Compliance Director.