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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Complaint Procedure

    To file a complaint against a nonpublic nonlicensed school or a licensed private academic school, click on the institution type below and follow the appropriate procedures:

    Nonpublic Non-licensed Schools

    Coming Soon.

    Licensed Private Academic School (Nursery, Kindergarten, Grades 1-12, Tutoring Centers, Educational Testing & Remedial Centers) 

    22 Pa. Code §51.5 indicates that it is the responsibility of the director and owner of a licensed private academic school to answer questions concerning the operation and management of the school.  When questions or concerns are not satisfactorily resolved, complaints may be brought to the attention of the State Board of Private Academic Schools.

    All complaints must be in writing and contain the names and addresses of the complainant and the party against whom the complaint is made.  All complaints must also contain a statement of the facts forming the basis of the complaint and an explanation why the complainant believes there has been a violation of law or regulation.

    All complaints will be considered informal complaints unless the complaint specifically states that it is a formal complaint.

    Formal complaints are forwarded directly to the school for response.

    Informal complaints are summarized in a letter from the Department of Education to the school and the complainant’s name is not divulged at this initial stage.

    Schools must file an answer within 20 calendar days of receipt of the complaint or letter summarizing the informal complaint.  If the matter can be resolved informally, the Department will send a letter to the complainant and the school stating that the matter is resolved.  If the matter cannot be resolved informally, the Department will inform both parties whether or not it will initiate a formal hearing before the Board.  If the Department initiates a formal hearing, it may use the complaint as evidence and may call the complainant as a witness.

    The Department has created a complaint form to be submitted if an individual wants to file a complaint against a licensed private academic school.  This complaint form MUST be emailed to   ra-nppss@pa.gov for the Department to begin an investigation.  The Department will not initiate an investigation unless this form is received.

    An individual must provide clear and concise information and must identify what law or regulation they believe a licensed private academic school has violated.