Complaints and Appeals

The Education Student Advisory Committee (ESAC) of the Council for Educator Preparation (CEP) serves the purpose of reviewing TWU EPP admission appeals, requests for exemptions from TWU EPP requirements, and issues of academic and professional performance in courses and programs in the TWU EPP at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The ESAC consists of members who are full-time, tenured, or tenure-track faculty who serve on the CEP and in their respective programs as instructors and/or advisors. Depending on the nature of the appeal, the CEP members are selected from the faculty in elementary school education, middle school education, Literacy, ESL/Bilingual, Special Education, and secondary education for Secondary/EC-12 appeals. The CEP also includes, but is not limited to, one non-voting representative from each of the Office of Educator Preparation Services and the Office of Clinical Practices.

For details on grade appeals and the ad-hoc committees, see the TWU Academic Affairs appeals and complaint policies. Students also have all the rights, responsibilities, and avenues for appeal that are enumerated by the Texas Woman’s University Student Rights and Obligations.

Actions that CAN be appealed through the ESAC appeals process:

• Admission to the TWU EPP without meeting published requirements
• TExES Success Plan decisions
• Professional Dispositional Improvement Plan feedback

Actions that CAN NOT be appealed through the ESAC appeals process:

• University admission decisions
• Course grades (Including the grading of projects or assignments in a course)
• Transcript issues
• Advising Issues
• Grade appeals

Written Submission: All complaints/appeals must be submitted in writing on the official EPP form. Please review all information on this page before submitting your official complaint/appeal form. 

• EPP Complaint/Appeal form (Word Doc)
• EPP Complaint/Appeal form (PDF)

Supporting Documents: Attach copies of all supporting evidence. If documents are unavailable, specify where they can be accessed. No new documents may be added after filing unless they were previously unknown to the stakeholder.

Freedom from Retaliation: Retaliation against any stakeholder for filing a complaint is strictly prohibited.

Consolidation: Related events must be addressed in a single complaint. Serial complaints regarding the same issue are not permitted.

Costs: Each party is responsible for their own costs incurred during the process.

Informal Resolution: Stakeholders are encouraged to first discuss concerns with the appropriate EPP representative or faculty member for early resolution.

• Informal resolution does not extend formal filing deadlines unless there is mutual written consent.
• A formal complaint can be submitted if an informal resolution is not reached.
• Note: A formal complaint can be withdrawn at any time if the issue is resolved.

Formal Resolution: Stakeholders are to follow the appeal levels below sequentially if a decision within a level is unsatisfactory or if the deadline for a response passed without a reply.

• Note: Committees and administrators will respond to complaints or appeals via email within ten business days, excluding weekends, holidays, and days between academic sessions. 

1. Formal Appeal: Level One 

Deadline: Must be filed within 10 days of the event or when the stakeholder first became aware of the issue.

Filing: Submit the form to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who will submit the complaint to the Educational and Student Affairs Committee (ESAC). 

• Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: Aimée Myers, amyers8@twu.edu 
• Subject Line for Email: Formal Complaint Level One

Response: The committee will investigate and provide a written response within 10 days.

• Depending on the nature of the concerns and the ESAC ’s findings, the ESAC may decide on a range of actions including (but not limited to) granting or denying admission, removing the student from a program, reinstating a student in a program, or requiring the fulfillment of certain conditions for continuation in a program.
• Nothing in these CEP procedures shall preclude the University from also reviewing conduct matters that fall under the Code of Student Conduct.

2. Formal Appeal: Level Two

Eligibility: Filed if the Level One response is unsatisfactory or if the deadline for a response passed without a reply.

Deadline: Must be filed within 10 days of the Level One response (or the missed deadline).

Filing: Submit the appeal to the EPP Director or their designee.

• EPP Director: Allison Esparza, aesparza16@twu.edu 
• Subject Line for Email: Formal Complaint Level Two

Response: The Director will provide a written response within 10 days of receiving the appeal.

3. Formal Appeal: Level Three

Eligibility: Filed if the Level Two response is unsatisfactory or if the deadline for a response passed without a reply.

Deadline: Must be filed within 10 days of the Level Two response (or the missed deadline).

Filing: Submit the appeal to the Dean of COPE or their designee.

• Dean of COPE: Brigitte Vittrup, bvittrup@twu.edu 
• Subject Line for Email: Formal Complaint Level Three

Response: The Director will provide a written response within 10 days of receiving the appeal.

*NOTE: Incomplete forms or untimely filings may be dismissed.

If the stakeholder remains unsatisfied after Level Three, they may file a complaint against the TWU EPP with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) following the official TEA process.

TEA Contact Information

• Phone: (512) 463-3544
• Electronic: https://www.complaints.tea.texas.gov/en-US/ 
• U.S. Mail:
  • Complaints Management
    1701 N. Congress Ave.
    Austin, TX 78701-1494