The responsibility of the complaints management unit includes responding to and conducting investigations of complaints related to violations of civil rights or requirements imposed on the state by certain federal laws or court orders. Activities include investigating alleged violations of student rights related to equal educational opportunity and civil rights discrimination based on race and national origin.

Equal educational opportunity (EEO) responsibilities within the division include:

• participating in investigations related to allegations of discrimination as they apply to race, color and national origin by authority of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• monitoring the implementation of Civil Action 5281 dealing with activities that reduce or impede desegregation.
• implementing interventions related to student transfers where such transfers change the majority or minority percentage of the school population as per Civil Action 5281.
• examining student assignment to schools and classrooms to ensure that a substantially disproportionate number of minority or non-minority students are not assigned resulting in discrimination by authority of Civil Action 5281.
• investigating extra-curricular/co-curricular activities to ensure that districts do not make arrangement for, acquiesce in, or give support of any kind to activities that result in segregation or other discrimination against students by authority of Civil Action 5281.
• disseminating information related to the requirements of Civil Action 5281.
• participating in monitoring activities related to civil rights compliance in districts that provide career and technology education (CTE) programs and accept federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education. The requirements applicable to a CTE program and subject to monitoring are found in:

• Public Law 105-332, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Amendments of 1998.
• Guidelines for Eliminating Discrimination and Denial of Services on the basis of Race, Color, National origin, Sex, and Handicap in Vocational Education Programs, March 21, 1979 (34 CFR, Part 100, Appendix B).
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the implementation of 34 CFR, Part 100.
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the implementation of 34 CFR, Part 106.
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the implementation of 34 CFR, Part 104.
• Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act of 1990 and the implementation of 28 CFR, Part 35.