Report Fraud

GCSD Hotline

The “GCSD Hotline” provides an avenue for citizens, including District employees and contractors, to report improper governmental activities including:

• Waste or misuse of public funds, property, or manpower
• Violations of a law, rule, or regulation applicable to the government
• Gross mismanagement
• Abuse of authority
• Unethical conduct

Filing a Complaint

Complaints should be submitted in writing using this form. Complainants should also submit any evidence that supports the complaint at this time. 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 our office is unable to accept complaints that are not specific in nature or that are not well supported by credible evidence. At a minimum, please use the form as a guide to ensure the necessary information is provided. Submit complaints via the following methods:

US Mail: PO Box 398, ATTN: Superintendent Hotline, Panguitch, Utah 84759

Complaint Screening and Prioritization

After we receive your complaint, we will screen and prioritize it based on significance, internal resources, and other factors. The list below represents some of the factors that are considered during the screening and prioritization process.

• Does the complaint involve actions by an entity subject to the Garfield County School District’s authority? 
• Does the complaint pertain to improper District activities? Disagreements with management decisions or actions taken by board officials that are within the law will not be investigated.
• Has the complainant taken appropriate steps to resolve the issue with the entity? If the entity is not responsive, the concern relates to top management, or the complainant desires anonymity, the Hotline may be contacted first.
• 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.
• Should the allegation be investigated by another entity? In some cases, we may refer complaints to internal/external auditors or other entities, as considered appropriate. We will generally discuss these options with the complainant.
• Can the complaint can be efficiently and effectively investigated? Overly broad or vague complaints or complaints where evidence is unavailable may be declined or receive a low priority.

Whistleblower Protection

Utah Code § 67-21-3 prohibits public employers from taking adverse action against their employees for reporting government waste or violations of law in good faith, to the appropriate authorities. A public entity employee, public body employee, legislative employee, or judicial employee, is presumed to have communicated in good faith if they have given written notice or otherwise formally communicated the conduct to the Garfield County School District (see Utah Code § 67-21-3(1)(b)(iv)(A) for more information).

Confidentiality

The identity of the complainant is considered protected information under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) and will be kept confidential if requested by the complainant. (See Utah Code Section 67-3-1(15)). Complaints may be submitted anonymously to the Hotline. However, we prefer that the complainant provide their name and phone number to allow us to ask follow-up questions, investigate the complaint thoroughly, and report the results back to the complainant. Also, anonymous complaints do not invoke the Whistleblower protections.